My desktop runs Windows Vista and have 4G memory. I have installed
VMWare Player recently and allocated 1G memory to the virtual machine. I
have noticed that my desktop runs slower than usual, even I didn't run
the virtual machine at my computer.

I would like to know if the Windows Vista will only use 3G memory no
matter the Virtual machine is on or off. I personally think the Windows
should take all 4G memory if the Virtual Machine is off (the VMWare
Player is not started). Is it true?

Thanks!

Johnson

On Thursday 22 October 2009 01:06 in alt.os.linux, somebody identifying
as Johnson wrote...

> My desktop runs Windows Vista and have 4G memory. I have installed
> VMWare Player recently and allocated 1G memory to the virtual machine.
> I have noticed that my desktop runs slower than usual, even I didn't
> run the virtual machine at my computer.

My advice in this matter would be to contact microsoft.com and politely
direct your complaints about the performance of Vista to their PR
department. They will most likely advise you to buy a newer, faster
computer. <grin>

> I would like to know if the Windows Vista will only use 3G memory no
> matter the Virtual machine is on or off. I personally think the
> Windows should take all 4G memory if the Virtual Machine is off (the
> VMWare Player is not started). Is it true?

32-bit operating systems can never use the full 4 GB of installed RAM
because of the PCI memory hole. This is a reserved range of memory
addresses for PCI devices, counting down from the top of the 4 GB
address space available to 32-bit operating systems - its size depends
on the amount and type of PCI devices in the system. As memory
addresses can only be assigned to one device at the time, the RAM in
the upper regions between 3 GB and 4 GB will be covered by the PCI
address range and is thus unreachable to the operating system.

The only way to circumvent this is to use either a 32-bit operating
system with PAE enabled in its kernel or a 64-bit operating system, and
then to engage PCI memory hole remapping, which is usually available as
a BIOS option, although the Linux kernel can also do this via software.

The RAM that is covered by the PCI addresses will then be given a higher
address range above the 4 GB barrier, but this is why you need either a
64-bit operating system or a 32-bit PAE-enabled operating system, as
32-bit without PAE can only see a 4 GB address space.

I am no expert on Vista - or any other Windows version for that matter -
and it is quite curious that you are asking a question pertaining to
Vista in a GNU/Linux-oriented newsgroup, but if MICROS~1 is consistent
in its policy of crippling consumergrade versions of Wintendo, then PAE
will only be available on the server versions of Vista - I believe this
is called Windows 2008 Server - but you could of course also always
purchase a license for a 64-bit version of Vista.

Again, the folks over at microsoft.com should be very willing to accept
your money in exchange for a more expensive version of their latest
botnet client. <grin>

--
*Aragorn*
(registered GNU/Linux user #223157)

On Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:41:49 GMT, Aragorn wrote:

> On Thursday 22 October 2009 01:06 in alt.os.linux, somebody identifying
> as Johnson wrote...
>
>> My desktop runs Windows Vista and have 4G memory. I have installed
>> VMWare Player recently and allocated 1G memory to the virtual machine.
>> I have noticed that my desktop runs slower than usual, even I didn't
>> run the virtual machine at my computer.
>
> My advice in this matter would be to contact microsoft.com and politely
> direct your complaints about the performance of Vista to their PR
> department. They will most likely advise you to buy a newer, faster
> computer. <grin>

I have read Somewhere[tm] that Windows 7 is in part a response to users
bitching nonstop about how crappy Vista is, and it's supposed to be oh-so-
much better. [shrug] I installed the beta in VMware, but my computer is very
low on the hardware list, so it was even slower than I expected. (Not that I
intend to use W7, but, y'know, free.) I'm pretty familiar with the kind of
slowdown I can expect when running under emulation, but this... Well, let's
just say that since I can't afford a new computer, I won't be worrying about
Windows 7 any time soon.

--
He'd like you to think he's got a heart of stone,
but really, he's got a heart of marshmallow.

