WinXP harddrive and memory capacity

[Docster]

I am building a new computer with a board that has the capacity to use 8
gigs of memory. I would like to know how much memory WinXP will accept and
utilize.
Also I would like to know if there is a limitation on harddrive size in
terms of gigabytes. For instance will it handle a terabyte or should I stay
with 400 or 500 gigs.

 

[glee]

I am building a new computer with a board that has the capacity to use
8
gigs of memory. I would like to know how much memory WinXP will accept
and
utilize.
Also I would like to know if there is a limitation on harddrive size
in
terms of gigabytes. For instance will it handle a terabyte or should
I stay
with 400 or 500 gigs.

32-bit or 64-bit WinXP?
Service packs installed?
What processor is installed on the motherboard?
Does your BIOS have any drive size limitations?

Memory Limits for Windows Releases (Windows)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778(VS.85).aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_xp

Physical Address Extension (Windows)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366796(v=VS.85).aspx

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Docster:

I am building a new computer with a board that has the capacity to use 8
gigs of memory. I would like to know how much memory WinXP will accept and
utilize.

I'm no expert and have made the mistake of putting 4 gigs into a
couple of XP boxes (slow learner that I am...).

My take is that 2 gigs is plenty. I think XP can use up to 3,
but I've never seen one of my PCs using over two.

Also I would like to know if there is a limitation on harddrive size in
terms of gigabytes. For instance will it handle a terabyte or should I stay
with 400 or 500 gigs.

1 and 2-terabyte drives have worked for me so far.

I think that 3-tb drives need something special in the way of
controllers.

 

[Docster]

32 bit winXP
SP3
Intel Processor Socket LGA775 3 gig BX80569Q9650 Intel® CoreT2 Quad
Processor

I am building a new computer with a board that has the capacity to use
8
gigs of memory. I would like to know how much memory WinXP will accept
and
utilize.
Also I would like to know if there is a limitation on harddrive size
in
terms of gigabytes. For instance will it handle a terabyte or should
I stay
with 400 or 500 gigs.

32-bit or 64-bit WinXP?
Service packs installed?
What processor is installed on the motherboard?
Does your BIOS have any drive size limitations?

Memory Limits for Windows Releases (Windows)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778(VS.85).aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_xp

Physical Address Extension (Windows)
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366796(v=VS.85).aspx

 

[JCO]

My understanding is that XP will max out at 4 gigs, however....
My understanding is that XP will report 3.5 gigs max even though, it will
still make use of the entire 4 gigs.

 

[Tim Slattery]

32 bit winXP
SP3
Intel Processor Socket LGA775 3 gig BX80569Q9650 Intel® CoreT2 Quad
Processor

32-bit XP won't see more than 4GB, no matter how much you put in. And
it won't see that much because some of its 4GB address space has to be
used to access video RAM, BIOS, etc. See
http://members.cox.net/slatteryt/RAM.html

If you use 64-bit XP - or 64-bit Vista or 64-bit Win7 - you can use
all of your RAM.

There's no limitation on hard drive size.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Tim Slattery:

There's no limitation on hard drive size.

Even 3 tb? I thought there was something with the controllers
that wouldn't handle over 2... something about "UEFI"?

 

[John John - MVP]

Per Tim Slattery:

Even 3 tb? I thought there was something with the controllers
that wouldn't handle over 2... something about "UEFI"?

There is an limit of 2TB on MBR Basic Disks, this is a partition table
limit. The MBR partition table can address 4,294,967,295 sectors so
effectively with disks being arranged in 512 byte sectors MBR disks are
limited to a maximum size of 2TB. To overcome this limit you must use
GPT disks which Windows XP 32-bit can't use, so effectively you are
limited to 2TB disks on Windows XP 32-bits.

John

 

[James Silverton]

John wrote on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:04:32 -0300:

There is an limit of 2TB on MBR Basic Disks, this is a
partition table limit. The MBR partition table can address
4,294,967,295 sectors so effectively with disks being arranged
in 512 byte sectors MBR disks are limited to a maximum size of
2TB. To overcome this limit you must use GPT disks which
Windows XP 32-bit can't use, so effectively you are limited to
2TB disks on Windows XP 32-bits.

There's nothing stopping you from having several 2TB discs is there?

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

 

[John John - MVP]

John wrote on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:04:32 -0300:



There's nothing stopping you from having several 2TB discs is there?

No, not at all, and if you want to use dynamic disks or RAID array you
can span them to form volumes larger than 2TB.

John

 

[Paul]

I am building a new computer with a board that has the capacity to use 8
gigs of memory. I would like to know how much memory WinXP will accept and
utilize.
Also I would like to know if there is a limitation on harddrive size in
terms of gigabytes. For instance will it handle a terabyte or should I stay
with 400 or 500 gigs.

