Direct2Dell

hello!!!

can im start to say my question?

like this,im already upgrade my window xp 7 to window vista!!! after upgrade to vista,my program still in and haven full part in window vista,so im can use 2 window....but im open my cyber eye to catch my picture,cant work and the picture gone!!!im find all file cant find or get my picture back? so did you know what problem ist? hope you can give me answer let me know how to do it!!! thank you!!! you can send e-mail or go to my website to write?? thank!!!

ok i have a ram issue to i have a Windows Wist Home Premium HP PC and the systme info is as follows:

Processor 4200

1024 MB Ram

320 GB Hardrive

NVIDIA GeForce 6150 LE Graphic Card

when i go to system info it only shows a total of 446 mb ram does anyone know what could have triggered this, and/or does anyone know how to resolve this problem. (Outside of getting a new processor)

 I should add, thats in the case of a Dell Inspiron 530

 This has been fixed as of bios version 1.0.12. I at last have 3.9 gigs available on my ubuntu (64bit) system.

   I just had a long discussion of 1 hour with dell tech support . and the conclusion after he mentioned many things starting with windows 32 to 64 and then discussion about other OS like linux, he told me that the problem is with 945 Express Chipset, and yes it has no solution, he even provided me with a white paper that talks about earlier chipset that has the same issue.

 http://www.polywell.com/us/support/faq/4GB_Rev1.pdf

and this is the explanation from dell site:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?docid=9311982C2A2A4B7EAEDB0B57ADD0422B&c=us&l=en&s=gen

and according to those info we are stuck with this issue, and there is no solution for it unless you guys no a software that can do memory remapping.

I request a quotation for 2GB and 4GB RAM (memory card)

can anybody guess the price quoted by DELL INDIA , it is

RS.60,000-00 FOR 4GB --- WE CAN BUY NEW SYSTEM IN DELL.

AGAIN I CALLED AND CLARIFIED WITH DELL INDIA BANGALORE.

SUPRISING IS THEY GOT A QUOTATION FOR 'D.NARASIMHULU FORM SINGAPORE , RS.30,500-00.

PLEASE NOT ALL . DELL INDIA SALE OFFICALS WILL TAKE THE CUSTOMERS CALLS. MZ.MARIA F IS VERY TIME I CALL , HERE PHONE GONE TO AUTOMATED ANSWERING MACHINE.

REALLY IT IS A BITTER EXPRINCE WITH DELL. 

Please suggest how much memory card (SD RAM) can be inserted for Dimesion E520 desktop.

whether 4GB Ram is to be used, please suggest what are the requirements for the system to upgrade form 512 ram to 4GB RAM. 

IF IT IS AVAIBLE IN INDIA. PRICE PLEASE 

had to replace screen inverter, inadvertently  unplugged coin-cell battery, I think Bios defaulted  to earlier, default version ... cannot run any diagnostics, One Care, scans, etc to find / fix problems ... all freeze up. Downloaded Bios upgrade, but system will not allow me to open / use it ( even as administrator ) ... unsure what to do ... can anyone steer me in right direction ? ( not politically )  -RB

Even with a 64-bit Vista, it reports under 4 gig of ram look at this: http://www.ifrankie.com/?p=70

Yes:  !Dell is dogging the issue!

RMA (Memory Remapping) IS required to have any use of your 4GB.

The chipset of my Vostro 400 is able to managed 8GB (my machine has 4 installed)

I have a Vista 64 bit installed and it won’t see anymore mem then XP 32bit (3.25GB)

And that is because even 64 bit OS’es must rely on the BIOS handling RMA.

This feature is missing in the 1.0.8 BIOS revision, and it is possible that it’s only for political reason (some user on previous BIOS used to enable this feature with 32bit XP and thus creating a huge phone-jam on Dell Customer services ;-)

Please Dell, correct this ASAP !!!

TO Nick G:

My Vostro 1700 arrived last Monday - loaded to the gills with upgrades on every option - and costing just a hair under $4000.  

It runs Vista Ultimate 32 bit, and has the 4 gig issue.

 There WAS NO OPTION to update to Vista 64 bit  - or I certainly would have purchased it instead. 

