Rants of a First Time Windows 7 User

For gaming purposes, I've decided to put another 2GB of RAM for my system. I thought I had to, as I've seen apps eat most of my RAM when playing, making my system unstable, and at the same time makes my games a lot longer to load. So, I strapped in my extra 2GB card - my system now has 4GB, WOOHOO!

...or so I thought.

Upon looking at My Computer -> Properties, I noticed that only about 3.25GB of RAM was being "seen" by my system. WTF?

So I did a bit of research, and found out that my current OS, having a 32-bit architecture, can only support up to 4GB of RAM. Makes sense? Umm, it IS 4GB, so why does it only show up as 3.25GB? After a little bit more reading, I learned that a 32-bit OS DOES support up to 4GB of RAM, which already includes your GPU's V-RAM. I have a 1GB Inno3D 9500GT GPU, so that figures. I also learned that for my system to be able to make full use of all my RAM (and depending on MB, support up to 12GB or more), I have to switch to a 64-bit OS.

There would be issues of compatibility, so you have to know if your processor can run on a 64-bit OS. Fortunately, folks from the AMD Forums said AMD has been making 64-bit compatible processors since 2003 (Intel, so I've read, started in 2005). So if your processor is made after that time, it's most likely compatible with a 64-bit OS.

But to make sure, you can download CPU-Z and let it have a look at your PC's specs. After running the program, go take a look in the "Instructions" line on the CPU tab, it's the first tab so you can see it right away. For Intel, if it says "EM64T", then it's 64-bit compatible.

As for AMD, it says "x86-64" for my processor in CPU-Z. That means it can run on both 32- and 64-bit OS's. Guys at the AMD Forums said as long as your processor has a 64 on its model, it can run on a 64-bit OS (so it means even my older processor can run on a 64-bit OS, it's an Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core). Well, of course since my processor now (a Phenom II X4) came at a later date, it's most likely to support a 64-bit OS. It's a good thing I chose to build an AMD PC. :D

With that out of the way, it's time for an OS upgrade. A 64-bit Windows XP Professional SP2 (no, there's no 64-bit version for SP3), or a 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate? Vista? Well THAT'S out of the question. Lol. My first inclination was to go for XP, as I've read in game reviews, that games running on Windows 7 have a higher system requirement than XP. And the difficulty in having to find a "genuine" copy of Windows 7 (I don't have THAT much cash to burn), whereas I already have a working copy of WinXP x64 Edition. But in the end, I chose to go with Windows 7 for this reason: there is no longer DirectX support for WinXP beyond 9. Meaning, if I want to play "future" games that require DirectX 10 and above, you have to go for an OS that still has its support.

Fortunately, I was able to acquire a copy of Win7, and was able to switch OS without any other problems. It's shameful to say it's my first time exploring the Win7 GUI, I've been a die-hard XP user since it was released, but with support for SP3 now only up until April 2014, it's time to move on...

The first thing I noticed was Windows 7 almost TRIPLED my V-RAM. Well, I don't know, I'm amazed of it too. Could be software only, as CPU-Z still detects my V-RAM as 1GB.

Playing games, and switching between applications have been smoother. I won't go much into detail, as I'm not that much of a tech geek to know deep details of the differences between XP and Win7's GUI. Took a little while before I finally got used to it.

So I took a while to re-install what I had with my previous PC, that included games, software I use for work, and my whole load of TCP and browser optimizers to make my previous internet provider, Globe, that "Worthless Piece of Crap", to run even just a bit faster. (Later on I've tried their postpaid plan, and for the first time, I've experienced a 220-250KB/s torrent download speed. Unfortunately, their uber-good connection only happens at around 12-7am. So, sorry Globe, I won't pay P999 a month for an internet connection that only works during a certain part of the day, and I'm not about to change my work schedule just for that).

Moving on, after a bunch of installation procedures, up comes another problem. The "This copy of Windows 7 is not genuine" watermark. Oh boy...

I don't know which program caused it, most probably the TCP optimizers as it changes something in the registry. After finishing all my installations, I've restarted the PC and this is what I get. I can no longer get updates from MS... Great... So I've searched for the net to find a workaround for this, I'd REALLY hate to reinstall the OS again, and take a guessing game of which program caused the watermark. BTW, my Win7 installation disc is an OEM, meaning it doesn't ask for product codes.

I've tried many I've seen on the net, but so far "Remove Watermark" is the only one that worked for me. If you have a similar problem, you can get it here, I've uploaded it on 4shared. Just be sure to back everything up though, for it WILL edit the system file user32.dll.mui. But it worked for me without a hitch.

So, everything's up and running, and finally I can get some game time. I just got a copy of Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening. Can't wait. Later.