4GB Memory Limit In 32-Bit Windows

Started by matrix2003, August 25, 2009, 09:50:10 PM

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matrix2003

Interesting read here.
It appears that the growing netbook market is keeping things 32 bit.

M$  should have migrated to exclusively 64 bit by now - don't you think?
I thought XP Pro was the start of that movement.  

"...  when consumers pay for a software product in an edition that the manufacturer describes as (vista) Ultimate, they surely have a reasonable expectation
that the software is licensed to do everything that its code is capable of. "     You would think  !!!

http://www.geoffchappell.com/viewer.htm?doc=notes/windows/license/memory.htm
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Henry Blewer

These 32 bit computers are really meant to bring in new computer users. The 32 bit architecture is relatively inexpensive these days. Remember, it took nearly ten years to get 32 bit to be the 'standard'.
3D artists, engineers and gamers are the 'power users' which drive the industry to better, bigger, machines. If everyone was happy with a spreadsheet, computers would still be 8 bit.
http://flickr.com/photos/njeneb/
Forget Tuesday; It's just Monday spelled with a T

matrix2003

#2
So as far as power 'home' users go, - Planetside's  next project should include an OS that runs Terragen, PS and supports unlimited memory, overclocking and multiple processors.  

This is going to take a while!  ;D   - Bill .
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PG

Well Microsoft do have a habit of wanting to please the leprous mutants, affectionately named, "home users". Their enforced user security, namby pamby confirmation checks and blind repudiation of progress are a staple of the sheer determined retardation of everyone's favourite logically oblivious thickos, Microsoft.
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neuspadrin

People just need to grow a pair and move on to 64bit.  100% of the 32bit apps I run work.  The only apps I ever needed to actually get for 64bit was antivirus and firewall due to needing 64bit protection and needing them to be able to hook into a 64bit os.  Well, and 64bit drivers, which anything built in the past couple years can easily be found.

I didn't read the full article, but no, theres still hardware limits and the PAE and such still has major limitations.  Sure you could give yourself 8gb+ of ram realisitically, but TG2 will still be only able to get 3gb of this, and thats only if the /3gb switch is also enabled, otherwise it still is limited to 2.

All it means is the ability to multitask slightly better.  What 64bit offers is both the ability to multitask AND the ability to have applications runs smoothly because they can use more ram.

Henry Blewer

Multitasking well has been a computing goal since 1948. Windows and the assorted stuff for security use up most of this capability on most modern systems. If I had two computers, it would be cool just to run Terragen 2, without an OS, (save and load of course), and on all processor cores. Even my old machine would scream along at rendering without all the tasks/overhead.
http://flickr.com/photos/njeneb/
Forget Tuesday; It's just Monday spelled with a T

matrix2003

Hey Kadri!  Welcome aboard.  Guess we were on the same page!  Great minds think alike, so please post here again!
re: http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=7348.0
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Henry Blewer

It was strange to me that this thread topic would be Kadri's first post.
http://flickr.com/photos/njeneb/
Forget Tuesday; It's just Monday spelled with a T

matrix2003

The 4GB limit has been a bone of contention with us for a while.  My last two PC purchases were done with Terragen in mind. -EDIT that: exclusively with Terragen in mind.
Sadly,  I too have reached my memory limit, and I am over due for a personal: FDISK, FORMAT, PARTITON, INSTALL,  etc ...

Any savvy techie who reads this stuff, and suffers from our obvious affliction, might pick up on that article as relevant!
Gotta run now.  My favorite TV show is on:    VH1's: POLICE FILES:  How much memory does DOS require Classic?   Commodore still rules!
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PG

Hmm, that article seems to confuse itself a little. The restrictive registry key this guy found is quite an old one, it does remove the possibility for Windows to detect more than 4GB of RAM but not for marketing purposes or some other megalomania scheme. It's simply because if a program tries to access this much then the processor will simply spit any instructions passed from it as invalid. Mathematically it can't figure out that much. It's like asking a kid who's just learned how to count to ten how many states there are in the USA.
You could possibly launch several programs with access to this much RAM but only if they were each limited to the normal 32bit constraints, i.e. 4GB of RAM.
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matrix2003

I am an electrician!  Not an IT guy.  I spend a lot of time with "those types",  cause I pull the wire, and they get all the glory.
Why does an entire board of memory slow down an M$ box in 2009? I understand the Bill Gates " no one would ever need more than 64  blah, blah, mentality"   but that was a long time ago.
GOOGLE:  "Dude, Where's My 4 Gigabytes of RAM?"  and watch what comes up!
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neuspadrin

#11
Personally i wish windows 7 was 64bit only.  Its time to ditch full on 32bit, seriously.  On Vista 64 ive had no issues running 32 bit applications.

Only certain businesses have any purpose for not running 64bit, and well... they dont need the latest and greatest then because obviously they are using something super old.  Either update your code, as its probably about damn well time you did, or keep using windows xp and complaining about vista (even though vista is perfectly good).

If anything couldn't run on 32bit compatibility its too fregin old, update your code or find a newer version, or find a replacement thats probably 100 times better.


sure you can "get" more then 4gb of ram on 32bit through this.... but WHY bother.  Just install 64bit.  Afterall, windows licenses aren't dependent on 32 vs 64, they just are for versions.  So a "32bit vista ultimate" key is also a 64bit vista ultimate key.  Etc etc etc.  All you need to get is the like 5 dollar cd for 64bit os install.  Microsoft does this as a way to encourage people to make the move over to 64bit.

My school only had 32bit media offered to us for the os's we could get cheap (vista ultimate being one of them), and i got ultimate and its key, then i went online and bought the 64bit cd to install it.  wallah.


/sigh... at least we can almost safely assume that windows 7 is the last 32bit microsoft os.  


Oh, and PG had a great way of explaining it with the kid counting.  Kinda works well since its also super easy to count in binary on fingers ;)

PG

I agree, there are a few of my programs that don't work in 64bit, mainly games. This is due to the way they are designed older games like half life were never designed for scalability so they have a difficult time getting their instructions queued properly. However there are programs out there that can organise instruction chains so all that is left to do is for Microsoft to include one in their next OS. Obviously it's not going to work as well as porting the games to 64bit but let's face it, Valve's not likely to do that anytime soon. Not even in ValveTime
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rcallicotte

I've never had any trouble running any games on Windows XP 64, including some of the newest like F.E.A.R., HALF-LIFE, FALLOUT 3.
So this is Disney World.  Can we live here?

neuspadrin

yeh what you talking about? half life runs on 64bit.  It might not be a 64bit program, but it works for me.  I have it installed on steam myself.  The original disk might not work, but if you have it on steam it works just fine.

Ive only had trouble running games due to vista (even if in 32bit), not 64bit.  And thats like super super old games i attempted to install where the box only shows system requirements for like win 98 ;).  Thats what vms are for if you truly need to keep playing the old game.

And anything new game works with 64bit for sure, and many often now have 64bit clients that can take full advantage of the 64bit os.