When I asked the sales rep, I was told that if it was not available on the site ( it was NOT), it was not available - period.

 I would suggest that before you state "facts" with such authority - you check them first!

alchemyst

I have two simple questions about the 4GB/3GB issue.

1) If 4 1GB modules are installed, is all available user memory (~3GB) accessed at "double data rate" speeds (including the range from 2GB to 3GB)?

2) If not, can I fix this by installing two 1GB modules and two 512MB modules (for a total of 3GB)?

If you know the answers to these questions ***absolutely for sure*** please tell us.  Otherwise, please don't speculate.

Thanks, Rich
 

The 4GB problem is nothing to do with Dell or Microsoft.  It's simply a limitation of 32bit memory addressing and affects all computers which use 32 bit addressing. If you want your computer to see ALL of the RAM you have purchased (when using more than 2GB) then you need a 64bit operating system. It doesn't have to be Vista - it can be Windows XP 64 or even Linux. There is nothing Dell can do to let you 'see' the extra 1GB that appears to be missing. Microsoft have already solved the problem by releasing the 64bit versions of XP and Vista. People that have bought the 32bit version shouldn't complain that they can't use all their RAM. This issue is very well documented on the internet already (see links below) and you only have to Google to see hundreds of websites giving you an explanation. Dell aren't doing anything wrong by shipping 4GB systems which on which you can only use 3GB - you had total freedom to pick 2GB or 64bit if you wanted to. If you want to pick a combination that won't let you use all the RAM - then that's your problem - not Dell's. By buying 4GB instead of 2, you still get an extra GB and that extra GB is well worth having.

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000811.html
http://blogs.msdn.com/hiltonl/archive/2007/04/13/the-3gb-not-4gb-ram-problem.aspx 

I have just purchased a Dell Dimension 9200 with 4 gigs of RAM and an NVidia GTS with 768 RAM.

Since the 32 bit system only maps 4gigs, the graphics card uses part of that allocation. However if PAE is enabled for 64bit capable CPUs (like the Quadcore and pretty much all CPUs on the market for the past 2 years) it should recognize it.

I tried the BCDedit commands to force enable the PAE on the Vista Ultimate system I have installed that came with my order. It updates successfully, however it still doesn't recognize the 4 gigs.

This is where it becomes interesting; The BIOS sees all 4 gigs. But on the Microsoft PAE FAQ they explain that for PAE to work the BIOS must support the RMA (Memory Remapping Architecture). Looking in the BIOS it does not offer to enable this feature. If the BIOS does not offer this feature it may be that the Motherboard Chipset sold with the Dimension 9200 computers is not capable of RMA.

And if this is the case, it explains why Dell is dodging the issue, because at this point, since they OFFER US the option to PAY to add an extra GIG of data, it is only fair for the consumer to assume that Dell has done it's homework, which it obviously hasn't. Which means that Dell indeed is ripping off it's customers, and is stuck in a grey zone where they can only hope people won't realize that the PAE function does not work on their systems because the motherboard itself is not RMA capable.

 If this is a ripoff, then I want one of two things: Refund my Gig of ram, I will return it. Negotiate a solution with me. Do not force us to go into a damaging class action lawsuit against your corporation. Find a fix.

Please contact me if you find a solution to this frustrating issue.

Thanks.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion regarding the 3gb display vs the actual 4gb capacity  of Dell XPS410.  I think Dell should do everything possible to clarify this problem--perhaps a patch changing the display from 4gb to 3gb with an accompanying explanation. 

Without such clarification, Dell is leaving the impression with users that they have been cheated.  I know that I was very frustrated--and still am--with a display showing 3gb when I paid for 4gb.  The technical explanation I received from Dell Support-- "the missing  gb is reserved for Vista" was somewhat comforting, but I'm not sure it is accurate, based on the various comments made on this site.

The reason why all 4GB isn't addressed is NOT the operating system.

Hit F2 on startup and go into the BIOS (update your BIOS to the latest revision before this).

Notice how much memory is installed.  4GB.  Notice how much is addressed.  About 3.25GB.

 
Why is this the case?  This will affect systems that use Intel's 945 chipset.  You may have a 64-bit CPU like a T7400, but the 945's Northbridge is 32-bit.  And some memory before 4GB will get reserved for... whatever reason.

