windows isnt reading all my RAM

[Karbon Killa]

I have 4GB installed as shown in CPUZ and windows only sees 2GB. wtf!? Help me plz???
http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2044/screeny6354756yz3.jpg

EDIT:
If this is in the wrong section, can a mod please move it for me. Sorry. :)

[nevermind1534]

Do you have the 32-bit version of xp? If you do, that is why. 32-bit OSes only let you see 3.5GB. You might have other hardware that is stealing the rest of it. Some chipsets also have smaller limitations. Mine limits me to 3.5GB, even with a 64-bit OS.

[Crazy Buddhist]

Nevermind is nearly right - XP allows you to see 2G as do other 32 bit versions of Windoze. Read this:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/PAEmem.mspx


Operating systems based on Microsoft Windows NT technologies have always provided applications with a flat 32-bit virtual address space that describes 4 gigabytes (GB) of virtual memory. The address space is usually split so that 2 GB of address space is directly accessible to the application and the other 2 GB is only accessible to the Windows executive software.The article explains how you will be able to turn on the 3Gb memory switch allowing XtraPoop and other 32 bit editions of Windoze to see 3G of physical Ram. However this still includes the RAM on your video card and other system components. Better than nothing - though if you have 1G of video Ram you may as well sell one of your sticks on ebay ... unless you intend switching to MrVista some time soon.

CrazyB

EDIT: Having taken a close look at your screenshot I see you are running XP Home edition which does not allow the addressing of 3G. I'll dig around and see if there are workarounds but I think not.

EDIT 2: Don't use the 3G switch:

Good read with useful links from a guy who went right into this in depth: http://blog.tylerholmes.com/2008/03/and-then-win-xp-sp2-wouldn-give-me-4-gb.html

And another good article he based his research on: http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00015.htm



Overall

As things stand at the moment (June 2007), the sensible course of action for the vast majority of Windows users buying a new PC is to get a standard 32-bit WinXP system with at most 3Gb of memory. It'll come as close to Just Working as Windows ever does, and you'll be able to use as close to all of the installed RAM as makes no difference, if you don't go totally crazy with your video card choice.
(It's now the end of January, 2008, and I'm giving this article a bit of a polish. DDR2 RAM is now so cheap that if your PC takes that kind of memory, you might as well buy 4Gb. You still won't get much more actual usable RAM that way, but two 2Gb modules may actually cost you less than two 1Gb and two 512Mb modules. So what the hell.)

[xRyokenx]

I have 32-bit Vista and lowered the virtual memory from "System Controlled" to 256-512MB and I can see all 4GB of my RAM now... and I don't have it complaining about not having enough HDD space anymore, either (35GB partition).

[Karbon Killa]

But to the fact that before I installed this new motherboard (which reads all the RAM in BIOS) my Windows XP Home x32 read 3.5GB RAM. I do not understand what is going on that made this only read 2. I am going to remove 2 sticks tonight, then put them back in, maybe something just isn't reading it. It is SP3 btw.

[nevermind1534]

I'm in xp pro 32 right now, and it's seeing 3.25GB. I'm running SP3, but it still recognized that with SP2. That makes sense that it's home edition, and only lets you see 2 GB.

[Karbon Killa]

But I had home edition all along and it read 3.5GB... This is making me mad. I have taken out and re-installed the RAM, didn't work. I tried editing a couple of things in the BOOT.INI file, but that hasn't helped. Tried /3GB switch and tried removing /MAXMEM= switch. Neither have worked.

[nevermind1534]

did you try each stick individually?

[Crazy Buddhist]

Look in your BIOS for memory hole re-mapping and turn it on.

CrazyB

[Karbon Killa]

I cannot find that option in the BIOS. Where might it be located at in an EVGA nForce 680i SLI?

[Karbon Killa]

Sorry for double post, but does anyone know where I can find the Hole Remapping option in the BIOS of an EVGA 680i SLI Phoenix BIOS?

[Crazy Buddhist]

I have no idea.

However on reading up on your board it can take 8Gigs of RAM - and so there "should" be no problem getting your windows to recognise most of your memory - when you find out the right answer.

I'm still concerned that XP Home is officially listed as only supporting 2Gigs but since you insist that was not an issue before then clearly you will find the answer.

Also have to add you have got one great board - especially for overclocking.

CrazyB

[nevermind1534]

Try a live cd of ubuntu x64, and see if that will recognize all of it.

[Karbon Killa]

@Crazy B
Yea, I really have no clue, maybe its because i had all ram installed on sp1, i really don't know. And yes, this is a great board, and for $80, it was a steal! I got my Pentium D 940 running at 4.00GHz stable. I can get it up to 4.2, but then i get an error right before windows loads about some file being corrupted or something. I'm getting Windows XP Pro x64 here after a while. The 2 gigs doesn't bother me to the fact that I don't use it much, but I still like knowing I have it.

