Unload DLL From RAM Memory - tweak [Question]

Unload DLL From RAM Memory - tweak

Regedit:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SOFTWARE
MICROSOFT
WINDOWS
CURRENTVERSION
EXPLORER

I have looked at several tutorials that explain this tweak, but some advise creating a new string value with the name AlwaysUnloadDll and then assigning it a value of 1.
In others they advise creating a new DWORD (32-bits) value.

Should I create a new string value or a new DWORD value for AlwaysUnloadDll ?

I use Windows 10 pro 2004 version build 19041.450.

If Windows keeps DLLs in RAM, then they'll be immediately available for the next application that needs them. Disable this and they'll have to be reloaded from your hard drive, so in some situations the tweak might slow you down. AlwaysUnloadDLL Registry key makes it clear that this applies only to Explorer extensions, not all DLLs. And it only works "for operating systems prior to Windows 2000".

This is one of those useless tweaks that has been around since at least XP days. It has largely disappeared but can still be found. At least it is harmless.

The setting never worked as described. This only refers to shell extension DLLs, not DLLs in general. In Windows terminology unloading a DLL always refers to removing the DLL from a processes address space, not from RAM. These are very different things and rarely happen together. Unloading a DLL is a developer option that is sometimes needed.

DLLs and exe files as well are retained in memory for as long as possible. This is not a "bad habit" as is often described but a sophisticated feature that contributes much to performance. Linux and the Mac OS do much the same just with different names. As DLLs are a shared resource they are an ideal candidate for caching.

And finally, the setting hasn't been supported since Windows 2000. Unsupported registry entries are silently ignored.

Thanks @FreeBooter and @LMiller7