So it's the hardware, not the OS, and not specifically Dell's fault.  Pre-Santa Rosa MacBooks and iMacs were the same (and Apple didn't offer a BTO option past 3GB).  Lots of other 945 hardware works the same.
 

We have a 4GB equipped dimension 9200 for math processing (Matlab, Dewesoft, Flexpro) and we knew all along it would only run 3GB - like any  machine running a 32 bit OS (Mac 10.x included!). However, having all 4GB installed leaves maximum RAM allocation available to applications and (I believe) allows the RAM to interlace giving faster memory access (hence fitting 4GB not 3GB - you've not been cheated, folks, not by Dell anyway)

We have to run XP SP2 because Vista isn't supported for serious applications yet  ;¬) and we can't always get the drivers to run 64 bit windows... So 3GB max.

Anyway this machine worked fine out the box (apart from all the random advertising junk that Dell put on everything - trial versions of all kinds of crap we'll never need), but was set to 2GB mode so no single application could use all the available RAM. 

After some messing about and talking to Mathworks, we found the switch to turn on 3GB allocation (a mod to the boot.ini script) and now get two options on start up:

Windows XP Professional

Windows XP Professional with 3GB mode 

My problem is that when you select the 3GB mode the damned machine only fires up one in four or five attempts, the screen gets to the windows XP start up page then either blanks or displays random pixels.  Upgrading to the latest NVidia 7900 drivers seems to have helped a little ...... but when you order a 4GB machine you kind of assume Dell would know you wanted to use a lot of memory and might have tested it in 3GB mode.

No fixes whatsoever in the tech help pages ... anyone know what's going on?

Have just ordered a 4GB M90 Precision laptop (Quadra graphics instead of 7900 graphics) to do the same jobs on the move ..... let's hope that one is tested and working!  Certainly ought to at the price (ouch!!!).

PS: I'd post this in an XP thread .... but there ain't one. 

HERE IS WHY ONLY 3GB OF MEMORY SHOWS WHEN THERE IS 4GB

There is a lot of confusion regarding why Vista reports ~3GB of memory when there is 4GB of memory installed.  Actually, the issue is not specifically related to 32 Bit Vista, as the issue manifests itself in ANY x86 operating system (XP 32 Bit, Win2K 32Bit, NT ...). 

By definition of 32 bits, 2 to the 32nd power equals ~ 4 billion, meaning that a 32 bit operating system can address a maximum of 4GB of memory, or more specifically, it can allocate 4 billion addresses. 

Ram installed on the motherboard is not the only source of memory that the OS needs to address.  There are other devices in the computer that contain memory that the operating system MUST address, like memory on video cards.  The more memory that is on these devices, the fewer addresses that will be left over to allocate to RAM on the motherboard.  If you have a video card with 512 MB of RAM, then 512 million addresses must be allocated to the memory on the video card.  The CPU chip(s) themselves have cache memory on-board, so they consume addresses, etc ... 

Naturally, this leads to the question, what is the point of purchasing a system with 4GB of ram if the OS can only use 3GB of it?  The answer is performance.  Recall that DDR stands for "double data rate," which means that memory can be read or written to when the clock rises or falls.  None-DDR memory (SDRAM, or Static DRAM) requires that the clock both rise and fall for a single write or read to occur.  In order to get DDR to function at double data rate, memory must be installed in pairs.  3 GB of RAM would generally mean 3 memory modules, which would be an odd number, so the computer's memory would either function at 1/2 speed or not at all, depending upon the computer.  So, it DOES make sense to install 4GB of RAM in a computer that can only use 3 of it.

The ultimate solution to this problem is to run a 64 bit O.S. like Vista x64 or Windows XP x64, because 2 to the 64th power is such a huge number that the concept of a memory "limitation" is irrelevant, and probably will be for a very, very long time (we are talking 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 bytes of memory).  The main challenge with 64 Vista x64 is simply the lack of hardware drivers for many devices, but hopefully this will change over time, especially if more and more people would go with 64 bits. 