[Crazy Buddhist]

I'm getting Windows XP Pro x64 here after a while. The 2 gigs doesn't bother me to the fact that I don't use it much, but I still like knowing I have it.

Well once you have XP Pro x64 you won't have any trouble with your RAM but, unless you are running the machine as a pro/semi-pro graphics/video rendering machine or for other optimized professional high throughput apps, going with a 64 bit version of windows will cause you other problems.

XP 64 bit is not the best-optimised 64 bit operating system by far. It does not allow access to the full set of operating instructions for 64 bit chips nor maximise their efficiency - you are far better off with a 64 bit Linux or Vista x64 if you want to stick with MicroDaft.

You will likely have numerous driver issues and other glitches. If this is meant to be a gaming rig upgrading to XP Pro 32bit or Vista 32 bit would make better sense almost certainly.

If you want to be "sure" the RAM is there then nevermind's idea of booting with a Ubuntu live CD is a good one as it won't make any changes to your system but you will be able to see that your RAM Mobo etc are actually all in there recognising each other.

CrazyB

[nevermind1534]

And you can't upgrade to xp x64, or upgrade to Vista from it.

[SXRguyinMA]

I run XP home 32 in mine, have 4GB installed, shows I have 3.53 or somehtin like that

[Karbon Killa]

I tried using Vista. I couldn't install my wireless PCI card or USB adapters. Any of them. So I went back to XP x32. Anyone else have any suggestions. My computer is now freezing in sketch up. Which I know is a RAM issue. Because before, it didn't do it. :?

[Crazy Buddhist]

1. Before you installed Vista did you check your Mobo manufacturers site to see if it needs either a BIOS update to run Vista or if there are specific Vista drivers to download?

2. Maybe you fried some of your ram with all the fiddling around. So ...

3. Download Microsoft Windows Memory Checker from here (http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp) and check if your ram is all working properly.

4. Also take it all out and reseat it nice and firmly.

5. If you have two different matched pairs make sure they are paired on the same channels.

Lastly try using the diagnostics on the Windows Ultimate Boot CD (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/).

CrazyB

[Karbon Killa]

Had the vista drivers, they were fine. No BIOS update available. Back to XP now.

No RAM fried, CPU-Z sees it, and other OS' like Linux and OSX see it.

RAM is all working properly.

Been reseated multiple times.

All memsticks are exactly the same.

I can't think of anything else. I might try to re-install windows here soon. Maybe it might do something. If it doesn't I'm not going to worry about it.

[Crazy Buddhist]

Lot of people having issues with the board and ram. Have you flashed the BIOS? there were several known bugs EVGA have fixed?

http://www.overclock.net/hardware-news/133686-evga-680i-sli-board-killing-ram.html

Matthew

[Karbon Killa]

I know the mother board is fine and isn't frying anything, because its only WINDOWS that isn't reading it...

[Crazy Buddhist]

I know the mother board is fine and isn't frying anything, because its only WINDOWS that isn't reading it...

I'm not talking about the MOBO frying anything necessarily but just that it seems to be a bug ridden board looking at the Newegg reviews. Seemingly BIOS revisions have improved things so if you are not at the latest BIOS release I would strongly suggest you try it.

I would also be wary of downloading service pack 3 which seems to chew up a lot of PC's though they are now fixing it's bugs.

Strictly speaking Windows is probably seeing the RAM - it is just reserving 2Gigs for the application space and the rest for the O/S and overheads, as XP home is meant to - I believe.

2 Gigs is still listed as the limit for XP home - however as I understand it, since SP2, both the 3 gig switch and the /PAE thing do nothing at all - and given many users are seeing 3G+ I am wondering if with SP2 the 2Gig limit in home was lifted at the same time.

[Karbon Killa]

Before I reinstalled windows, it was reading 3.5GB of RAM. I know that windows can't read past 3.5-3.75 depending on the person. I also understand that if you have a 1gb video card, it will take 1 gb out of your RAM and reserve it. So I should be reading 3gb. I know that the ram is there, and i know the OS reads it, I just want to know why it will not let me see that it is there, as at least 3gb...

[eslfish]

uhmm I don't think windows can read 4 gb, I know vista can, is the ram the right ram?

[crenn]

Any 32-bit OS can address upto 4GB (this includes system functions like IRQ, RAM, video card memory, etc), you need to enable PAE or get a 64-bit OS to address everything.

[Crazy Buddhist]

PAE is not functional from SP2 on according to my research.