I just installed Windows 7 Ultimate x86 (32-bit) on a computer with 16GB of RAM, so naturally it won't use all the available memory because my system is 32-bit.
I searched for a solution and found about patching the kernel with PAE. I found a couple packages that are meant for this task:
- PatchFor4GB (http://www.mediafire.com/download/w4h2prfttb2q83f/ReadyFor4GB.rar)
- PatchPae (http://wj32.org/wp/download/PatchPae.zip)
I tried them, PatchFor4GB adds a boot option to the bootloader list, which is supposed to be the kernel-patched one, but everytime I boot with it, I only get a blank screen on my computer after the Windows logo splash and then it gets stuck there.
With PatchPae, the added loader option just didn't boot the system at all.
However, I also tried this in an installation of a Virtual Machine of the same system, assigning it 6GB of RAM and the patches worked like a charm.
Because I use with my computer some hardware that uses privative drivers made ONLY for 32bit systems, I CANNOT INSTALL THE 64-BIT VERSION OF WINDOWS (they're a bit old, trust me, they don't work in Windows 64-bit). Please eliminate that as a possible answer. Sorry.
Do you know any reliable way to make my Windows 7 Ultimate able to use the total of the RAM my computer has installed? Any graphic or command-line solution is more than welcome and appreciated :D
UPDATE: I forgot to mention that in both of the cases I mentioned, if I boot in Safe Mode (with or without networking/command prompt), I can reach to the graphic interface.
Thanks in advance!!
Kernel-WindowsMaxMemAllowedx86
value.