Memory -Hardware Reserve

[jimtoll]

For this computer is the hardware reserve set by the processor?  I have gone thru several steps in

Windows settings to change the hardware reserve.  I have 8gb ram, with 3.1 ram usable and 4.9 reserve.

The unit came with 4gb ram with about 160mb reserve.    (2 of 4 slots )    I added new 4gb ram in the

remaining 2 slots.  This changed the reserve to 4.9gb.

[DGroves · Accepted solution]

all 32 bit OS's are limited to 4GB useable ram, in order to have the OS see/use more ram you need to use a 64bit OS

you will need to buy a 64bit OS and serial key, the 32-bit OS can not be upgraded to 64-bit so you must do a clean install

[jimtoll]

Thanks for the help!  Jim

[itsmyname]

@jimtoll --  is the hardware reserve set by the processor?  The unit came with 4gb ram with about 160mb reserve. 

Together, it is the motherboard and the processor that "steal" some of the RAM. Most often, that "reserved" RAM is used as a "video-buffer" when the built-in video-adapter does not have any RAM dedicated to it. My guess is that 128 MB is the amount "reserved" for exclusive use of the video-adapter, and it seems that 32 MB of "other" RAM also is being reserved, for a total of 160 GB.

Note that if you purchase a new "high-end" video-adapter, it will have 4096 MB or even 8192 MB of its own ultra-high-speed RAM, and that 128 MB of RAM either will not be used by Windows, or that 128 MB of RAM will not be reserved.

Yes, a 32-bit version of Microsoft Windows cannot use any of the "extra" 4GB of RAM that you now have.

[itsmyname]

@DGroves -- you will need to buy a 64bit OS and serial key 

I am not sure that there is a "need" to purchase a new product-key.

If the current copy of Windows has been "activated", Microsoft knows the product-key that was used.

If you reinstall the 32-bit version of Windows onto the same computer, the Windows Installer will "call home" (to Microsoft) and will retrieve the product-key, and will use it to re-activate.

If you Download Windows 10 (microsoft.com)

you can choose to download both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions of Windows 10, and the Windows Installer will choose the 64-bit version, if it detects that your computer is capable of running in 64-bit mode. That "call home" processing will retrieve & use the product-key -- no need to purchase a new one.

[DGroves]

you must use a proper/new windows 10 key if the editions do not match,

in other words a 32-bit windows 10 home edition  key will not work on a 64bit professional edition

[itsmyname]

@DGroves -- a 32-bit windows 10 home edition  key will not work on a 64-bit professional edition

I agree.

But, if the product-key is for the 32-bit edition, that product-key will work for the 64-bit edition, if the CPU is a 64-bit processor.