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Mary wants her 32-bit installation of Windows 7 Professional to run faster. She has 4 GB of memory installed on the motherboard. She decides more memory will help. She installs an additional 2 GB of memory for a total of 6 GB, but does not see any performance improvement. What is the problem and what should you tell Mary?

a) She should use Control Panel to install the memory in Windows 7. After it is installed, performance should improve. Tell Mary how to open Control Panel.
b) A 32-bit OS cannot use more than 4 GB of memory. Tell Mary she has wasted her money.
c) A 32-bit OS cannot use more than 4 GB of memory. Tell Mary to upgrade her system to the 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional.
d) A 32-bit OS cannot use more than 4 GB of memory. Explain the problem to Mary and discuss the possible solutions with her

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Mary's performance issue lies in the limitations of a 32-bit operating system, which cannot use more than 4 GB of memory. Her best option is to upgrade to a 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional to utilize all 6 GB of RAM, which should enhance her system's performance significantly.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mary is experiencing a common issue with the limitation of 32-bit operating systems. The main problem here is that a 32-bit OS cannot address more than 4 GB of memory, including any memory mapped to other hardware. Therefore, even though Mary has installed 6 GB of RAM on her motherboard, her Windows 7 Professional 32-bit installation cannot utilize more than 4 GB of it. This is a hardware and software limitation, not an installation error that can be fixed through the Control Panel.

The best solution for Mary, in this case, is to upgrade her system to a 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional. The 64-bit version can address much more memory, easily accommodating her current 6 GB and allowing for future upgrades should she choose to add even more RAM. This will likely improve her system’s performance, assuming her processor is compatible with a 64-bit operating system and her motherboard supports the additional memory. Before upgrading, she should also confirm that her applications and hardware are compatible with a 64-bit environment.

If upgrading the OS is not feasible, other solutions to improve performance could include optimizing her current operating system, removing unnecessary programs, disabling startup programs, and potentially upgrading other hardware components like the hard drive to an SSD.

User Grayson Mitchell
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