X86 memory segmentation
the implementation of memory segmentation on the x86 architecture
x86 memory segmentation is a term for the kind of memory segmentation characteristic of the Intel x86 computer instruction set architecture. The x86 architecture has supported memory segmentation since the original Intel 8086 (1978), but x86 memory segmentation is a plainly descriptive retronym. The introduction of memory segmentation mechanisms in this architecture reflects the legacy of earlier 80xx processors, which initially could only address 16 KB, or later 64 KB of memory (16,384 bytes or 65,536 bytes, respectively), and whose instructions and registers were optimised for the latter. Dealing with larger addresses and more memory was thus comparably slower, as that capability was somewhat grafted-on in the Intel 8086. Memory segmentation could keep programs compatible, relocatable in memory, and by confining significant parts of a program's operation to 64 KB segments, the program could still run faster.
In 1982, the Intel 80286 added support for virtual memory and memory protection; the original mode was renamed real mode, and the new version was named protected mode. The x86-64 architecture, introduced in 2003, has largely dropped support for segmentation in 64-bit mode.
In both real and protected modes, the system uses 16-bit segment registers to derive the actual memory address. In real mode, the registers CS, DS, SS, and ES point to the currently used program code segment (CS), the current data segment (DS), the current stack segment (SS), and one extra segment determined by the system programmer (ES). The Intel 80386, introduced in 1985, adds two additional segment registers, FS and GS, with no specific uses defined by the hardware.
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Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4413527. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1978, 1982, 2003 and 1985.
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This entry incorporates text from “X86 memory segmentation” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.