Vista - Upgraded from 2GB to 4GB but Vista doesn't see

I've upgraded my ram from 2GB to 4GB...the bios reports 4096 but Vista reports 2048...the exact same value before the upgrade. I'm aware of why Vista doesn't report all of the add'l memory but in my case I see no change at all...does any one have any ideas? Thanks!

Hi,

Where are you reading it in Vista? If from the Performance Information tool,
you may need to refresh it. Run msinfo32 from the start/search line and
check the Total Physical Memory line under System Summary. Unless you are
running x64, it will report about 3.2GB available (this is a limitation of
32-bit addressing).

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

"tony2tones" <tony2tones.359wi0@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:tony2tones.359wi0@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net...

MSINFO32 reports 2048MB of total physical memory. SiSoftware Sandra reports under hardware that there are 4 1GB memory sticks installed. But on under software reports only 2 GB of total physical memory. The machine knows of the physical existence of the add'l memory but Vista doesn't. Appreciate the help...thanks!

Does the BIOS show all 4GB? If the memory is of different speeds is the
BIOS set run all of it at the lower speed?
"tony2tones" <tony2tones.35aqcz@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:tony2tones.35aqcz@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net...

"tony2tones" <tony2tones.359wi0@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:tony2tones.359wi0@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net...Make sure the memory remap or similar feature is not enabled in
your BIOS. This is for use with 64 bit OSs only, and the results
with a 32 bit OS are unpredictable. Showning only 2 GB of 4 GB
installed was the result I got with WinXP when the remap was
enabled for 64 bit Vista.

i had similar issue before -
vista 32-bit can only recognize 3 GB even if you installed higher than 3 BG
RAM size total. vista 64-bit can have it all sizes of RAM - i had so far
tested
8GB on a desktop workstation tunning vista 64 and no problem

"Ian D" wrote:

Hi,

Is the new memory of the same make and speed? If not, try swapping them
around (switch slots with the old memory).

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
Windows help - www.rickrogers.org
My thoughts http://rick-mvp.blogspot.com

"tony2tones" <tony2tones.35aqcz@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:tony2tones.35aqcz@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net...

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:56:01 -0800, ICQM Houston
<ICQMHouston@xxxxxx> wrote:

No, that's not exactly correct.

All 32-bit versions of Windows (not just XP) have a 4GB address space.
That's the theoretical upper limit beyond which you can not go.

You can't use the entire 4GB of address space. Even though you have a
4GB address space, you can only use *around* 3.1GB of RAM. That's
because some of that space is used by hardware and not available to
the operating system and applications. The amount you can use varies,
depending on what hardware you have installed, but is usually around
3.1GB.

Note that the hardware is using the address *space*, not the actual
RAM itself. The rest of the RAM goes unused because there is no
address space to map it too.



And that's not even close to correct. The amount varies with the
version of 64-bit Vista. It's 8GB with Home Basic, 16GB in Home
Premium, and 128GB in the other versions.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

"ICQM Houston" <ICQMHouston@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:236EAF11-98ED-4116-88FC-FDAF0382EB9E@xxxxxxICQMHouston,

Once you install Vista SP1 you will be able to see all 4GB of RAM.
However, as before, you will not have access to all of it.

C.B.


--
It is the responsibility and duty of everyone to help the underprivileged
and less fortunate among us.

Hi, Ken:

I've enjoyed reading your posts.

I have a laptop with three gigs of SDRAM housed in two slots: Slot 1, 2
gigs; Slot 2, 1 gig. I've ordered a two-gig strip to put in the Slot 2,
which now has the 1gig installed. If I'm understanding you correctly,
you're indicating that it won't "help" the system and applications much
beyond my 3 gigs? If that's the case, I wasted my money purchasing the 2
gig for the second slot? (Live & Learn) If so, no big deal, except it
proves once again my ignorance on the subject, and that I should have done
more research.

As an aside, when I check this machine's performance - I'm running Vista
Ultimate - it shows approximately 1.1 gig used, 1.9 gig not used. I was
hoping to make that 2.1 unused.

Thanks, again, for any thoughts on this.

Ernie



"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ggi3s39sjthnmv3i4p8i3nmlnli79nvslh@xxxxxx