Stupid question, how do I know if the power supply is enough or not, will it simply not work?  I just received my customized dimension 9200 with 756mb GE force 8800 gtx, 4gb RAM, and 8mb quad-core proc....  do I need a larger power supply than what came with it?  Again, what should I noticed if in fact I do need more power?

Hey Reverend,

Thanks for your help. I also had questions about the current power supply and I am glad you provided me with an alternative.

Window vista home premium- is very slow operating system and I would not recommend to any one, my desktop is very power machine from dell, Inspiron 530, 2 core Intel , 2gb, 1024MB ram, but it is very slow compare to my laptop which has less technical specification, inspiron 6000, 1.6gb, 512mb ram. Window xp home operating system run very fast.  I will try to contact dell and tell them the problem and also install window xp home operating system, If dell don’t give me the opportunities I will return their product to them, once  spoken to them first as i mention when I order the machine, over the phone, I would like window xp professional /home.

A better explanation of why you can't see all 4GB of RAM w/ 32bit Vista.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605

More info regarding the 4gb issue with Windows 2003 Server and Windows Vista running 32-bit

 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929580

SOURCE:   http://vistarewired.com/2007/03/29/how-to-enable-more-than-35-gb-of-memory-in-32-bit-windows-vista/

Not sure if this works, don't dare to try it yet.  Read the above article first.  I'm using a Dell XPS 410 w/ 4GB of RAM and running Vista, but only 3GB are showing.  I'm a little nervous with trying the following. 

1) Access cmd: Click on the Start Pearl > type cmd in the Search Bar > and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter (this allows you to run cmd in administrative mode)

2) Type BCDEdit /set PAE forceenable

Dell Folks,

Can anyone from Dell confirm that Microsoft's KB article about forcing Vista to address all 4GB of RAM (using BCDEdit /SET ForceEnable) is an acceptable solution?  I certainly don't want to attempt this and turn my XPS 410 (Vista Ultimate) into a shiny new doorstop.  What (if any) possible downside would running this command have on the performance of my XPS?  If there ANY reason that anyone can share as to why I would NOT want to perform this step?

Hey Steve

I had the same issue with my XPS 410 and found that it was the ATI drivers for the video card.  Download the ATI Catalyst 7.4 drivers.  Stay away from the 7.5 drivers as they have issues.

Has anyone come across the problem that Dell seems to not be able to tell the truth anymore? What is going on. They charged me for a computer that had nothing in it that I ordered, I had to return it, they sent me someone elses system. I had to mail it to them, they sent me a third system, and charged me on my card for the first with interest. I have a 1.86 Processor and was told this was not enough for this system t have it work with Vista.

How many suggest I give this system back, 1705 Inspiron. I have the ability to give it back and get something else.

Many of us have the same problem.  Dell XPS 410 system with a 375 W power supply... we want to upgrade to a better graphics card but need to upgrade the power supply... something like 500 W would be fine. 

 Does anyone know where we can get something like this? 

hey i have a dell xps410 too with 375 watts, duo core e6300,geforce 7300 le turbocache,2ram,250gb hard drive, and other such.

and i was wondering would there be a problem if i replace the useless graphics card dell gave me for a geforce 7900gs? i heard there will be problems with the power supply.and if i can, where is a site or place to get a cheap price for the graphics card 

I just ordered an XPS 410 system w/ only 1 GB of RAM b/c I was going to utilize some of my old RAM and install it in the new system.

The RAM that I have in my old system is 1 GB of DDR2 RAM.  Are there expandable memory slots in the XPS 410 so that I could add this gig of RAM to Dell's current gig of RAM?

or would I be much better off just going out and buying 2 x 1 GB sticks? 

Hi,

I have DELL E520 with Intel E6600 Dual core (2.4Ghz) and would like to add a graphics card either ATI1950PRO or NVIDIA 8800GTS if possible to get the most out of the DELL 2407 monitor in 1920 X 1200 and also for a HDTV with 1080p. The power supply will need upgrading, the standard PSU is only 305W and is 148mm x 98mm x 140mm. Any advice on suitable PSUs (240VAC) which will fit the case BTX. The cable and 120mm Fan locations are also factors in a suitable PSU. I would also like to add a HDTV tuner card. Any advice appreciated particularly for suitable PSU and video card.

