Although the 64-bit transition period has come and gone, there are a surprising number of active installations of the 32-bit Windows operating system, particularly in industrial or business environments. One plausible explanation is the fact that backwards compatibility with older 16-bit Windows code is not possible on 64-bit Windows. Virtual 8086 mode, which is what NT Virtual DOS Machine or NTVDM relies on, cannot be utilized when the CPU is in 64-bit long mode. To counter this limitation, 32-bit Windows is used instead of 64-bit Windows.
Initially, there wasn't much of a difference between the two architectures in real world usage situations. However, over time, the base amounts of memory starting at 8GB and above exceed the maximum addressable memory space on 32-bit Windows, which is set at a rather paltry 4GB. And that doesn't even take into consideration reserved memory overhead that comes into play when you max out the system memory, sometimes bringing usable memory down below 3GB.
Some operating systems like Linux implement a feature called Physical Address Extension or PAE mode, which switches to 36-bit memory addressing, allowing for access to a grand total of 64GB of main system memory, which is a massive improvement. Likewise, Microsoft has implemented PAE in the Windows kernel, albeit disabled by default and only accessible on server editions of Windows. To that end, a proper patch of the Windows kernel will be necessary on desktop editions in order to attain the same memory access benefit.
Windows 7: 32bit 4Gb Memory Limit Explained. There is just not enough addressing space in 32 bit integer lengths. To get around this issue you must increase the bit length, either by using 64 bit or with PAE. Now PAE must be supported not only by the hardware but also the OS and its core services (aka drivers). How to Increase the Memory Limit for 32-bit Applications in Windows 64-bit OS By JJ – Posted on Aug 13, 2011 Aug 21, 2011 in Windows Most of us are now probably using a 64-bit Microsoft Operating System like Windows 7 x64 or Windows Vista x64, which allows the computer to address more than 3GB of RAM. Pro tip: Override the 4GB memory barrier on 32-bit Windows 8.1 systems. Exceed the maximum addressable memory space on 32-bit Windows, which is set at a rather paltry 4GB. Patch of the. Still using a 32-bit Windows machine and frustrated with the 4GB RAM limit? Unlock up to 64GB of RAM on 32-bit Windows With PAE Patch. Each individual byte of RAM has its own physical address that the system uses to access particular units of memory. 32-bit systems have a limit on the amount of addresses available for RAM. Clearing up the 32/64-bit memory limit confusion. Vista x64 can use more memory than the 32-bit version, which is limited to 4 gigabytes. The problem with this statement is that it gives the impression that the cut off point when it comes to memory lies at the 4GB mark. Less memory than this and you're fine with 32-bit.
With only 3.5 GB out of 8 GB of main memory available, that's just a sheer waste of potential resources
Aside from some notable exceptions, which will be mentioned in a bit, enabling PAE in Windows is a rather painless exercise with no harmful side-effects. Although you can address up to 64GB of memory in PAE mode, each process is limited to 2GB of memory space per active process. For certain memory hungry applications, like Adobe Photoshop, you are still far better off using a 64-bit version of Windows instead. For this reason, I would consider PAE mode to be more of a Band-Aid than an actual long-term solution. Luckily, for a good portion of business applications, this shouldn't be a major concern.
Also read:Five Windows 7 Gadgets to keep you informed about your system
Steps
Activating proper PAE mode on Windows 8.1 is a fairly easy process. However, before you begin the procedure, be sure that no RAM disk or memory optimizer drivers are active in order to prevent possible conflicts. You can re-enable them once you have successfully booted into PAE mode on Windows. For safety purposes and easy recovery, you will be creating a boot menu item so that you can go back and forth between PAE and non-PAE modes in case additional troubleshooting is necessary.
Here are the steps:
- Download the PAE Windows kernel patch from Wen Jia Liu's personal webpage.
- Enter the Desktop tile from the Start screen and open the downloaded zip file.
- Extract PatchPae2.exe to your System32 folder. The default location is C:WindowsSystem32.
- Right-click on the Windows Start Button and click 'Command Prompt (Admin)'
- Execute the following commands in sequence:
Windows generates a unique boot ID, referencing the PAE option.
At this juncture, you will see a message stating the entry was successfully copied. Write down the long string of letters and numbers surrounded by braces, representing the boot ID, since you will need to use it for the next few commands:
Once all the commands are processed, you will need to reboot your system for changes to take effect. When you reboot, you will be presented with a Windows boot manager screen. The time out is set to five seconds, but you can change this if you wish using the following command, replacing the X with the desired number of seconds for the timeout, a 0 to boot immediately to the default entry, or a -1 to make the timeout indefinite.
