>So, can someone advise me on this issue and whether
>minimizing the application really "reduce" the memory usage.

If you have found a function that reduces memory usage (which is highly likely considering the flakey nature of Windows, et al) then you should incorporate it into your application. In your case, I would suggest a "Timer" that fires at an appropriate interval and executes the function that you believe reduces memory requirements.

This is not "superstition"; I employed the same techniques with FPW to clear up memory leaks.