Thanks. 

Hi,

I bought a Dell Dimension 9200 with 4GB Ram and Windows Vista 32bit Home Premium, and I am upset since Vista 32 bit does recognize only 3GB of memory . It's apparently a known issue, I don't understand how DELL sells these configuration knowing that you're buying 1GB of useless extra memory. I called technical support, they told me that Vista doesn't recognize more than 3GB and explained me the reasons and told me that if I have any complaints to call commercial support to see if they can take back the extra memory, or give me something else as counterpart. I called the commercial support and they don't won't to do anything about this, they told me that they raised the issue to Microsoft.
However, I don't think Microsoft can do anything about this other than telling us to install Windows 64bit (a version on which few programs run correctly for the moment)
At the end, I am very VERY upset at DELL since they don't want to admit the fault.
I think they have a serious communaction problem between their support teams and a lack of experience.

Ok, so I just got a Dell E520 with 4gig of ram. I had to downgrade it to Xp, afterward the system would only recognize 3gig. Its a 32 bit OS.

My question is whether turning off the PAE mode would solve the problem. I kinda doubt it would be that easy, but Im not sure I need that mode on in the first place since I dont run anything really intensive on my machine.

 If that is a option, how do I go about shutting it off. If its not, is their anything in the works to make the system recognize the extra gig of ram?

thanks

I just received a Latitude D820 with the same 4GB memory being displayed as 3GB issue as noted numerous times above.  I found a reported solution dated March 5, 2007 at

htt;://support.microsoft.com/kb/929580 involving turning on something called  Physical Address Extension (PAE)  mode.  I have not yet tried this and was wondering if any of the more technically oriented people on the site had experience with this.

Anyone know where to get a decent coupon for an Optiplex 745 system.

I have got a dimension 9200 with 4GB of ram that shows only 3GB. Now its my understanding that DDR2 has to be paired to work on two channels. Does this mean that my memory will only be running on a single channel as 3GB can't pair off? Or does the 1Gb running the OS still pair off so it is running at full speed?

Are there any 500 watt power supplies that will fit in a XPS410 case?

I have a similar problem with my XPS 410. It is configured with an e 6700, 4 GB RAM, and a GX2 7950 with 1 GB memory. I have Windows XP PRO and in the BIOS menu it shows 4 GB of memory, but what is different than everyone else in this blog so far is that my computer is only showing 2.75 GB of RAM. I understand the deal with the memory running background systems and not being shown in Windows. But what I don't get is why my system is showing less than all the other systems in this blog. Maybe it is because I am using Pro. Please let me know what you think.

Will this change when I install Windows Vista?

Cyber Sprocket Labs

In your computer setup, is vista intalled in 64 bit or 32. I ask because I am getting to the point of purchasing a new computer with 4 gigs but have found a lot of different opinions about the type of  vista you intall will determine how much ram is reconized. I understand that some motherboards and bios can determine how much ram will be recognized, but for the sake of keeping it simple, lets just say the hardware/bios is not the limitation. So really what I am asking is, does vista have to be installed in 64 bit in order for anything above 2gigs of ram to be seen or will 32 bit install see the 4gigs? (for me this will determine what version of vista to purchase)

I have a new Dell w/ 4GB of RAM + e6700 duo.  Windows Vista Ulimate reports 3GB of RAM on the System Info (welcome) screen.

This page explains it (somewhat):
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa906211.aspx

"increaseuserva Megabytes
Specifies the amount of memory, in megabytes, for user-mode virtual address space. This variable can have any value between 2048 (2 GB) and 3072 (3 GB) megabytes in decimal notation. Windows uses the remaining address space (4 GB minus the specified amount) as its kernel-mode address space. "

In other words - the system can only use 3GB MAX of application space (what the system info screen reports).   The other 1GB is used by the KERNEL for drivers, etc.  *ALL* of the memory is being used by Vista, however 1GB is for background stuff (that you still need & takes up RAM in all OSes) and 3GB is for "workspace".  

Vista would avoid the confustion by reporting system memory like this instead...
Memory (RAM): 3070 MB Applications + 1024 MB Kernel

Microsoft & Dell need to do a much better job of explaining this to people or there are going to be a lot of disgruntled customers out there, Especially after RAM prices come down and make 4GB more affordable.

