T60p with Vista Pro 32 SP2 - how much memory works?

[vguinnane]

I remember seeing some threads that said that Vista Pro 32 couldn't handle more than 2 maybe 3 GB of memory.  Is that true?  My wife's HP has 4 GB with Vista Home.  My laptop seems absurdly slow and still has to make "stopped running" messages.

Thanks,

Vince

[ajkula66 Guru]

No 32-bit OS can address more than 3GB of RAM, be it XP, Vista, Linux or Win 7.

The fact that your wife's XP "sees" full 4GB does not mean it is able to access the last gig.

Hope this helps.

[zilla]

The performance tab of the task manager (ctrl-alt-del) shows how much memory is actually used by the system.

[jerhardt]

Thank Microsoft for this.

Pre-SP1 on Vista 32, people with more than 3GB of RAM were complaining that when they went into System Properties they weren't seeing all the memory they paid for. So, Microsoft changed the coding to show "Installed Memory" - which is WAY different than addressable memory as we all know.

So, despite Vista32 reporting 4GB, it only uses 3GB.

[zilla]

They just moved it -- memory used is shown in task manager performance tab.

[vguinnane]

Thanks, I will take a look at her installed vs. addresseable memory.

Vince

[vguinnane]

How do I know if I can upgrade to 64-bit Vista?  Under system, it says that I have a T7200 dual core.

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU         T7200  @ 2.00GHz, 2000 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)
 

I found this on Microsoft:

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

Contact the computer vendor to determine whether your computer meets these requirements.

Note When the physical RAM that is installed on a computer equals the address space that is supported by the chipset, the total system memory that is available to the operating system is always less than the physical RAM that is installed. For example, consider a computer that has an Intel 975X chipset that supports 8 GB of address space. If you install 8 GB of RAM, the system memory that is available to the operating system will be reduced by the PCI configuration requirements. In this scenario, PCI configuration requirements reduce the memory that is available to the operating system by an amount that is between approximately 200 MB and approximately 1 GB. The reduction depends on the configuration.

 Thanks,Vince

[ajkula66 Guru]

You can go for a 64-bit OS, since your CPU is Core 2 Duo...

Good luck.

[vguinnane]

Okay, thanks!