April 4, 2026, 6:22 am | Read time: 5 minutes
In the early days of computerization, storage space was a valuable commodity. The U.S. company Syncronys, led by German computer entrepreneur Rainer Poertner, promised a solution. Their program SoftRAM was supposed to double the RAM of a Windows computer. With this promise, the company made it to the U.S. stock exchange. Until a few computer experts took a closer look and discovered something astonishing: nothing. Why the software initially became a bestseller is explained by TECHBOOK in this article.
Background: The spread of computers was advancing rapidly in the mid-1990s. Windows, with its version 3.1, was on its way to becoming one of the most popular operating systems worldwide. With the release of Windows 95, Microsoft would further expand this leading position.
However, press reports at the time warned that Windows 95 was very memory-hungry. On older computers, this could lead to performance issues. For many PC owners, this meant buying a new PC or at least purchasing a not-so-cheap memory upgrade.
To give an idea: A standard PC cost around 3,000 Deutsche Marks or more at the time, and a RAM module to expand memory cost between 200 and 500 Marks, depending on the size. A hefty sum.
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Rainer Poertner was one of the countless tinkerers at the time trying to establish themselves in the burgeoning computer scene with their own developments. His name first appeared in the early 1990s when he announced a PC expansion card that would turn it into a Macintosh computer, essentially an Apple computer.
However, the product never moved beyond the announcement phase. The necessary ROM chips from Apple were no longer available. And even if the hardware had still existed, it is doubtful whether the expansion card would have actually worked the miracle.
Shortly thereafter, the name Rainer Poertner appeared in connection with the U.S. company Seamless Software Corporation. The company was reportedly working on a solution to address memory shortages on Windows PCs, according to the press.
SoftRAM and SoftRAM95, a Complete Bluff
In fact, the SoftRAM program hit the U.S. market in 1995, initially for the “old” Windows version 3.1. Allegedly, over 100,000 copies were sold at the time. The entry price of 30 U.S. dollars, or approximately 60 Deutsche Marks, was tempting. No one questioned how the program worked.
This initial success encouraged the company, which had since renamed itself Syncronys, to release its “RAM doubler” for the new Windows 95 as well. SoftRAM95 was launched in Germany nearly 30 years ago through the distribution company Softline. The product update sold even better than its predecessor. PC owners bought it 600,000 times, paying 170 Deutsche Marks for it. And the mystery remained as to how Syncronys managed to double RAM from 4 to 8 or from 16 to 32 megabytes.
This question also occupied some computer editors. They looked beneath the sleek exterior of SoftRAM95. The search was quickly over because there wasn’t much, or rather, nothing to discover. The software was a complete fake, a placebo. The attractive graphical indicators, reminiscent of a car’s speedometer, were one big bluff.
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SoftRAM95 did nothing more than increase the temporary swap file on the hard drive. However, no software priced at 170 Deutsche Marks was needed for that. Any reasonably skilled computer enthusiast could do it themselves in a few minutes with a bit of knowledge.
More importantly, SoftRAM95 or the simple enlargement of the swap file did not double the RAM. All the progress bars and status messages that were supposed to indicate something phenomenal was happening were pure facade. The program did not contain a single line of code suggesting that files were being compressed. That would have been necessary to create storage space.
After the publication of the investigation in relevant computer magazines, Syncronys tried to defend its position with lawsuits and increasingly confusing explanations. After all, the company was now listed on the U.S. stock exchange. The stock price was at times 32 U.S. dollars. It was about a lot of money and the trust of investors, which was crumbling by the second.
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The appealing marketing illusion persisted for a few years due to stalling tactics and “money-back” campaigns. With about five million U.S. dollars in debt, Syncronys finally filed for bankruptcy in 1998. SoftRAM95, the most cunning software fake up to that point, was history.
In 2006, the computer magazine “PC World” dubbed SoftRAM95 the “third worst tech product of all time.” Rainer Poertner, on the other hand, withdrew from the computer business in the early 2000s. Today, he leads a financial services company in the U.S. as its founder.
Despite ever-increasing storage, there is still a shortage of memory space today. With the transition from Windows 10 to version 11, humanity once again faces a performance problem, at least in the Windows world. However, compared to the situation 30 years ago, there are more options today to find a truly functional solution outside of this Windows world.