- LC
Cyber Sprocket Labs
http://www.cybersprocket.com/

I have same problem, I have just bought a an Optiplex 745 with Core 2 duo, 250 Gb HD and 4Gb of Ram.

And now XP Pro show only 3 Gb of Ram. This mean I have bought 1Gb of Ram for nothing.If this problem is known at Dell why accepting selling 4Gb of Ram.

In December I have bought another PC (no Brand), from a local store, with same configuration, the 4 Gb of Ram were recognised.

We make CAD software and when we sell, we suggest our customer where they should buy their PCs, I don't think I will suggest them to buy a Dell one..I have bought a French Axim and received an UK one, 3 weeks of delivery to receive the Optiplex and now I see that 1 Gb is not useable..NOT REALLY SERIOUS

ads

Read this: 

http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dim_video&message.id=157100#M157100

How can you ship a computer that doesn't even work on first boot up ? This is DUE TO DELL SHIPPING WITH OUT OF DATE, UNCERTIFIED FOR VISTA, DISPLAY DRIVERS.

Hello Daniel,

I find your claim to TEST configurations laughable and I say this from personal experience.

Let me enlighten you as to how poor DELL are doing with their TESTING.

First DELL are shipping production systems with a display driver that is NOT CERTIFIED FOR USE WITH VISTA. Do YOU understand this ? How does this get through your testing process ?

My E520 with X1300 256MB graphics card had the driver version
DELL version of the 8.31.100 from ATI installed. This is the same driver you STILL provide on your website. Despite DELL's claim that this driver is from January 2007, this driver is OLD. The date on the actual driver file is from OCTOBER 2006.

ATI did not even release a VISTA certified driver until december 2006. There were numerous fixes made to this driver in NOVEMBER and DECEMBER. In case you haven't twigged these dates are AFTER the release date of the driver DELL supplies.

Do YOU understand this ?
I've already made a complaint on this forum which resulted in some jobsworth telling me the DELL driver is a special variant of the ATI driver and therefore is certified. WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH. The dates, the functionality of the driver, and the fact IT DOESN'T WORK, with an E6600 processor and VISTA, is all you should need to know.

 
I supplied a detailed email to DELL support on how to fix the problem, TWO WEEKS AGO!! NOTE, I told YOUR support how this is fixed and YET two weeks later DELL support STILL DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.

And DELL support STILL haven't updated their drivers.

If DELL want to be taken seriously get your collective heads out of the sand.

Thanks for the response Lionel.   I read your Microsoft link.  I understand the 32 bit address limit. I understand the OS partitions off some RAM for technical reasons.  And, I've read  advice that I should think in terms of total system memory instead of only RAM.  Now I don't understand if all 4GB of RAM in my machine have value.   Let me ask, If an OS engineer were to build a Dell 9200 32 bit machine running Vista Ultimate with the maximum amount of functioning RAM, how much RAM would an OS engineer use?  Would it be 4GB?  

I'm another customer who just received a Dell Vista box with 4GB of RAM, but only 3GB is visible.  I understand the technical explanation, but I'm wondering why Dell sold me extra memory that can't be seen or used because of a known hardware mapping issue on Vista.  Dell should sell these Vista boxes with a limit of 3GB (4 SIMS: 1GB, 1GB, 512MB, 512MB).  If Dell tests these machines before shipping them, how can this limitation be news to Dell?

Lionel, thanks for the info.  I guess my next question is why is DELL selling systems with 4GB if I'm not able to use the entire 4GB of RAM?

Alex: So sorry i haven't been able to respond to you until now. The power supply that comes in the XPS 410 is 375 watts as you say. Unfortunately, there's not another power supply option for the system.

That means it won't support SLI for two reasons: not enough power for a top of the line graphics card, and it only has a single x16 graphics card slot.

For folks that are serious about gaming like yourself, that's why we offer the XPS 710 and 710 H2C. It comes with either a 750W or 1KW power supply and also has 2 x16 PCIe slots which allows a user to take advantage of two NVIDIA cards in SLI mode or two ATI cards in Crossfire mode.
 

