By definition, a 32-bit processor uses 32 bits to refer to the location of each byte of memory. 2^32 = 4.2 billion, which means a memory address that's 32 bits long can only refer to 4.2 billion unique locations (i.e. 4 GB).
In the 32-bit Windows world, each application has its own āvirtualā 4GB memory space. (This means that each application functions as if it has a flat 4GB of memory, and the system's memory manager keeps track of memory mapping, which applications are using which memory, page file management, and so on.)
This 4GB space is evenly divided into two parts, with 2GB dedicated for kernel usage, and 2GB left for application usage. Each application gets its own 2GB, but all applications have to share the same 2GB kernel space.
There were memeory space extention technologies (/3GB boot flag and Address Window Extensions {AWE}), but none of the Adobe software is setup to take advantage of these.
So, bottom line is that PSE, so long as it's a 32-bit app, will not ever have more than 2GB of memory space in which to work. This is true whether you're running on a 32-bit OS, or on a 64-bit OS in 32-bit emulation (which works fine - see my post above).
Note though that a 64-bit OS can provide the full 2GB of space to many 32-bit apps, so long as the system has enough memory. My 8GB, Windows 7 system can run PSE (both the organizer and the editor) and Premier all maxed out at 2G each, simultaneously. 32-bit Windows would have had to swap to disk furiously to do this, so the performance is night and day different.
A truely 64-bit version of the editor would be a great add to the PSE product line! Workign with some of the merge and group shot functions on high resolution images definately pushes the envelope on the memory front.
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