How to enable more than 3Gb of RAM in Vista 32 bit?

LazyLion

LazyLion

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Have not tried this myself but... here goes... maybe someone can confirm for us...

http://www.webtlk.com/2008/06/04/enable-more-than-4-gb-of-ram-in-32-bit-windows-vista/

Windows Vista is the first Microsoft operating system which needs a specific talored computer to work. As a matter of fact it is so memory hungry that it requires a powerful computer to run. This thing didn’t happen with XP which was as fast as a rocket even with as low as 512 MB of RAM and a low performing hardware. When Vista was released, Microsoft itself was very aware of its RAM-needs and in fact advised “at least” 1GB of RAM to run the O.S. on a computer. In the meanwhile a lot of people started buying 3,4,5 GB of RAM but what they didn’t know was that their 32 bit Windows Vista could only handle 3 GB at most! Luckily for those guys there is a little trick which enables their Vista “to overcome” that limit. Here is the trick:

1. Click Start.
2. Type CMD in the Search Bar.
3. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run cmd in administrative mode.
4. Type BCDEdit /set PAE forceenable
5. If this does not work try other 2 times at least. As a matter of fact Vista does not take this command right away in some cases. Make also sure to type the command in the same way it is written on point 4.
6. If Vista got this command successfully you should see the following message: the operation completed successfully.
7. To undo it, type: BCDEdit /deletevalue PAE
Click to expand...
 
it doesnt work.

you may think it does, but it doesnt...read up more about PAE.
the command does enable PAE, which is all well and fine, but that doesnt make the extra ram do any work.
 
werner said:
it doesnt work.

you may think it does, but it doesnt...read up more about PAE.
the command does enable PAE, which is all well and fine, but that doesnt make the extra ram do any work.
Click to expand...

Does the RAM sit completely idle? What if you loaded a huge pic in Photoshop? Doesn't the extra RAM help then?
 
Like werner said... it wont work!! it will still be left idle.

If you could use more than 3GB on a 32bit OS Microsoft would have done it by now.

Edit:
It may work if your system supports PAE, but not recommended.
 
Last edited:
Garyvdh said:
But does all the old software work with that version?
Click to expand...

yeah most things are backward compatible so the software that works on a 32bit should work with 64bit with all the right drivers.

Does the RAM sit completely idle? What if you loaded a huge pic in Photoshop? Doesn't the extra RAM help then?[/qoute]

It cant see the ram so the ram is not there. So yeah it sits idle. Physical its there but it cant be addressed because the system is at its limits
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Garyvdh said:
Does the RAM sit completely idle?
Click to expand...
yes
What if you loaded a huge pic in Photoshop? Doesn't the extra RAM help then?
Click to expand...
nope.

everything between 3gb and 4gb is reserved, not for your use.

some light reading is due now
http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00015.htm

taadaa! applies to vista also. oldskool has left us a little easter egg for when we have 4gb ram:-)

hows that 1gb graphics card doing now? :-)

kidding

Uh, install XP?
Click to expand...
While that looks like a solution TIAL, all sp1 does is change the way ram is displayed to the user in the welcome screen etc..it'll show the actual amount install...so 4gb for a machine with 4gb. It doesnt change the ram the ram is used etc, but it does stop people accusing computer shops of only fitting 3.2gb of ram etc when they asked fro 4gb to be installed on their new dell blah blah panic mode etc.

executive summary: 32bit addressing is limited to 4gb. in total, dit beteking ALLES, gfx ram etc also included. so the area above 3gb is reserved since xp sp2, for system use, for loading drivers into and for memory mapping of gfx ram.

think of it, i have 4gb of ram, and 2 x1gb gfx cards..that makes 6gb = does not compute in 32bit world.
after 3gb is not yours to use. sorry. gotta use that gap for other stuff.
 
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Aqua_lung said:
Like werner said... it wont work!! it will still be left idle.

If you could use more than 3GB on a 32bit OS Microsoft would have done it by now.
Click to expand...

does 32-bit linux have this limitation?
 
not sure if 32bit linux reserves the area above 3gb as strictly as xp/vista does, but as it is 32bit then so be it, the driver memory and add in cards ram must be mapped somewhere, so you will never use 4gb for your os+applications.
 
milomak said:
does 32-bit linux have this limitation?
Click to expand...

Yes.. although it is possible to use more than 3GB but only if your system supports PAE(what this windows Vista trick is about) you can compile a kernel to support it but it will probably be a performance cost so 64 bit is recommended anyway, basically it will be rubbish.
 
32 Bit linux supports 64GB (on PAE enable processors). You have to enable support in the kernel though
As Aqua_lung states rather go 64bit, unless of course your CPU is old and does not support EM64T
 
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just to add a bit of info I have recently learned from this thread, 32bit linux can use up to 64gb of ram with pae enabled, as long as kernel modules are coded for a pae kernel. the new limitation is that each process can only see the one 4gb slice presented to them...
 
The link that The_Techie posted should clear things up and explain it better.
 
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