How to install Vista 64 Ultimate with 4Gb RAM?

[terentenet]

Well, the title sais it all, my sistem specs are in the signature. The problem with Vista 64 Ultimate and 4Gb RAM is well known. It will BSOD each time after first restart (when installing) if the system is equipped with more than 2 or 3Gb RAM.
A known solution is to remove 2Gb, install with only 2Gb, apply a patch and then add the other 2Gb and it should work. The problem is my RAM is watercooled and removing 2Gb would mean to drain all water from the system, not to mention it will take 1 day.
Is there any other way? Did any of you manage to install Vista64 on 4Gb RAM?

 

[Pabster]

I've never had the problem, there is a hotfix for it though.

 

[Mem]

Is there any other way? Did any of you manage to install Vista64 on 4Gb RAM?

I had no problem installing with 4GB of ram with my Vista x64(Home Premium version),did you enable memory remapping in Bios?


I have read that some owners of X-FI cards did have problems with 4GB ram with Vista.

 

[jkresh]

I didn't install with 4gigs, I had two and added another 4 later but it worked fine and I didn't have any specific patch to use. As long as you left a little slack on the tubing you could remove the ram from your board and keep it connected to your watter cooling setup (maybe use some tape ot hold it in place so it doesn't bounce into anything.

Also I have to ask why are you watercooling your RAM? Unless its on a separate loop then it is hurting the flow for your quad core (and gpus if they are watercooled) and it doesn't help that much in terms of clockspeed so...

 

[cmdrdredd]

you could lay your case down and remove 2GB and leave them rest on the slots (not seated).

Or try removing your XFI card (as the poster above me mentioned to be an issue sometimes) and installing that last, after windows updates.

I wouldn't know about the 4GB install problem because I started with 2GB and added another 2GB later.

 

[Rilex]

I have many machines that were installed Vista x64 w/ 4GB RAM.

 

[terentenet]

Here's how it looks: Pic
The RAM cooler can be seen there. All 4 sticks are attached to the cooler. Removing the cooler is difficult.
Removing the X-Fi is also difficult, it's under the video cards tubing.

Watercooling the RAM doesn't affect anything. I run 2 loops.
1 loop for the video cards only, 2nd loop for the motherboard (SB, NB, Mosfets) and RAM.
CPU is cooled with a Vapochill LS unit.

Pabster, I know about the hotfix (update). I've tried slipstreaming the update. Slipstreaming worked ok using FireGeier's method, but I still get the BSOD. It was update KB 929777.
Is there any other hotfix that addresses this issue? I know I've seen another update somewhere about +3Gb issues. It wasn't 929777, but I can't find it no longer. Any of you have that update?
I want to try slipstreaming that as well and give it another shot.
If that doesnt do it, I will have to take my computer apart and remove the 2Gb.
EVGA (680i chipset) doesn't have Memory Remapping or Memory Hole option in BIOS.
Anyway, Microshaft has done it again. Vista 32 and 4Gb, no problem, but you don't get 4Gb available.
Vista 64 which should support 4Gb out of the box doesn't want to install on 4Gb. Who else could have done this if not MS? And it's not an Nvidia issue as there are many Intel MB users that have the same problem.

 

[Synomenon]

Interesting. I have 4x 1GB sticks of DDR2 667 in my PC. I've installed a full version of Vista Ultimate x64 on my PC at least four times now (each time on a freshly wiped hard drive) and I've never seen it BSOD.

 

[terentenet]

Originally posted by: IsLNdbOi
Interesting. I have 4x 1GB sticks of DDR2 667 in my PC. I've installed a full version of Vista Ultimate x64 on my PC at least four times now (each time on a freshly wiped hard drive) and I've never seen it BSOD.

What are your system specs? I'm trying to isolate the problem. Perhaps it's not the motherboard&RAM. Perhaps, as Mem mentioned, it could be the X-Fi.
Any users with 4Gb, X-Fi and SLI managed to install Vista x64?

 

[SunnyD]

Full install of Vista Ultimate x64 on an X2 3800+ on an Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe - NVIDIA 570SLI chipset. I have 4 happy gig of RAM from day one.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I did a clean install of ultimate 64 yesterday and didn't have a problem. As a matter of fact it installed faster than the 32 bit version did.