Possible limitations are

1) OS - WinXP SP3 x32 limits address space to 4GB on purpose.
Proper usage of PAE, would have made larger address spaces possible.
2) Chipset - anything recent is fine.
3) Effects of the video card. Address space used to address
memory chips on the video card, subtracts from space available
for addressing system memory.

Some examples on a WinXP x32 system (some rough, rounded off numbers):

1) Install 4GB. Install FX5200 128MB video card (small memory).
Get to use 3.5GB of the memory that is installed.
2) Install 4GB. Install 7900GT 512MB video card.
Get to use 3.2GB of the memory that is installed.
3) Install 4GB. Install (2) 512MB video cards in SLI or Crossfire.
Get to use 2.75GB of the memory that is installed.

Using a 64 bit OS, should make most all of it available, even if you
installed 8GB. Windows 7 x64, Ubuntu 10.10 x64, would allow you to use
all 8GB if installed. (WinXP x64 isn't worth buying, so don't bother.)

The best compromise configuration is 2x2GB. That allows dual
channel operation for the memory. You'll lose a little, or
a lot of that memory, depending on your video card configuration.
But fiddling around with 2x1GB + 2x512MB configuration, is not
the best compromise. Yes, you may shave $25 off the price of
the memory, but that config lacks the best expansion options
later. Better to lose $25 worth of accessible memory, in order
that a future addition of 2x2GB will be simpler.

4GB sized sticks are occasionally available, but using just one
in single channel mode, wouldn't be the best choice.

Depending on how far back you go, there was one Intel chipset, that
made room to install 8GB, but the front side bus connection between
processor and chipset was 32 bit, which meant the user could only
access 4GB of the memory. When I say "anything recent is fine", don't
go looking for some crusty old 915 chipset motherboard to build your
rig.

*******

For hard drive, anything up to 2TB in size, is seamless in usage.
Avoid Western Digital "Advanced Format" drives with 4KB sectors,
since you're going with WinXP. I'm not sure if WD is still selling
drives with Advanced Format after their initial launch. The industry
will soon be changing to nothing but 4KB sector drives, so sooner or
later, we'll be stuck with them. (Existing drives use 512 byte
sectors.) Check a photo of the WD disk product label, and see if the
words "Advanced Format" are printed on the label in the picture. Some
users had issues with those, including sluggish performance. OSes other
than WinXP, might be fine, so they're "the future" so to speak. The
more modern the OS, the better the odds they properly support 4KB
sectors.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2888

As for the recently introduced 3TB drives, I wouldn't touch those
with a barge pole. Allow six months, for the early adopters to
report their failure rates, before buying. That may also give time
for a decent web article to come along, with tips on using them.

The Newegg.com customer reviews for hard drives, will give you
some idea how crappy the drives are. Poor shipping materials
are part of the reason for so many failures, and one of the
reasons I buy hard drives locally. By using my local supplier,
they come out of a proper bulk shipping container, rather than
flopping around in some oversized UPS box with a few Styrofoam
peanuts for company The drives may have a high G force rating,
but that still isn't a reason to allow them to flop around
in the box.

Paul

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per John John - MVP:

No, not at all, and if you want to use dynamic disks or RAID array you
can span them to form volumes larger than 2TB.

I'm running Windows Home Server on my 24-7 box and have a
mish-mash of 1, 2, and 1.5 TB drives with their space pooled
together into about 12 gigs of contiguous space.

I'm not wild about WSH, but as a pooling device for drives it
seems a lot less technically-challenging than, say RAID for
somebody at my level of incompetence.

 

[glee]

snip
The Newegg.com customer reviews for hard drives, will give you
some idea how crappy the drives are. Poor shipping materials
are part of the reason for so many failures, and one of the
reasons I buy hard drives locally. By using my local supplier,
they come out of a proper bulk shipping container, rather than
flopping around in some oversized UPS box with a few Styrofoam
peanuts for company The drives may have a high G force rating,
but that still isn't a reason to allow them to flop around
in the box.

I've bought almost all my hard drives online for the past 10 years and
have never seen one shipped "flopping around in some oversized UPS box
with a few Styrofoam peanuts for company." Every one has come packaged
so that the drive cannot move at all inside the box, and also well
cushioned. Most were bought from NewEgg and ZipZoomFly. I did get one
or two from Buy.com, and even it was packaged well. YMMV.

 

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per glee:

I've bought almost all my hard drives online for the past 10 years and
have never seen one shipped "flopping around in some oversized UPS box
with a few Styrofoam peanuts for company." Every one has come packaged
so that the drive cannot move at all inside the box, and also well
cushioned. Most were bought from NewEgg and ZipZoomFly. I did get one
or two from Buy.com, and even it was packaged well.

+1

 

[Tim Slattery]

Possible limitations are

1) OS - WinXP SP3 x32 limits address space to 4GB on purpose.
Proper usage of PAE, would have made larger address spaces possible.

True, but PAE is a kludge. Microsoft's server systems implement it but
not the client systems. Now, with 64-bit hardware and software readily
available there's no reason to mess with PAE.