When Microsoft pushes updates to Windows 8.1, it can sometimes include updates to the kernel itself. If this ever happens, simply run the following command to refresh the PAE kernel.
PatchPae2.exe -type kernel -o ntoskrnx.exe ntoskrnl.exe
And finally, if you wish to return Windows back to its former non-PAE enabled state, you may do so by performing the following tasks:
- Delete the boot entry for 'Windows 8.1 (PAE Patched)' via msconfig.
- Delete the files ntoskrnx.exe and winloadp.exe from System32.
Ahh! Much better!
Caveats
With all this in mind, it's important to note that certain hardware drivers might not work correctly in PAE mode. Intel HD series graphics starting at around Sandy Bridge will experience video buffer corruption issues, since the drivers written for 32-bit Windows 8.1 do not take the extended memory addressing that is present in PAE mode into account. The only known workaround at this time is to force install the Windows XP 32-bit version of the Intel HD display driver.
Bottom line
Depending on your needs, this workaround works rather well for the most part, with the only major drawbacks being an uglier desktop with no Aero Glass transparency in the user interface. The reason for this is the fact that the driver is not written to follow the latest WDDM framework. Another major sticking point is that switchable GPU graphics like Nvidia Optimus are rendered useless when the host integrated GPU isn't running the correct drivers. This could very well be a make it or break it situation, especially if you have a work laptop that works in graphics heavy applications like AutoCAD. Dedicated, non-switchable graphics solutions from vendors like Nvidia and AMD are unaffected by the PAE limitation.
All that said, this PAE guide may still serve as a blessing for anyone clinging to legacy software, but might want to make the best use of all their system memory at the same time. Although 32-bit native Windows might not be around forever, there's still some life left in the flagging platform and you won't have to jump ship to 64-bit for the foreseeable future.
Your computer’s hardware and Windows 7 limit the amount of memory that your computer can use. In the case of 32-bit operating systems, that limit is 4GB of RAM. 64-bit operating systems can use much more. However, if your Windows 7 64-bit PC is having trouble recognizing all of the RAM in your computer, there is a quick fix that may work. Learn how to fix the maximum amount of RAM Windows 7 64-bit can use.
Windows 7 and Maximum Memory
Many users of the 32-bit version of Windows 7 were disappointed that not all of their 4GB of RAM (or more) could actually be used by the operating system. Many opted for the 64-bit version of Windows 7 but still had trouble getting the operating system to recognize and use all of the memory installed in the PC.
Typically, your computer’s hardware and Windows 7 works together to identify the hardware you have in your PC. This includes the memory or RAM you have installed. Occasionally, your computer is not aware of what you have and may report that you have less RAM than you actually do. Assuming this is not a hardware error or failure, there is one trick you can try.
Fix the Maximum Memory Windows 7 64-bit Can Address
The amount of memory you have installed in your PC is not necessarily the amount that Windows 7 64-bit can address. Address simply means use. Luckily, you can specify how much memory Windows 7 64-bit should address on boot up.
Log in to Windows 7 64-bit with an account that has administrative privileges. Click on Start and then right click on My Computer. Choose Properties from the menu.
This opens the Properties window for your computer. In the section labeled System, note the amount of Installed Memory (RAM). Then, close the Properties window.
Click on Start and then on Run. If you don’t have the Run command on your Start menu, you can hold down the Windows key on your keyboard and press the R key. With the Run dialog box open, type in MSCONFIG and click the OK button.
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This opens the System Configuration window. Click on the Boot tab and then click on the Advanced Options button.
This opens the BOOT Advanced Options window. Click on the Maximum Memory option and type in the maximum amount of memory you noted earlier in the My Computer Properties window. When finished, click the OK button, close all remaining windows that you have opened, and restart your computer.
Windows 7 32 Bit Memory Limit Patch Free
Windows 7 64-bit does not always correctly identify the amount of memory you have installed in your PC. You can fix this problem by manually specifying how much memory Windows 7 64-bit should use by changing a value in the BOOT Advanced Options window.
Assuming you have no hardware or software errors, Windows 7 should then be able to correctly identify how much memory you have installed and the maximum amount of memory to use at boot up.