RAM question

I have two questions I hope someone can answer:

(1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram - will it utilize 4.1G, or
8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?

(2) If not, when is a SP supposed to come out that will rectify that?

Thanks-

After installing SP1, Vista will correctly report
the amount of "installed RAM", but unless you
are running the 64-bit version of Vista, the
conventional 32-bit version of Vista will only
use what it's capable of using. Please see:

The system memory that is reported in the System Information dialog
box in Windows Vista is less than you expect if 4 GB of RAM is installed
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605

Windows Vista SP1 will report 4 GB of system memory (RAM) on
systems that have 4 GB of memory installed:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946003/

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Ed(NY)" wrote:

I have two questions I hope someone can answer:

(1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram - will it utilize 4.1G, or
8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?

(2) If not, when is a SP supposed to come out that will rectify that?

Thanks-

Ed(NY) wrote:
> I have two questions I hope someone can answer:
>
> (1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram - will it utilize 4.1G, or
> 8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?

Vista 32-bit will only use about 3GB of RAM. Vista 64-bit supports:

Windows Vista Edition 64-bit memory support

Home Basic 8 GB
Home Premium 16 GB
Ultimate 128+ GB
Business 128+ GB
Enterprise 128+ GB

-Chris

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:00:53 GMT, "Ed\(NY\)" <>
wrote:

> I have two questions I hope someone can answer:
>
> (1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram


No, not correct.

All 32-bit versions of Windows (not just Vista) have a 4GB address
space. That's the theoretical upper limit beyond which you can not go.
But you can't use the entire 4GB of address space. Even though you
have a 4GB address space, you can only use *around* 3.1GB of RAM.
That's because some of that space is used by hardware and not
available to the operating system and applications. The amount you can
use varies, depending on what hardware you have installed, but is
usually around 3.1GB.

Note that the hardware is using the address *space*, not the actual
RAM itself. The rest of the RAM goes unused because there is no
address space to map it too.

This is a problem only in 32-bit Windows The 64-bit versions don't
have this limitation.


> - will it utilize 4.1G, or
> 8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?



No and no. It can't use what it can't see.


> (2) If not, when is a SP supposed to come out that will rectify that?


Never. There's nothing to rectify. This is not a software bug, but a
built-in limitation of the hardware architecture.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

server versions of 32 bit windows can see more ram but they use a trick
called PAE to splice it up into chunks of 4 gb

for example:

maximum amount of memory that can be supported on Windows XP Professional
and Windows Server 2003 is also 4 GB. However, Windows Server 2003,
Enterprise Edition supports 32 GB of physical RAM and Windows Server 2003,
Datacenter Edition supports 64 GB of physical RAM using the PAE feature.

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system...AE/PAEmem.mspx



"Ken Blake, MVP" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:00:53 GMT, "Ed\(NY\)" <>
> wrote:
>
>> I have two questions I hope someone can answer:
>>
>> (1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram
>
>
> No, not correct.
>
> All 32-bit versions of Windows (not just Vista) have a 4GB address
> space. That's the theoretical upper limit beyond which you can not go.
> But you can't use the entire 4GB of address space. Even though you
> have a 4GB address space, you can only use *around* 3.1GB of RAM.
> That's because some of that space is used by hardware and not
> available to the operating system and applications. The amount you can
> use varies, depending on what hardware you have installed, but is
> usually around 3.1GB.
>
> Note that the hardware is using the address *space*, not the actual
> RAM itself. The rest of the RAM goes unused because there is no
> address space to map it too.
>
> This is a problem only in 32-bit Windows The 64-bit versions don't
> have this limitation.
>
>
>> - will it utilize 4.1G, or
>> 8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?
>
>
>
> No and no. It can't use what it can't see.
>
>
>> (2) If not, when is a SP supposed to come out that will rectify that?
>
>
> Never. There's nothing to rectify. This is not a software bug, but a
> built-in limitation of the hardware architecture.
>
> --
> Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

"Ed(NY)" <> wrote in message
news2gEj.5941$sw3.2475@trnddc06...
>I have two questions I hope someone can answer:
>
> (1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram - will it utilize 4.1G,
> or 8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?

Depends, do you have 32 bit or 64 bit?

32 bit will never go more than 4GB of RAM, not possible. At that, the PC
has to swap out memory and will only ever be able to see/use about 3.1GB of
it if 32 bits.

If 64 bits, it will see all the memory the current PCs can hold.

> (2) If not, when is a SP supposed to come out that will rectify that?

SP anything will not change this. 64 bits if you want to see much more than
3.1GB.

> 32 bit will never go more than 4GB of RAM, not possible.

I dont like it when people say this or that is not possible... grrrrrr

it IS possible using PAE that vista 32 bit supports!

SEE HERE http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605

Here's the catch: applications have to be written specifically to take
advantage of PAE, and the only applications that do that are very
specialized tools or server applications like SQL Server, which don't
typically require that much RAM when running on a desktop OS. So, PAE won't
make your Photoshop or video editing app any faster, and it isn't nearly as
useful as it sounds. While 64-bit Windows Vista isn't perfect, it will give
you access to your full address space, and you're bound to have far fewer
application compatibility problems (and get more out of your memory) than
you would with 32-bit Linux and PAE.