Auric__ wrote:
> On Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:41:49 GMT, Aragorn wrote:
>
>> On Thursday 22 October 2009 01:06 in alt.os.linux, somebody identifying
>> as Johnson wrote...
>>
>>> My desktop runs Windows Vista and have 4G memory. I have installed
>>> VMWare Player recently and allocated 1G memory to the virtual machine.
>>> I have noticed that my desktop runs slower than usual, even I didn't
>>> run the virtual machine at my computer.
>> My advice in this matter would be to contact microsoft.com and politely
>> direct your complaints about the performance of Vista to their PR
>> department. They will most likely advise you to buy a newer, faster
>> computer. <grin>
>
> I have read Somewhere[tm] that Windows 7 is in part a response to users
> bitching nonstop about how crappy Vista is, and it's supposed to be oh-so-
> much better. [shrug] I installed the beta in VMware, but my computer is very
> low on the hardware list, so it was even slower than I expected. (Not that I
> intend to use W7, but, y'know, free.) I'm pretty familiar with the kind of
> slowdown I can expect when running under emulation, but this... Well, let's
> just say that since I can't afford a new computer, I won't be worrying about
> Windows 7 any time soon.
>
Win7 runs fine
on this virtual machine at least
Ibm x346 110 gig ram on Solaris /sun sim

Johnson wrote:

Not really sure why you are posting here, a microsoft newsgroup would be a lot
better. Where they would recommend you to buy a new computer.


> My desktop runs Windows Vista and have 4G memory. I have installed
> VMWare Player recently and allocated 1G memory to the virtual machine. I
> have noticed that my desktop runs slower than usual, even I didn't run
> the virtual machine at my computer.

To speed things a tiny bit more, see to that you have set the min and max size
for your swap file in microsoft to the same size, you will lessen the amount
of disk activity, as microsoft do all the time resize the swap file otherwise.


> I would like to know if the Windows Vista will only use 3G memory no
> matter the Virtual machine is on or off. I personally think the Windows
> should take all 4G memory if the Virtual Machine is off (the VMWare
> Player is not started). Is it true?

It's only true for a 64bit version, otherwise you can install a 32bits Linux
PAE-kernel as your host operating system, then you would get access to the
whole memory.

In case your CPU would have been 64bit, then there is possibility you could
use HVM/PV to run the microsoft under a Xen domU or KVM guest.

--

//Aho

On Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:13:09 GMT, atec 7 7 wrote:

> Auric__ wrote:
>> On Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:41:49 GMT, Aragorn wrote:
>>
>>> On Thursday 22 October 2009 01:06 in alt.os.linux, somebody
>>> identifying as Johnson wrote...
>>>
>>>> My desktop runs Windows Vista and have 4G memory. I have installed
>>>> VMWare Player recently and allocated 1G memory to the virtual
>>>> machine. I have noticed that my desktop runs slower than usual, even
>>>> I didn't run the virtual machine at my computer.
>>> My advice in this matter would be to contact microsoft.com and
>>> politely direct your complaints about the performance of Vista to
>>> their PR department. They will most likely advise you to buy a newer,
>>> faster computer. <grin>
>>
>> I have read Somewhere[tm] that Windows 7 is in part a response to users
>> bitching nonstop about how crappy Vista is, and it's supposed to be
>> oh-so- much better. [shrug] I installed the beta in VMware, but my
>> computer is very low on the hardware list, so it was even slower than I
>> expected. (Not that I intend to use W7, but, y'know, free.) I'm pretty
>> familiar with the kind of slowdown I can expect when running under
>> emulation, but this... Well, let's just say that since I can't afford a
>> new computer, I won't be worrying about Windows 7 any time soon.
>>
> Win7 runs fine
> on this virtual machine at least
> Ibm x346 110 gig ram on Solaris /sun sim

Yeah... My home machine is a 1GHz Athlon w/768mb RAM. Bit of a difference
there.

--
Virginity can be cured.