 

[yuppiejr]

Same here, installed Vista Ultimate 64-bit with 4 gigs of RAM, no problems whatsoever...

 

[Chadder007]

See if maybe there is a BIOS update for your motherboard.

Also try to run a memory test on your RAM.

 

[imported_karen]

I installed vista ultimate x64 on my computer with 4gb of ram twice and I never had any problems And I didnt have to do anything special either. Don't worry about it!

 

[mechBgon]

Gaaah, I'm getting 4GB envy just from reading this thread Must... upgrade!

 

[Chucko]

I installed V64 Ultimate on a Bad Axe 2 w/ 4 sticks of 1024 MB Crucial ballistix pc8000. No problems whatsoever.

Have you ever thought that maybe you have a bad stick of ram?

 

[cmdrdredd]

Strange enough when I try to startup from the vista DVD I get nothing. It seems to try loading the OS (I can see the scroll bar) and it moves continuously forever. WHen I start with 2GB of memory it fires right up, after install I can pop in all 4GB and viola...

No idea what is the issue (xfi card out or in is no difference).

 

[stevty2889]

I installed Vista Home Premium 64bit yesterday with 4gig of ram, and no issues, tempted to throw another 2 gig in there since I have it laying around.

 

[terentenet]

I finally managed to install Vista Ultimate X64!
I did have to remove 2Gb, install Vista with only 2Gb, update it, install update KB 929777 (doesn't update automatically), reboot, made sure the update is installed and added the other 2Gb. Running smooth as we speak.

I was just curious why wouldn't MS include KB929777 in the Automatic updates? It seems to me and many others using 680i boards that they should.
x64 is the Vista you want if you have more than 2Gb RAM, yet, it fail to install on more than 2Gb for certain configurations.

 

[n7]

WTF is this 4 GB + Vista install issue you're referring to?

I installed Vista Ultimate (64-bit) just fine w/ 4 GB installed.

 

[terentenet]

On certain configurations, Vista will not install/boot with more than 2Gb. Microsoft issued an update to address this. In case anyone has this issue and the error code on the BSOD is 0x0000007E or 0x0000007B, KB929777 MAY fix it.
Booting in Safe Mode reveals that the hard lock occurs after loading crcdisk.sys file.
To get around this, one needs to remove RAM down to just 2Gb, install Vista with that, update it, manually install the KB929777 update, reboot, add more RAM and it should boot fine.
Google 0x0000007E and you'll find more with this issue.

 

[imported_GrAsSo]

I'm certain with Vista will only install properly with up to 2gigs of ram and you can add additional modules after your install sp1 or the hotfix, however, the people that are having no problems installing a clean version of vista with 4gigs of ram are the ones with sp1 or the hotfix already on their vista dvd

 

[nerp]

It's a specific issue for osme mobos/chipsets I thin specifically NVIDIA ones with SLI or something. I forget exactly what but it's likely the OP is in that situation.

Another solution is to find a SP1 disc and use that to install, not the original.

 

[XBoxLPU]

Originally posted by: GrAsSo
I'm certain with Vista will only install properly with up to 2gigs of ram and you can add additional modules after your install sp1 or the hotfix, however, the people that are having no problems installing a clean version of vista with 4gigs of ram are the ones with sp1 or the hotfix already on their vista dvd

I had no problems back last December installing Vista x64 with 4gigs of memory in place. No hotfix or SP1

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929777

The only time you are going to hit this snag with Vista sans SP1 is:

This problem occurs if the following conditions are true:
? The computer uses more than 3 GB of RAM.
? The computer uses a storage system that is running the Storport miniport driver.
? The computer uses a controller that uses 32-bit direct memory access (DMA).

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Mem
<blockquote>quote:
Is there any other way? Did any of you manage to install Vista64 on 4Gb RAM? </blockquote>

I had no problem installing with 4GB of ram with my Vista x64(Home Premium version),did you enable memory remapping in Bios?


I have read that some owners of X-FI cards did have problems with 4GB ram with Vista.

There was a BIOS update for my MB that I used before installing Vista. I had an X-fi mounted when I installed. It didn't make a peep.