Thunderbolt 2864 Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Hi all,I decided to install Vista again. I've recently inserted 2 GIGS of DDR2 RAM which makes it a total of 4 GIGS and Vista only sees it as 3 GIGS installed only. How do I make Vista read it as 4 GIGS? Is this normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightthief Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Vista 32-bit has a maximum memory space of 4GB. The memory space includes not just your RAM, but also your I/O addressing space, ROMs, and Mapped Video Memory. As a result the usable amount of RAM on a 32-bit system is 3GB, regardless of whether or not you have more installed.To use a larger amount of RAM, you have to be using a 64-bit computer system and would need to install Windows Vista 64-bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcarle Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Please search the forums next time.This has been answered here, here, here, here and here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbolt 2864 Posted May 6, 2007 Author Share Posted May 6, 2007 Uhh... thanks. I thought Windows Vista was meant to support over 8 GIGS of RAM... WTF. I'm sick of using 64 bit OS and I'm currently using Windows Vista 32 bit edition and yet it can't read over 3 GIGS. So much for new technology that doesn't work properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcarle Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Uhh... thanks. I thought Windows Vista was meant to support over 8 GIGS of RAM... WTF. I'm sick of using 64 bit OS and I'm currently using Windows Vista 32 bit edition and yet it can't read over 3 GIGS. So much for new technology that doesn't work properly.No 32-bit operating system can read more then 4GB of memory addressing space. This has always been and always will be. If you wanted to address the full 4GB in your system, you should have done more research before choosing your Vista edition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluberti Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 The frequency of these posts leads me to believe we need to sticky this topic in a few places. This is getting frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcarle Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 The frequency of these posts leads me to believe we need to sticky this topic in a few places. This is getting frustrating.A 12 foot sign that says "If you have 4GB of RAM, READ THIS!". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Access Denied Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 (edited) I am very glad I have read this thread. I am planning on building a new pc and was going to go with 4GB, but not now. : Edited May 6, 2007 by accessdenied042 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcarle Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 I am very glad I have read this thread. I am planning on building a new pc and was going to go with 4GB, but not now. :There's nothing wrong with 4GB of ram, in fact, for my next system, I'm going to go with 8GB of ram. The only thing is that you need to make sure that your hardware and software are all capable of 64-bit memory addressing. It's a simple requirement that's easy to fill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Access Denied Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Even if I am running Vista Business 32 bit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcarle Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Even if I am running Vista Business 32 bit?I don't think you read my post properly. Both hardware and SOFTWARE must be 64-bit, that would mean that Vista Business 32-bit will not address more then 4GB of ram and you will run into the issue mentioned in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Access Denied Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Thats what I was thinking. I'll just stick with 32bit and 2GB that I have now. For a while anyway. 64 bit is still kinda new from what I have heard and drivers are not 100% ready for all hardware. I'll leave it at that, not trying to hijack anyone's thread, lol. Thanks jcarle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcarle Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Thats what I was thinking. I'll just stick with 32bit and 2GB that I have now. For a while anyway. 64 bit is still kinda new from what I have heard and drivers are not 100% ready for all hardware. I'll leave it at that, not trying to hijack anyone's thread, lol. Thanks jcarle. Things have gotten a lot better then they used to be. 64-bit support has gotten a lot more stable, and the technology isn't as new as people think it is. It's been implemented in Windows Server long before it came to the desktop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluberti Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Another point to mention - you can indeed use 4GB of RAM with a 32bit OS and use almost all of it, but you generally have to have older hardware (that lacks PCI-E or PCI-X, have an older video card, and make sure the BIOS is fairly generic). Otherwise, yes, you'll need a 64bit OS. Note that the additional memory that Windows "can't see" does actually get used by your devices, and memory shadowing is generally a good thing - you just can't use it with your applications or OS.If you do some research and make sure your hardware has certified drivers for x64, your OS will indeed be stable. If you have apps that won't run on x64, you'll be stuck in 32bit land - but for the resto of us, x64 is the way of the future on the desktop . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Access Denied Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 (edited) Well, my new pc will be a custom build with a new pci-e/x slot on a newer mobo that most likely will be 64bit ready. I only regret buying a 32bit Vista when I should have gotten the 64bit now. Oh well, you learn from experience. Thank you. Edited May 7, 2007 by accessdenied042 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now