"Canuck57" <dave-> wrote in message
news:JMhEj.97420$pM4.38267@pd7urf1no...
>
> "Ed(NY)" <> wrote in message
> news2gEj.5941$sw3.2475@trnddc06...
>>I have two questions I hope someone can answer:
>>
>> (1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram - will it utilize 4.1G,
>> or 8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?
>
> Depends, do you have 32 bit or 64 bit?
>
> 32 bit will never go more than 4GB of RAM, not possible. At that, the PC
> has to swap out memory and will only ever be able to see/use about 3.1GB
> of it if 32 bits.
>
> If 64 bits, it will see all the memory the current PCs can hold.
>
>> (2) If not, when is a SP supposed to come out that will rectify that?
>
> SP anything will not change this. 64 bits if you want to see much more
> than 3.1GB.

"On the Bridge! (An MVP upgrade)" <On@the,bridge> wrote in message
news:...
>> 32 bit will never go more than 4GB of RAM, not possible.
>
> I dont like it when people say this or that is not possible... grrrrrr
>
> it IS possible using PAE that vista 32 bit supports!
>
> SEE HERE http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605

Vista 32 does NOT support PAE to use more than 4GB of RAM, as the article
you referenced clearly states.

QUOTE:

The reduction in available system memory depends on the devices that are
installed in the computer. However, to avoid potential driver compatibility
issues, the 32-bit versions of Windows Vista limit the total available
memory to 3.12 GB. See the "More information" section for information about
potential driver compatibility issues.

AND

WORKAROUND
For Windows Vista to use all 4 GB of memory on a computer that has 4 GB of
memory installed, the computer must meet the following requirements: . The
chipset must support at least 8 GB of address space. Chipsets that have this
capability include the following:
.. Intel 975X
.. Intel P965
.. Intel 955X on Socket 775
.. Chipsets that support AMD processors that use socket F, socket 940, socket
939, or socket AM2. These chipsets include any AMD socket and CPU
combination in which the memory controller resides in the CPU.

.. The CPU must support the x64 instruction set. The AMD64 CPU and the Intel
EM64T CPU support this instruction set.
.. The BIOS must support the memory remapping feature. The memory remapping
feature allows for the segment of system memory that was previously
overwritten by the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) configuration
space to be remapped above the 4 GB address line. This feature must be
enabled in the BIOS configuration utility on the computer. View your
computer product documentation for instructions that explain how to enable
this feature. Many consumer-oriented computers may not support the memory
remapping feature. No standard terminology is used in documentation or in
BIOS configuration utilities for this feature. Therefore, you may have to
read the descriptions of the various BIOS configuration settings that are
available to determine whether any of the settings enable the memory
remapping feature.
.. An x64 (64-bit) version of Windows Vista must be used.

END QUOTE.

The last point is the most important.

PAE is still supported, but only for DEP. It does NOT enable 36 bit
addressing as it does in 32 bit Server Windows (and XP prior to SP2).

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:00:53 +0000, Ed\(NY\) wrote:

> I have two questions I hope someone can answer:
>
> (1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram - will it utilize 4.1G,
> or 8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?
>
> (2) If not, when is a SP supposed to come out that will rectify that?
>
> Thanks-

The 32 bit version does not have the ability to utilize more than 4gb in
any way, shape or fashion. There are apparently no plans to change that.
If you need to utilize that much, suggest you switch to Linux - 32 bit
version accomodates up to 64gb.

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:33:48 -0700, Ken Blake, MVP wrote:

> On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:00:53 GMT, "Ed\(NY\)" <> wrote:
>
>> I have two questions I hope someone can answer:
>>
>> (1) I believe Vista only recognizes 3.5G of ram
>
>
> No, not correct.
>
> All 32-bit versions of Windows (not just Vista) have a 4GB address
> space. That's the theoretical upper limit beyond which you can not go.
> But you can't use the entire 4GB of address space. Even though you have
> a 4GB address space, you can only use *around* 3.1GB of RAM. That's
> because some of that space is used by hardware and not available to the
> operating system and applications. The amount you can use varies,
> depending on what hardware you have installed, but is usually around
> 3.1GB.
>
> Note that the hardware is using the address *space*, not the actual RAM
> itself. The rest of the RAM goes unused because there is no address
> space to map it too.
>
> This is a problem only in 32-bit Windows The 64-bit versions don't have
> this limitation.
>
>
>> - will it utilize 4.1G, or
>> 8.2G even though it doesn't recognize it?
>
>
>
> No and no. It can't use what it can't see.
>
>
>> (2) If not, when is a SP supposed to come out that will rectify that?
>
>
> Never. There's nothing to rectify. This is not a software bug, but a
> built-in limitation of the hardware architecture.

Not quite. 32 bit versions of Linux support up to 64gb.