4GB memory with 32-bit OS |Tutorials

This isn't as much a "Howto" as it is an explanation:

The 4GB memory issue is something that's been discussed in these forums quite a bit lately. A lot of people have been upgrading to 4GB with their 32-bit operating systems only to find that the full amount isn't being recognized. The amount varies from system to system depending on hardware, but it usually falls between 3.0 - 3.5GB, sometimes even less than 3.0GB.

I wrote this analogy in one of the forum threads, hopefully it will help you to understand:

"Let's say you have a 4 oz glass for mixing a drink & the drink you're making MUST consist of juice, vodka & ice. If you fill the glass with 4 oz of juice, there's obviously no room for the vodka & ice. But since you MUST use ALL of these components to make the drink, you'll have to sacrifice some of that 4 oz of juice to make room for the rest of ingredients."

4 oz glass = 4GB of virtual address space (VAS) for 32-bit OS
4 oz juice = 4GB of RAM
vodka & ice = video card & other components that MUST be mapped to the VAS.

HP explains it fairly well:

http://h20331.www2.hp.com/Hpsub/dow...

Here's another explanation that should help you understand what the "vodka & ice" represent:

http://members.cox.net/slatteryt/RA...

Hope that helps.