There is a program out there called 'TAG', thats suppose to help you shut down background programs for gameplay and then reload them when your done.
I never did try it, (with 512MB Ram and a lean tray I didn't need to) but I beleave it has a time limited free trial version and a small charge if you want to keep it...Check out this site and give it a look over...
TAG
[ 07-25-2002, 09:32 PM: Message edited by: Packrat ]