Win XP Setup with 4 GB of RAM
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From: Ranbir Kaur Ranbir on 11 Apr 2008 13:14 "John John" wrote: > Gis Bun wrote: > > > "John John" wrote: > > > >>Jim wrote: > >> > >>>"Gis Bun" <GisBun(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > >>>news:D86C377B-6C42-4A59-89C6-1D8F984A77FF(a)microsoft.com... > >>> > >>>>Hi. I recently boosted my RAM to 4 GB for Win XP SP2 32-bit. I know Win XP > >>>>can't handle the full 4 GB but is there anything to get more than the 3 GB > >>>>I > >>>>am getting (or to use the "extra" RAM for something else?). The system > >>>>properties states it has exactly 3 GB of RAM and PAE is enabled [yet /3GB > >>>>and > >>>>/PAE aren't in the boot.ini file]. > >>>>Thanks > >>> > >>>XP uses memory mapped IO. XP will not use RAM which overlapps the IO space. > >>>Isn't the PAE instruction used to enable 35 bit addressing? If so, then > >>>unless your computer > >>>has such a bus, the /PAE instruction cannot accomplish much. > >> > >>This 4GB thing has been beaten to death on these groups. The XP PAE > >>kernel does not do 36-bit addressing, period. The IO address space is > >>exclusively reserved in the processor's 32-bit address space, it isn't > >>Windows that maps it there, it's done by the BIOS. > >> > >>John > > > > > > It's too bad Microsoft's KB doesn't have a proper KB on this subject. > > > > I just set up a quad-core Intel with 4 GB of RAM and it shows all 4 GB of > > RAM [using Win Server 2003 R2 SP2 - 32 bit]. I guess it's hardware. > > Server 2003 32-bit can effectvely use Physical Address Extensions so it > is able to make full use of the RAM, Windows XP cannot properly use PAE > and it cannot use RAM addresses above the 4GB address arena. Server > 2003 Standard supports a maximum of 4GB RAM. > > [Quote] > > The problem that you are seeing is based on an older architecture > design for memory addressing. All the systems architecture up to this > point were based on a maximum of 4GB of total memory. Nobody really > thought, when this standard was designed, that this amount of memory > would actually be in use. The problem that has happened is that you > have PCI devices that require memory address ranges so that they can > properly execute their commands. These address ranges were mapped in > the upper sections of this maximum amount. Since nobody thought you > would be using up to 4GB these address ranges started around the last > 500MB of the memory ranges. This range is called the T.O.M. or Top of > Memory range. This is the point in the bios where it places on hold the > amount of memory that is required by the various PCI devices that are > found on the motherboard. Thus when you have PCI cards or AGP cards > installed on your motherboard these devices hold on to memory for their > own use and take away from the maximum amount of memory that is > available for other tasks. This amount of memory can vary from a little > as 200MB all the way to 1GB of memory (or even more in select cases). > It just depends on the PCI devices you have and the amount of PCI > (including AGP) that you have installed all at once. > > There is really no way to get around this basic design limitation. The > only way to get around these type of issues is to use certain new > designs that have brand new architectures (i.e 64-bit designs) that > allow memory to be mapped in area's above 4GB. The brand new Intel Xeon > designs and the AMD Opteron designs are built around 64-bit technology. > This is only ½ of the equation that you would need to find success. > You would also need to use an OS that is actually PAE or PAE aware so > that it is able to address memory above the 4GB level. To find out > about PAE you can search Microsofts website for PAE (Physical Address > Extensions) and it will explain this concept and what OS's actually are > capable of providing this benefit. Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 would > fit both of these criteria. Windows XP on the hand would not allow this > type of ability. > > Microsoft has addressed this type of issue in the following Microsoft > Article (291988) > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;291988 > > [end quote] > > http://www.tyan.com/archive/support/html/memory_faq.html > (The article is dated, it is several years old. It makes no mention of > 64-bit operating systems which, of course, are capable of using more > than 4GB of RAM) > > Current crop of Microsoft 32-bit operating systems that can utilise more > than 4GB of RAM with the use of Physical Address Extension: > > Windows 2000 Advanced Server - 8 processors and 8 GB RAM > > Windows 2000 Datacenter Server - 32 processors and 32 GB RAM > (support for 64 GB was not offered because of a lack of systems for testing) > > Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition - 8 processors and 32 GB RAM > > Windows Server 2003 SP1, Enterprise Edition - 8 processors and 64 GB RAM > > Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition 32 processors and 64 GB RAM > > Windows Server 2003 SP1, Datacenter Edition 32 processors and 128 GB RAM > > http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/pae_os.mspx > > John Unfortunately even with all these 64bit OS around, MS hasn't resolved the hibernation issue. In ancient times servers had 4GB RAM but no one else would even dream about it. To get my notebook running (and hibernating) with 4GB RAM I had to use the boot.ini and change multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS.0="Windows XP Professional x64" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect to multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS.0="Windows XP Professional x64" /execute /nopae /maxmem=4032 /fastdetect and lose 500MB of RAM in the process. I wished some clever programmer could fix this silly limitation Ranbir
From: Nemesis on 7 May 2008 00:13 Finally if i have a 64 Windows XP O/S i have to Disable PAE /noexecute=alwaysoff /NOPAE to work with 4GB ram?
From: John John (MVP) on 7 May 2008 09:34 64-bit versions of Windows do not support PAE, it is a useless switch in the boot.ini file, the 64-bit Windows versions do not have a PAE kernel. John Nemesis wrote: > Finally if i have a 64 Windows XP O/S i have to Disable PAE > /noexecute=alwaysoff /NOPAE to work with 4GB ram?
From: Nemesis on 8 May 2008 05:31 What i have to do to work with 4 GB RAM in 64Bit Windows XP? "John John (MVP)" wrote: > 64-bit versions of Windows do not support PAE, it is a useless switch in > the boot.ini file, the 64-bit Windows versions do not have a PAE kernel. > > John > > Nemesis wrote: > > > Finally if i have a 64 Windows XP O/S i have to Disable PAE > > /noexecute=alwaysoff /NOPAE to work with 4GB ram? >
From: Nemesis on 8 May 2008 05:33
What i have to do to work with 4 GB Ram in Windows XP 64bit ? "John John (MVP)" wrote: > 64-bit versions of Windows do not support PAE, it is a useless switch in > the boot.ini file, the 64-bit Windows versions do not have a PAE kernel. > > John > > Nemesis wrote: > > > Finally if i have a 64 Windows XP O/S i have to Disable PAE > > /noexecute=alwaysoff /NOPAE to work with 4GB ram? > |