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Connectix RAM Doubler 9

Rating:	Your rating: None Average: 3.7 (9 votes)
Category:	Control Panels & Extensions Utilities
Year released:	1999
Author:	Connectix
Publisher:	Connectix

[www]_.se [ftp]_.se [mirror]_.us [mirror]_.de
RAM_Doublertm_9.img_.hqx (9.51 MB)
MD5: c255cadc47be6f380f4629c8602cdd65
For System 7.0 - 7.6 - Mac OS 9

[www]_.se [ftp]_.se [mirror]_.us [mirror]_.de
RAM-Doubler-9-patched.sit (6.79 MB)
MD5: 97da7218a635c5d846b50acd2bbdeaa3
For System 7.0 - 7.6 - Mac OS 9

[www]_.se [ftp]_.se [mirror]_.us [mirror]_.de
RAM_Doublera_9.0.1.sit (191.12 KB)
MD5: de64eab0ebd0bc2b2b3196f6f75a446d
For System 7.0 - 7.6 - Mac OS 9

Emulation
Guides on emulating older applications

If you have less than 240Mb of RAM, this is the utility that would save your day.

Top DL: RAM Doubler 9 installer and user manual, as Disk Copy 6 image in a ".hqx" wrapper.

2nd DL: Patched RAM Doubler 9 installer in a Disk Copy 6 image file compressed as a StuffIt 3.6 ".sit" archive.
MD5 checksum & filename: 97da7218a635c5d846b50acd2bbdeaa3 *RAM-Doubler-9-patched.sit

3rd DL: An updater to upgrade full versions of RAM Doubler 8 and RAM Doubler 9.0 to RAM Doubler 9.0.1.

2nd screenshot above is of Jon Garber, founding director of Connectix Corporation. It was included as an invisible file in the main install disk image. So maybe it's intended as an "Easter Egg". For the curious, this invisible picture is labelled "jon.dat" in the mounted disk image.

For earlier versions: RAM Doubler v1.0x | v1.5x - 1.6x | v2.0x | v8.0x

Similar Software: RAM Charger

Compatibility
Architecture: 68k

Despite included documentation stating RAM Doubler 9 requires a PPC Macintosh running Mac OS 8.0 and later, RAM Doubler 9 runs fine on 68k Macintosh running System Software 7.1 or newer:

Any 68030, 68040 and/or PowerPC-Based Macintosh.
Macintosh System Software 7.1 to Macintosh OS 9.2.2.
Minimum of 32mb of physical RAM (but less than 240mb).
CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM Drive (not required with mounted image).
256 Color Display for viewing charts and meters.

Ram Doubler uses MMU instructions which means this program is for a real operating system, not emulators.

If your Macintosh has 240MB or more RAM; Do not use this software. RAM Doubler cannot expand RAM beyond 240 MB.

Comments

by bertyboy - 2011, March 31 - 10:25am

Yeah, Photoshop (up to v5.5 - unsure about later) has it's own virtual memory system so this can be a nightmare grabbing bits of another applications RAM.

First thing is to make sure that you actually need RD, understand what it does. It doesn't give you more memory for a specific applciation, it doesn't do swapping and paging (god forbid). All it will ever do is allow (well, help) you run many, many idle applications at once. An application will launch and allocate itself perhaps 2000K of whuch it will initially use 300K - like Word 5.1 with no documents open. RamDoubler will steal most of that 1700K unused (but allocated to Word) RAM and allow another application to use it. If Word wants to start using that RAM (open a document, say) then RD must find the additional RAM required - if it's not immediately available, you crash.

No substitute for real RAM

by Marcelw - 2011, March 31 - 6:15am

Thanks for uploading, but though this is RAM Doubler 9, I'd rather not install this on OS 9.x. I tried it with several versions of OS 9 on my indigo iMac and it was the cause for loads of crashes, no matter what I did to prevent them.
Compatibility with Photoshop seems to be particularly bad, since I was able to start most applications and run them for a while after a crash-reboot, but Photoshop never ever started up. IMHO, you're better off with virtual memory on OS 9.

by IIGS_User - 2011, February 17 - 6:22pm

Thanks for reporting, Tomtom.

In fact, NativeChecker (available here at MacGarden), reported this application is based on 68k only, not being fat.

by MikeTomTom - 2011, February 17 - 1:32pm

@moof:

Minimum specs from where? Above?

I think you are right and that the specs (in the Description field above) are incorrect. I believe that RAM Doubler 9.x will run on a 68030 or newer CPU and under Mac OS 7.1 or later (at least):

From my RAM Doubler 9.0.1 Read Me file (snipped for brevity's sake):

[...]
With 84 MB RAM or more installed, RAM Doubler 9 extends memory up to 256 MB on 68K processor configurations or 240 MB on PowerPC configurations (16 MB is reserved for File Mapping on PowerPC) (NB. 68K processor configurations, MTT).
[...]
AppleTalk Users (With older versions of Mac OS 7): For compatibility with extended memory (virtual memory or RAM Doubler 9), use the latest AppleTalk driver available...
[...]

So yes, I think the Description area above needs revision.

[Edit]: Revised

by moof - 2011, February 17 - 1:02pm

Minimum specs say PowerPC, but I got this running on a 68040 with Mac OS 8.1?

by Fortuna Wave - 2010, July 9 - 12:58pm

Unfortunately, RAM Doubler 9 does not run in SheepShaver because it lacks MMU. This is the same does in Virtual PC and Speed Doubler (partial).