Sold a new PC with 6GB RAM... and 32-bit OS

esuhl

-TangleFoot- wrote: »

How 'bout Ubuntu Studio?

Hmmm.... that looks really promising - thanks. I'll tell my friend to have a look.

macman wrote: »

If it's not fit for purpose because 6GB cannot be used, then surely every new car sold in the UK is also not fit for purpose, as the advertised top speed is more than 70mph, yet they can't be legally driven over that speed?

Yeah; I know I was clutching at straws with the "fit for purpose" thing... but every driver in the UK would be expected to know that there is a 70mph limit in any car. Also, the top speed of cars doesn't (as far as I know) appear in adverts and showroom signs like the RAM in a PC. Half of me thinks the software and hardware should be thought of separately and the PC conforms to spec. The other half thinks it's a bit of a sneaky con against the unsuspecting consumer.

Anyway, I'll see if my friend is up for giving Ubuntu (or some other distro) a go... unless I can find a 64-bit Vista DVD...

esuhl

Hotspur wrote: »

Key to this is how the PC was advertised and described both in writing and by the sales staff prior to sale. Was any mention made of the 6GB of RAM? If it was mentioned then it is implied that it can be used.

Thanks - that was exactly my line of thinking (well, the optimistic half of me!). My mate wouldn't have bought a PC without comparing prices and checking the basic specs, so I'm sure the 6GB would have been mentioned or displayed somewhere.

I'll pass on the number for Consumer Direct too - that's got to be worth a call!

esuhl

HairY wrote: »

Additionally there is nothing wrong with a 32bit OS on a machine with more than 4GiB of physical memory. The OS will still be able to use it all, but no single program/application will (Because the 32bit virtual address space means you can't map more than 4GiB at anyone time).

Ohhhhh.... really? That is interesting - thanks for letting me know! I thought that the extra 2GB (or so) wouldn't be used at all.

ronald208

because 6GB cannot be used

I have Vista Ultimate and I got both 32 bit and 64 bit DVDs and I experimented with both. And the key works with either. And I have 6GB memory and it shows in both versions but only if the 32bit version has SP1 installed.

I use the 32bit version as there are no drivers for the 64bit version for my printer and scanner and to be honest for what I use my computer for I never noticed any difference between the 32 or 64 bit OS.

Ron

Jakg

32-bit Vista SP1 says you have 6GB of RAM, whereas SP0 will say anywhere from 2.75-3.5GB of RAM.

Both will actually be able to use the same amount of RAM however...

Vini123

Jakg wrote: »

Both will actually be able to use the same amount of RAM however...

...Which isn't 6gb.

JasX

One side point that might be worth checking is are you CERTAIN the machine has OEM windoes installed? might be worth a quick check the license key sticker has OEM written on it somewhere - or look for 'oem' in the product ID under 'control panel > system'

long shot, but you might get lucky and actually have the retail version

[Deleted User]

Money_Grabber13579 wrote: »

Yeah that's where I would have needed to have gone to get the XP version, but I'm pretty sure Vista was on there at a time to assist those who bought either the wrong version of Vista or wanted to upgrade from 32bit to 64bit, without having to buy another key.

Well, that's one of the benefits of TechnetPlus/MSDN, but it's not available to Joe Bloggs to download, that's what the Alternative Media scheme (as previously posted) is for. You don't have to buy another edition, but you are required to pay a nominal charge for shipping and enter the your product key in order to be eligible..

DatabaseError

I never noticed OEM versions on Technet, though

...though I may have missed them..

sco0ter

The one thing here is that even though it was advertised with 6GB of ram it is NOT missleading. The 6GB of ram mearly make the PC more future proof if they decide to upgrade. Unless they specifically advertised it as 6GB of ram for faster gaming/applications or something like that to imply the 6GB would be benificial over 4 gb then there is nothing wrong.

A bit like buying a pc with a TV card installed then moning that you need to connect an aerial to it in order for it to work.

The other point is did it have the OS advertised as well??. Did it say it came with a 32 bit OS??. If so then they hid nothing and did not try and misslead.

The only real solution you could try is to get hold of the Manufacturer. I had my faulty Medion replaced with an upgraded newer one (because I had fought with them for over 5 months) with one that had a 512MB graphics card(which also counts towards the total amount of memory windows can see so therefore my PC would actually only see around 3.5GB of my 6GB ram) and 6GB of ram. I phoned Medion and told them I wanted to upgrade to VISTA 64bit and they sent me an OEM 64 bit for £7. This was the welcome pack thing you get with thier new PC's. The wallet with the 64bit OS and a recovery cd (which is no use as it reads the recovery from the second driver on the PC)