Java heap being set too large on Windows with 32-bit JVM

On windows, the JVM settings for max heap size and new gen heap size are set based on the total system memory. When the system has 8G of RAM, the max heap size is set to 2048M. However, according to http://goo.gl/1ElbLm, the recommended max heap for a 32 bit JVM on Windows is 1.8G.

When cassandra is started on Windows under these conditions, the following error is seen:

Error occurred during initialization of VM
Could not reserve enough space for object heap
Error: Could not create the Java Virtual Machine.
Error: A fatal exception has occurred. Program will exit.

Switching to a 64-bit JVM on the same machine solves the issue. If a 32-bit JVM is being used, cassandra should be started up with a smaller heap than would be normally used to prevent the error.