Set The Cache To Something Manageable In Pocket IE

[Ed Hansberry]

If you use your device for browsing online, take a look at Start|Settings|System|Memory and see how much of your storage space is used. Now, in Pocket Internet Explorer, select Tools|Options|Memory|Delete Files. Now see how much storage space you have. Did you clear out a lot? I've seen 10MB cleaned up before. 8O You can change the cache size by modifying the registry. <br /><br />[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\Cache\Content]<br />"CacheLimit"=dword:00000200<br /><br />My PDA2K was set at 43MB and my K-Jam at 26MB. :idontthinkso: I've adjusted them both to a more reasonable 2MB, or 2048 for the registry key setting. Don't set it at zero. It won't work like that and will instead default to some much larger value. It should be at least 256KB to 512KB for the setting to work as far as I can tell.

[Spenser]

Reading this reasonable advice I remember that I always wanted to ask how to delete the index.dat-file, which is 540KB big on my ipaq 4700. (\windows\Profiles\guest\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5). Same but slightly smaller on \windows\Profiles\guest\History\History.IE5.
Any idea how to delete these files? That would be another way of gaining some more of the precious RAM.
Thank you.
Jochen

[gilbertovp]

Hi, another solution is to use MemMaid or some other tweak software (or change the registry yourself) to put the explorer's cache to a folder in the storage card, so it wont take space in the main memory :)

[robert_biggs]

My PDA2K was set at 43MB and my K-Jam at 26MB. :idontthinkso:

I just checked my X51v and it's default setting was 64MB!! 8O I adjusted it down to a more modest 5MB.

[gilbertovp]

For more info about this subject, check this article: "Optimize your Internet speed - relocate the cache" http://pocketpcmag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17997

[Ipaqian One]

It's not possible to delete the index.dat file directly.

1. Instead rename the "Content.IE5" folder to a different name like "old". (On my WM 2003 device found at Windows/Profiles/guest/Temporary Internet Files)

2. Reset your device.

3. Go back to the "Content.IE5" folder which the OS has automatically recreated during the reset. Notice the folder that was renamed "old" and delete it. The "old" folder contains the old bloated index.dat file that is safe to and can be deleted. The new index.dat file is significantly smaller. I haven't encountered any problems after deleting this folder and file on WM 2003 but just for safe measure you should back up first. I haven't had any experience with 2003 SE or WM 5 so I don't know the results on those versions.

I've seen my index.dat file get to be almost 1MB! It inevitably will bloat again but I just go back and delete it occasionally. The same procedure can be used on the "History" folder which contains history.dat.

I tried using Pocket Mechanic's Temporary file cleaning utility. While it works on regular temporary Pocket IE files it can't clean out the .dat files.

Please let me know if anyone knows of a utility that cleans .dat files within the Temporary Internet Files folder.

[bbarker]

How many of thesa issues will MemMaid take care of?

[Ed Hansberry]

be careful about some of the changes here. I am not sure what would happen if you move the cache to the storage card and then as WM5 devices are prone to do, the card is "lost" when the device suspends.

[martin_ayton]

How many of thesa issues will MemMaid take care of?

MemMaid will allow you to reset the cache size. It cannot clean index.dat files (and there are three of them residing in different places IIRC), but it does allow you to relocate the cache to the storage card. That in turn allows you to delete the index.dat files which got left in RAM.

I found that relocating the cache to the storage card really slowed things down the first time I used PIE after a soft reset and made it marginally less stable. I'm pretty sure that optimising my storage card would have sorted some / all of this, but I just don't have the time to do that right now, so I have reduced the cache to 2MB per Ed's advice and had MemMaid move it back to RAM. Every now and then, I'll use MemMaid to shift the cache over to the storage card, I'll delete the index.dat files from RAM and them shift the cache back again. Not pretty, but effective.

[ctmagnus]

I use MemMaid to set the max storage used to 2MB. Then whenever I'm done using PIE, I go into MemMaid again and use its Quick Clean option to get rid of all the build-up that has accumulated since I ran it last. A positive side effect of this routine is that every once in a while, MemMaid will wipe out the index.dat files as well.

[Gerard]

Doesn't seem to matter what number I edit my CacheLimit value to. It always ends up reverting to this on soft reset:
"CacheLimit"=dword:00005470
That's 21616KB. Every time this subject comes up, someone posts a new piece of advice... and I try it, and it fails. What's up with that? This is a Dell X5 running WM2003. I just tried several lower values, from 2 to 6MB, both trying the 1024 - 2048 etc. thing and dividing down in halves from 21616. PIE not running, soft reset before and after, PHM's registry editor used. Nothing. Identical reversion to default every time.

[Darren Behan]

In response to Ed's point, I have had IE put it's files on my K-Jam's storage card then 'lose' it. What happens is that WM5 creates a storage card folder and recreates the IE related folders there. When the storage card is 'rediscovered' it gets named Storage Card 2. The result: IE still works but WM5 can't find the apps installed on my real storage card 'cause the path is now different.

To fix this use whatever you use (Tweaks2K2.net in my case) to set your IE files back to the Windows directory, reset (you can't selete the storage card directory until you do), delete the Storage Card directory, reset (so your PPC names your storage card correctly), and forget about putting the files on your storage card.

I found that IE was slower and less reliable on the storage card anyway so I'm hacking the registry instead.

