flw
IS-IT--Management
- Sep 13, 2007
- 52
What features do you like most about Vista that is not in XP or just didn't work as well for Home or Business?
Opinions?
Opinions?
Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations Mike Lewis on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
What do you like best about Vista ? 1
- Thread starter flw
- Start date
- Status
If and when 64-bit drivers are more readily available, 64-bit is the way to go because Vista is able to use all that RAM efficiently.
But I am reluctant to go 64-bit because some of my peripheral hardware doesn't have 64-bit drivers and may never have 64-bit drivers. I'm hardly enthusiastic about throwing out my photo scanner, my page scanner, my printer, etc.
Anyway, I would prefer for MS to rewrite the Vista code so that is works more efficiently which includes enabling >3GB memory support (as they have for all their 32-bit server OSs).
Regards: tf1
But I am reluctant to go 64-bit because some of my peripheral hardware doesn't have 64-bit drivers and may never have 64-bit drivers. I'm hardly enthusiastic about throwing out my photo scanner, my page scanner, my printer, etc.
Anyway, I would prefer for MS to rewrite the Vista code so that is works more efficiently which includes enabling >3GB memory support (as they have for all their 32-bit server OSs).
Regards: tf1
cyberspace
Technical User
Interesting point about upping the RAM support, but I thought this was a physical limitation based on the fact that a 32bit os/cpu can only actually address 4GB of total system memory?
But then you mention it...theres the /3GB swtich for servers. Interesting! How does that work then (a bit OT i know!)
I'd be surprised if they did this with a home OS tbh.
Fortunatley all my gear is new, i've not had any hardware issues with 64bit yet. Just the darned slow boot.
'When all else fails.......read the manual'
But then you mention it...theres the /3GB swtich for servers. Interesting! How does that work then (a bit OT i know!)
I'd be surprised if they did this with a home OS tbh.
Fortunatley all my gear is new, i've not had any hardware issues with 64bit yet. Just the darned slow boot.
'When all else fails.......read the manual'
-
1
- #23
The /3GB switch has nothing whatsoever to do with having more than 4GB of RAM. All it does is control how that 4GB of RAM is used. By default 32-bit Windows allocates 2GB for User mode and 2GB for Kernel mode. This means that your applications all have to share the same 2GB of physical memory. Setting the /3GB switch on systems that support it changes the allocation to give 3GB for User mode and 1GB for Kernel mode. That's all it does. This can cause problems with some applications and drivers IF they are not programmed with the /3GB switch in mind. This can happen when the program only expects 2GB to be available, but a piece of data gets mapped into the range above 2GB.
The feature on the servers that allows more than 4GB of memory is called Physical Address Extension, or PAE. That is a feature built into modern 32-bit CPUs that allows them to address more than 4GB of memory. However, it brings along other issues and doesn't allow as much addressable memory as using a 64-bit CPU and OS. PAE is really a bit of a hack compared to true 64-bit.
________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCP, MCSA 2003
The feature on the servers that allows more than 4GB of memory is called Physical Address Extension, or PAE. That is a feature built into modern 32-bit CPUs that allows them to address more than 4GB of memory. However, it brings along other issues and doesn't allow as much addressable memory as using a 64-bit CPU and OS. PAE is really a bit of a hack compared to true 64-bit.
________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCP, MCSA 2003
Vista SP1 says it can see all 4GB (that I had had installed), but it barely used 3GB. The fix in SP1 was merely to display the installed memory rather than use the installed memory.
That will fool everyone into thinking Vista uses all the installed RAM and keep them all happy thinks MS.
Regards: tf1
That will fool everyone into thinking Vista uses all the installed RAM and keep them all happy thinks MS.
Regards: tf1
By using the tools provided in Vista (and XP) to see what RAM is allocated and available. It's not what I think, it is wht I know. IT CANNOT USE ANY MORE MEMORY than XP or Vist pre-SP1.
It is just a Microsoft gimmick to stop people complaining "Why doesn't Windows show all my installed memory". It is far easier to 'fix' Vista so it displays all the installed memory because most users won't know (or suspect) that it isn't.
Regards: tf1
It is just a Microsoft gimmick to stop people complaining "Why doesn't Windows show all my installed memory". It is far easier to 'fix' Vista so it displays all the installed memory because most users won't know (or suspect) that it isn't.
