Computer Hope

Hardware => Hardware => Topic started by: moonbeamdanser on December 25, 2009, 11:18:24 PM

Title: comp not recognizing all ram
Post by: moonbeamdanser on December 25, 2009, 11:18:24 PM: I'm having a problem with my machine not recognizing all my ram.

Presently I am running 2, 2gb sticks of Kingston PC5300, for a total of 4gb. My BIOS recognized 2 sticks with a total of 4gb available memory. Windows and CPUZ recognizes only 2.75gb of usable memory.

My motherboard is capable of running up to 16gb of DDR2, so I know it's not that.

I WAS running Windows XP, so I had expected there to be some misinformation regarding my RAM; however I'm now running Windows 7 with the same result.

I had the same thing happen on my old motherboard, so I know it's not the board.

And I've used other sticks of ram and it's the same thing.

What am I missing here?
Title: Re: comp not recognizing all ram
Post by: BC_Programmer on December 25, 2009, 11:28:34 PM: Windows 7 x86?
Title: Re: comp not recognizing all ram
Post by: moonbeamdanser on December 25, 2009, 11:52:04 PM: Just... standard windows 7, 32bit?
Title: Re: comp not recognizing all ram
Post by: BC_Programmer on December 26, 2009, 01:13:06 AM: Quote from: moonbeamdanser on December 25, 2009, 11:52:04 PM
Just... standard windows 7, 32bit?
yeah, x86. that's why. you need a 64-bit version or you won't be able to recognize more then around 3-4GB of RAM.
Title: Re: comp not recognizing all ram
Post by: moonbeamdanser on December 26, 2009, 09:50:27 AM: I thought that that wasn't necessary when you upgraded from XP? Apparently I have lost my mind then.
Title: Re: comp not recognizing all ram
Post by: BC_Programmer on December 26, 2009, 09:58:23 AM: Quote from: moonbeamdanser on December 26, 2009, 09:50:27 AM
I thought that that wasn't necessary when you upgraded from XP? Apparently I have lost my mind then.

No, it's a inherent limitation of most 32-bit operating systems.
Title: Re: comp not recognizing all ram
Post by: Computer_Commando on December 26, 2009, 12:20:15 PM: Licensed Memory in Windows Vista (http://www.geoffchappell.com/viewer.htm?doc=notes/windows/license/memory.htm)