I'm checkin the contents of my recently purchased XPS410 custom system, to check if the system components matched what i ordered. i got two issues i need some clarification for.

1) I ordered 4 gigs of ram, and only 3 gigs is showing.  a] Did they mess up my order? b] if not, why is only 3 gigs showing and not 4?

2) this PC is gonna virtually be a GAMING computer. with the system came a 7900GS 256ram video card. i separately ordered [via ebay] an 8800GTX card and i want to utilize both cards. ive read how a huge power supply is highly recommended for a dual video card setup.  bein that dell built the computer, im not sure as to the wattage of the power supply therein n im lazy to have to take it a part to take a look. maybe one can argue that ill have to disseminate it anyway when i install the 8800gtx card, but regardless question basically is this in 2 parts: A] will the xps410 power supply be sufficient [COMFORTABLY sufficient not BARELY sufficient] for a dual video card setup [specifically a 7900GS + 8800GTX] OR b] if the xps410 power supply ISNT sufficient, it recommends an 800watt+ power supply: then what. how would i go about supplyin that in place of the power supply already in the system?

-help will be GREATLY appreciated

-roman
 

I have (recvd 2/13/07) a Dell 410 XPS with 4GB of RAM with Vista Home Premium 32 bit.  System info only shows 3GB of physical mem.  It's my understanding that Vista should able to recognize the entire 4GB.  Can someone explain what's the problem?

Thanks

Lesta

vista rtm will not run 4 gigs of ram on my machine it loops back to restart

anyone else have this problem?

In January I bought an Inspiron 1705 with 1G memory and integrated graphics for my daughter for school (Media Center XP). I installed Explorer 7 and Media Player 11 for her.

She has the Upgrade coupon, but I understand your initial comment to mean she should stick with XP. Vista will use too much memory.

On the other hand, Dell is now selling the identical model with Vista installed.

Do you have a simple answer? It seems she will just be converting a high end XP into a low end Vista product, with very little benefit.

I have a Dell XPS 410 with 4 GIG of RAM.  Windows XP only showed 3 GIG of RAM but I just installed Vista and it only shows 3 GIG as well.  Why?  I thought Vista recognized 4 GIG

G, other memory parts were probably pushed into virtual memory at that point. Without knowing Virtual Memory usage as well it'd be hard to judge whether or not its actually using more at different memory configurations or not.

Lionel,  since Vista changes the way audio is processed, the EAX feature of our X-Fi soundcards will not natively work with games designed for XP.  Creative is developing a wrapper called Alchemy which will allow XP games to access EAX when running Vista.  Check out this link and the following page from an Extremetech.com article http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2064241,00.asp

Can Dell work with Creative and make sure this patch will work with our Dell branded X-Fi cards? 

As you know, Creative's drivers won't install on our system because the Dell OEM card uses a different PCI identifier.  I'm concerned that this will prevent the Alchemy patch from installing too.

Memory utilization:

77% of 1GB = 770MB used (230MB free)

      770MB (from above) - 256MB (video) = 514MB used by Vista

56% of 1GB = 560MB used by Vista (440MB free)

35% of 2GB = 700MB used by Vista (1.3GB free)

Vista seems to use more memory when there is more memory available, especially with 2 GB.  Is this because the memeory usage algorithm change with the amount of memory avaialble or because Internet Explorer 7?  When there is only 1GB of RAM the open browser is not "7" (or it is not indicated). 

Does Internet Explorer 7 need 140MB or RAM to run?

Vista - Well yes, If I don't USE the PC I can see your table helps. My PC is a donkey and I keep it loaded up for the journey.

There are items ALWAYS open: My RSS Reader (Newzcrawler), one Office App (Excel, Word, Access), and IE7 (Outlook open). Thats how it is with several screens. So what I need is a table reflecting the loaded donkey to assist buying a new PC with Vista early 2007.

I also want to search, sort out backups and  "watch" several sites.

I do all this NOW. What you are suggesting is that as far as memory considerations pertain then the top end Dimensions need to be maximum specs. Is that true? If so why do you offer inadequate lower specs as standard eg integrated graphics card when it obviously is inadequate.

Can we please have a proper loaded donkey table to help select a system. 

HELP Brian