Cut down Firefox and Thunderbird memory loss (Windows Only)

This is a great hack that helps Windows users reclaim some of the memory Firefox likes to eat.

Once you follow the steps outlined in the post, you can test it by doing the following:

• Close down your browser.
• Hit CTRL-ALT-DEL, and select your Task Manager from that window
• Click the “Processes” tab
• Start Firefox. An entry will show up for it under the Processes tabs. Note how much memory it’s using.
• Minimize Firefox (this is how the plugin works - it all happens when you minimize the window).
• Maximize Firefox again and watch the number change.

I’m consistently seeing gains of 50% of my memory, give or take some. It seems to me that after a while it creeps back up, but every time you minimize it repeats the process, which helps. And I’m seeing no performance impact.