Regards: tf1
cyberspace
Technical User
tf1 - is that with reference to 32bit or 64bit?
cpjust - the other memory address space gets allocated to other devices, so the rest of the RAM doesn't "fit" in the 32bit address space
kmcferrin - excellent post, thanks.
'When all else fails.......read the manual'
cpjust - the other memory address space gets allocated to other devices, so the rest of the RAM doesn't "fit" in the 32bit address space
kmcferrin - excellent post, thanks.
'When all else fails.......read the manual'
Without using any special tricks like they do in Win 2003 RC1 (32-bit) which lets you use > 4GB RAM, all 32-bit OS's are limited to 4GB. 2^32 = 4GB.
The reason you can't load 4GB of user applications all into RAM is because the OS needs some of that memory for itself. So with the /3GB switch, Windows takes 1GB of RAM for the kernel, drivers and all other files it needs in order to run. The other 3GB are available for user programs.
Why they don't make the >4GB hack they used in their server OS's available for the home versions of Windows, I'm not sure, but I wish they included it in all their OS's.
The reason you can't load 4GB of user applications all into RAM is because the OS needs some of that memory for itself. So with the /3GB switch, Windows takes 1GB of RAM for the kernel, drivers and all other files it needs in order to run. The other 3GB are available for user programs.
Why they don't make the >4GB hack they used in their server OS's available for the home versions of Windows, I'm not sure, but I wish they included it in all their OS's.
I love the power management on laptops - basically is doubled my battery life.
I don't like the massive delay in copying and moving files whilst it 'calculates'
----------------------------------------
"Nobody cares how it works, as long as it works
I don't like the massive delay in copying and moving files whilst it 'calculates'
----------------------------------------
"Nobody cares how it works, as long as it works
How do I love V, let me....
I love that you make me say again and again that I really do want to install the program I want to install, open the program I want to open, view the files I want to view. Thank you for protecting me from myself.
I love that you check for certificates every time I set up something new and tell me fifty times during installation that this or that program, driver, etc including everything from Realtek is not certified, so that I should just give up.
I love that there many programs will not run correctly on you and that there are still some peripherals, not so old, which do not have drivers.
I love that I cannot turn off sleep (there must be a way) and that once gone to sleep..well see the next one.
I love that you turn off all Realtek hardware, so I have been without audio for a week, and the idiots who give support for my system (last one off the rack,ever) want me to erase everything so they can tell if it is a hardware problem or not.
I love that what I am used to finding in logical locations is now somewhere entirely different, like add/remove programs, so I have to look all over to find them.
I love that indexing does not work property with some programs installed, so that opening any file placed temporarily on the desktop will result in a message saying the file cannot be found before it is opened.
I love that I as a relatively educated user have less control and feel entirely impotent if anything goes wrong.
Yeah, and then there's that transparent thing..that sure makes up for everything, doesn't it.
I love that you make me say again and again that I really do want to install the program I want to install, open the program I want to open, view the files I want to view. Thank you for protecting me from myself.
I love that you check for certificates every time I set up something new and tell me fifty times during installation that this or that program, driver, etc including everything from Realtek is not certified, so that I should just give up.
I love that there many programs will not run correctly on you and that there are still some peripherals, not so old, which do not have drivers.
I love that I cannot turn off sleep (there must be a way) and that once gone to sleep..well see the next one.
I love that you turn off all Realtek hardware, so I have been without audio for a week, and the idiots who give support for my system (last one off the rack,ever) want me to erase everything so they can tell if it is a hardware problem or not.
I love that what I am used to finding in logical locations is now somewhere entirely different, like add/remove programs, so I have to look all over to find them.
I love that indexing does not work property with some programs installed, so that opening any file placed temporarily on the desktop will result in a message saying the file cannot be found before it is opened.
I love that I as a relatively educated user have less control and feel entirely impotent if anything goes wrong.
Yeah, and then there's that transparent thing..that sure makes up for everything, doesn't it.
They can, but that has nothing to do with /PAE. The /PAE switch only works on the server OSes, and it allows the OS to use more than 4GB of RAM.
Using 3.5GB isn't difficult at all on a 32-bit Windows OS. But it will still be divided into user and kernel memory.
________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCP, MCSA 2003
- Status
Similar threads