In order to restrict the memory that Windows can use, starting from Vista you can use the command bcdedit (run from a Command Prompt with Administrator privileges):
* To remove 1GB (1024 MB) of physical memory from what can be used by Windows:
bcdedit /set removememory 1024
* To view the curent settings:
bcdedit /enum
* To remove the settings:
bcdedit /deletevalue removememory
ALTERNATIVELY, BUT NOT RECOMMENDED:
* To set the physical address limit at 1GB:
bcdedit /set truncatememory 1073741824
OR (in hexadecimal)
bcdedit /set truncatememory 0x40000000
* To remove the settings:
bcdedit /deletevalue truncatememory