Windows 7x64 /4 gb fix - upgraders take note.

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Volvohead

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As I mentioned below, for those people upgrading to W7 and contemplating x64 at 4gb (the start of the "sweet spot" for running x64), quite a bit of HW tends to misbehave. In some instances, it is a driver/os memory mapping issue.

After confronting the problem on 7600 for a couple of weeks now, I'm going to share a huge (and practically unknown, even on technet) remedy for the 4gb HW barrier. It is devilishly simple, and costs all of 8mb.

Go into msconfig, open the boot tab, go into advanced, and click off maximum memory, inserting 4088 (8mb less than the typical 4096). Hardware problem SOLVED.

Until msft or the vendors get the drivers sorted out down the road, this workaround works in most every instance where mapping is the cause. It will not work for HW with a 3gb limitation or for firmware or BIOS shortcomings.

You found it here.
 
Caveat: this is not a permanent solution, but a workaround. What you wind up with in the OS is a 3gb map. Knocking off just 8mb will bump it down. Not optimal, but it works. Better than BSODs from a balky ATI or Nvidia.

As I mentioned in another thread, for these typically older systems, you're better off sticking with x86 and 3gb. But it will get the balky HW running in x64 and allow the use of dual channel until msft gets their act together.

Unfortunately, I understand this mapping problem has existed since Vista x64 was introduced. So don't hold your breath.
 
Interesting! Thanks for the tip. I must admit, I have never seen this problem in the multitude of 64 bit XP, Vista, and now Win 7 installs. Good to have in the arsenal for when it does happen...
 
In digging deeper, it's a more pervasive problem with the less than newest consumer stuff. At first, I thought it may just be confined to VIA chipsets. But it's not; users running two or three year old "64-bit ready" Intel platforms have reported problems going back to Vista x64 that bites once the extra two sticks go in.

For whatever reason, XP x64 does NOT seem to present these problems.

So I suspect it does boil down to software, and Vista/7 x64 and some drivers in particular. This is in addition to the other older BIOS and HW headaches dealing with 4gb.

The newest hardware seems more immune . . . a push to a new system for the msft conspiracy thinkers.

This workaround still leaves you with 3.25 gb reported in Win 7. It keeps the system going. But it's still a compromise. With that memory, you're better off running x86.
 
I am running Win 7 64 bit on new hardware with 4GB and no problems whatsoever. Very stable. Is this an upgrade problem that can be fixed by a clean install?
 
I'm sure this will be fixed before the release guys.

Memory is stupid cheap right now, and many people are maxxing out their computers to 4gb, and some machines accept even more ram than that.

I think it cost me $50 for 2 2GB memory sticks of DDR2 for my newer dell.
 
Sorry, build 7600 is the RTM. It's what you'll be buying. If it gets fixed, it will now be through WU . . . or SP1.

New hardware seems to have few problems running x64.

These addressing issues tend to arise with older HW, either at the MB/chipset level, or with older ancillary cards. It really shows up at the 4gb level.

Because RAM is so cheap, it's not the end of the world to lose some in the OS for stability. 3-3.5 gb is still plenty for most in 2009.

Now, whether to run x64 or x86 in a sub-4gb environment remains a hot debate topic. There are arguments for and against. 64-bit is the future. All I know is that from a deployment perspective, x86 installs without incident on older gear.
 
Originally Posted By: Volvohead
In digging deeper, it's a more pervasive problem with the less than newest consumer stuff. At first, I thought it may just be confined to VIA chipsets. But it's not; users running two or three year old "64-bit ready" Intel platforms have reported problems going back to Vista x64 that bites once the extra two sticks go in.

For whatever reason, XP x64 does NOT seem to present these problems.

So I suspect it does boil down to software, and Vista/7 x64 and some drivers in particular. This is in addition to the other older BIOS and HW headaches dealing with 4gb.


Perhaps my Gateway laptop running Vista SP2 64 bit with 4GB of RAM is new enough (purchased in Jun 2008), but I definitely don't have any issues. It is rock solid stable and has been since I purchased it.

What kind of issues are people experiencing?
 
Something barely a year old isn't likely going to have any problems. If you bought it preloaded with x64 and 4gb from the OEM, the issue is moot anyway. Most people don't have systems that new, and most that do aren't as eager to upgrade.

This pertains mainly to HW from '06-'07 and earlier, equipment designed when XP was still king or Vista was just coming out. Because W7 is so relatively lightweight, people are trying and successfully running it on five and six year old systems. Old dependable single core laptops that can still crank along, late-gen AGP and older PCIe systems running dual core, stuff like that. If you can live without the aero effects, it can run on a lot of old relics.

And when it all works, W7 runs very well on these older systems, better than XP according to some. It runs on machines where Vista can't.
 
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