5.3. Managing Hardware in Windows 7

Hardware management is an important element of any operating system, including Windows 7. The two most important hardware components are memory and disks, but you'll occasionally have to consider BIOS and use the Device Manager to troubleshoot other hardware components.

5.3.1. Managing Memory

The processor can't access any data until it is placed in memory, and the amount of memory you have will directly impact the speed of your system. Generally, the more memory you have, the better your system will perform.

However, the architecture will limit the amount of memory available to your system. Figure 5.22 shows a screenshot of a 32-bit edition of Windows 7 installed on a 64-bit system that has 8 GB of random ...

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