If you have collected many fonts, they are also taking up unnecessary RAM when you start your computer.

Your fonts and sounds are stored in your System folder (System 6, in the System suitcase itself). The System creates directories of all available fonts, and reserves a small amount of space for them; therefore the more fonts in the System (Fonts) folder at startup, the more memory taken up. For many people there is not a great deal of memory involved, but if you have many, many fonts installed or your memory is tight the lost memory can make a difference.

To minimize this lost memory (Signalyze is only using your System font and SigPalPhon for labels), you can store lesser-used fonts and sounds you don't use in a folder outside your System Folder to help improve your machine's performance:

1. manually move fonts out of the System folder into another folder for safekeeping
2. use Conflict Catcher from Casady & Greene
   (it lets you control the fonts folder as well as any other folder on your Mac)
3. use a dedicated font manager (in no particular order):

1. MasterJuggler Pro from Alsoft
2. Suitcase from Extensis
3. Adobe Type Manager Deluxe (formerly Adobe Type Reunion) from Adobe
4. Font Reserve from DiamondSoft

If you do a lot of heavy graphics work or desktop publishing, ATM Deluxe may be worth the money. Otherwise Conflict Catcher will work just fine, and provides many other valuable features.

For OS 8.6 users who also have many fonts: there is also an issue with the Finder corrupting fonts under some circumstances. Probably doesn't concern Signalyze users, but if you have many fonts installed and are experiencing mysterious crashes that you can't track down, download one of the following to test your fonts:

• Corrupt FOND Fixer from Alsoft (freeware; in the Ask Al section)
• FONT Fixer for 8.6 from DiamondSoft (freeware)

You can also use the commercialware FontAgent 8 from Insider Software (app. US$70) to test your fonts; it also has many other nice features.