For Gerard: There is a hack in Tweaks2K2.net that changes the registry from hive to tree or somesuch for WM 5 devices. It seems this hack has to do with registry changes surviving a soft reset. I don't know enough about it to be really helpful but you might want to check out the Tweaks2K2.net site to see if you can get more info on it.

db

[Ed Hansberry]

Doesn't seem to matter what number I edit my CacheLimit value to. It always ends up reverting to this on soft reset:
"CacheLimit"=dword:00005470
That's 21616KB. Every time this subject comes up, someone posts a new piece of advice... and I try it, and it fails. What's up with that? This is a Dell X5 running WM2005. I just tried several lower values, from 2 to 6MB, both trying the 1024 - 2048 etc. thing and dividing down in halves from 21616. PIE not running, soft reset before and after, PHM's registry editor used. Nothing. Identical revevsion to default every time.

Very strange. I am using Resco's registry editor. I set it to 2048, which is 0X800. It has survived several soft resets. Is PHM really making the change? Are you making the change and hitting soft reset immediately? If WM5 hasn't had a chance to write the registry change to ROM, it will be lost if you pop the SR button. Make the change then change something in the control panel, like a notification. That will force WM to commit registry changes, something PHM may not be doing.

[Gerard]

Um... I mentioned using WM2003, right? I rather doubt a WM5.0 device will tempt me.

So yeah, I tried Resco too. diddly. Seems this edit just doesn't work for me.

[Janak Parekh]

Um... I mentioned using WM2003, right? I rather doubt a WM5.0 device will tempt me.
Actually, you wrote, right above:

This is a Dell X5 running WM2005.
I assumed you mistyped X50, but I guess the last digit was mistyped. Anyway, I posted a thread on this for WM2003 a while ago (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28915), and in retrospect it looks like it's the same key. It's possible Dell is overriding the user-set value. :(

--janak

[Jason Lee]

my sx66 does the same thing. i can change the cache to anything i want and it stays... until i reset. everytime it goes back to 42929.
the hack worked just fine on my old hp 2215 with ppc 2003.
but no luck with my ppc 2003 se sx66.

[Gerard]

This is a Dell X5 running WM2005.
I assumed you mistyped X50, but I guess the last digit was mistyped.

Sorry. Fixed the typo to WM2003.

[galt]

Same problem using Resco (not saving reg change), on WM5 JasJar. I'm making the change by entering "2048" in the dword data field, the dec setting is "base", after making changes to other system settings to force the writing of the reg edit to the system, then resetting, but the value is changed back to 14922 when it boots back up.

[SteveHoward999]

my sx66 does the same thing. i can change the cache to anything i want and it stays... until i reset. everytime it goes back to 42929.
the hack worked just fine on my old hp 2215 with ppc 2003.
but no luck with my ppc 2003 se sx66.


Same on my E830 :cry:

--

[Miz]

I confirm that too ... it goes back to 42245 KB on the e830 after a soft reset.

[Tattoo]

just found out that it's back to the 40-something MB :(

not fair.

I have a Qtek 2020i

[haesslich]

MemMAid isn't working either - it went back to 12MB out of the 33MB 'available' on the 1950. :P The problem doesn't appear to be limited to WM5, at any rate.

[geosta]

You guys are great, was planning on a hard reset cause I was constantly running out of memory on my hx4700.

For interests sake these were my figures:

Before Clearing Cache
- Storage Memory Free: 2.71MB
- Program Memory Free: 6.07MB

Total Free Memory: 8.78MB

After Clearing Cache
- Storage Memory Free: 15.83MB
- Program Memory Free: 16.55MB

Total Free Memory: 32.38MB

Total Reclaimed Memory: 23.6MB!!! 8O

Bless you all!

G

[martin_ayton]

MemMAid isn't working either - it went back to 12MB out of the 33MB 'available' on the 1950. :P The problem doesn't appear to be limited to WM5, at any rate.

After all I wrote about MemMaid earlier - I find I have the same issue: the cache size resets immediately back to 48M on my Xda2S / PDA2K. At least with MemMaid cleaning the thing regularly and an occasional deletion of the index.dat files, it should never actually get to 48M. Strange behaviour though.

P.S. "Haesslich" - if my (rather rusty) german serves me, that's a sad nickname. I'm sure it doesn't describe you at all - or are you being ironic?

[whydidnt]

I can confirm it "sticks" on the i730 - set to 2 MB. :)

This actually leads me to a small rant regarding MS's and OEM's handling of this though. This is a small portable device that in almost every incarnation has very limited memory resources. Yet, for some reason we see IE cache that is allowed to grow to more than 50% of installed RAM and fairly meaningless Index files grow to over 1MB of space. Without third party tools, or expert forums, a person who regularly uses his device for Internet access will eventually run out of RAM. No wonder there are people who claim WM is unstable and a memory hog. How do issues like this make it through Five Versions!! of a Handheld OS?

It seems where Memory is concerned, both MS and OEM's seem to think we have an unlimited supply of RAM on these devices and will never install a thing but preinstalled apps, some photos and MP3's. :evil:

[bnycastro]

Tried this hack on my imate JAM [WM2003SE] 3x and I still get the cache reset to 19594 [4C8A HEX] after a SR. :( oh well...

[freitasm]

my sx66 does the same thing. i can change the cache to anything i want and it stays... until i reset. everytime it goes back to 42929.
the hack worked just fine on my old hp 2215 with ppc 2003.
but no luck with my ppc 2003 se sx66. It used to happen with my Windows Mobile 2003 devices, it happens with my Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. Not after a soft reset, but after a day or two it reverts to its deault (which is different for each device).

Very annoying.