+- Discovery Gaming Community (https://discoverygc.com/forums)
+-- Forum: The Community (https://discoverygc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Real Life Discussion (https://discoverygc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=16)
+---- Forum: Software & Hardware (https://discoverygc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=17)
+---- Thread: Ram Question (/showthread.php?tid=107114)
Ram Question - Harus - 11-11-2013
I currently have 8 Gigs of DDR3 ram installed.
Using Windows 7 64x (Professional)
When I pull up the window for system properties, I get this.
Installed Memory (RAM): 8.00 GB (3.99 GB Usable)
How do I get it to use ALL 8gigs?
RE: Ram Question - Widow - 11-11-2013
Also, I don't know a lot about computers, worth a try but not my fault if something breaks. It shouldn't, but yeah.
Firstly, will your motherboard allow for 8gb? Laptops usually only allow 4gb.. Don't know what you've got but have a look into it firstly to see if it will.
Then to check memory allocations:
Click Start Start button, type resource monitor in the Search programs and files box, and open it. Click the Memory tab, and then view the Physical Memory section at the bottom of the page (Hardware reserved will tell you if you can use more or if your hardware is taking it up...... Which I don't think it will be.)
To check to see if the Maximum memory option is selected (in)correctly:
Click Start Start button, type msconfig in the Search programs and files box, and open it. In the System Configuration window, click Advanced options on the Boot tab. Click to clear the Maximum memory check box, and then click OK. Restart the computer. Update the system BIOS
And on that note. Is your BIOS outdated? That can sometimes cause it too.
RE: Ram Question - Harus - 11-11-2013
Well I did the msconfig thing, the box was already unchecked, so I checked it and put in the proper 8gig amount, then rebooted. Still no change, so I changed it back.
No idea if my BIOS is outdated. I have to remember what my Motherboard is first. xD
EDIT: Asus P7P55D-Pro is my motherboard.
EDIT2: Apparently there's been a few bios updates. Mine's an older 2010 version. Oi....
EDIT3: Went to Asus page and got the BIOS update, went to install it and said it wasn't compatible? what gives?
http://support.asus.com/download.aspx?SLanguage=en&p=1&s=32&m=P7P55D+PRO&os=25&hashedid=j02KziJq95KbCQNm
I tried the 2nd from the top, do I need to install the newest one, or do I have to install each one that is newer then the one I currently have?
RE: Ram Question - Vigilia.Procuratio - 11-11-2013
The top one seems to apply an update for RAID compatibility, install that if you're also having problems with RAID disks. If you don't use RAID, no point really. Otherwise, the second one should be sufficient.
If it's not compatible then I can only suspect that your BIOS is either not of that type, it is already updated (and fails to point this out properly) or the system is not actually 64-bit (or you downloaded the 32-bit one).
Is your copy of Windows properly licensed and activated?
RE: Ram Question - Harus - 11-11-2013
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/5641/j2yx.jpg
There's the screen showing the genuiness, and that it's 64bit.
I've also never updated the BIOS on this machine, and according to it, the last "update" it's seen was in 2010. This is roughly when I bought the motherboard.
RE: Ram Question - Vigilia.Procuratio - 11-11-2013
Okay. Weird, huh? 2010 is probably new enough to understand what 8GB of RAM looks like.
Have a look at Task Manager, under the Performance tab. There you should see Physical Memory. I guess it'll say the same, but it's worth checking.
I have to ask though, do you even use 4GB of RAM? I appreciate that it's probably annoying to look at that number when you quite clearly have twice as much, but is this just a cosmetic issue?
I have to wonder whether this is an operating system issue or maybe one of the RAM is faulty (assuming you have 2x4GB).
Hmm...have you ever heard of XMSDSK.EXE? It can be used in pure DOS mode to assign virtual memory from the physical RAM. So, if you booted up into DOS and ran this tool, you could basically assign all 8GB as a virtual drive and then continuously write a file to consume all (or say most) of that space. Bear in mind that it would be virtual, so upon reboot it'd be gone. If the file is written successfully then you've got 8GB physically available, otherwise I don't know what'd happen...system would probably hang or reboot.
RE: Ram Question - Tankman - 11-11-2013
I'm wondering if you just have a very bad memory leak...
Windows takes 0.2 GB of RAM for me.
EDIT: The point being that it would seem that with 4GB of RAM you would be at 3.8 GB left, not 3.99.
RE: Ram Question - Anaximander - 11-11-2013
How many sticks are the ram on? Have you tested if one or more of the sticks are faulty, either through test utilities or by exclusion (simply try booting up the PC with one stick at a time to see if they all work properly)?
Is all the ram the same type, bus frequency and so on?
RE: Ram Question - Govedo13 - 11-11-2013
Windows have nothing to do with it as long as it is 64 bit.
There are 5 Options:
1 You have bugged BIOS version- update to fix. Asus BIOS have build-in RAM check tools- use them.
2 Your RAM is not comparable with the Mobo-check the comparability list of the manufacturer page,
3/4/5 You got broken RAM Piece/RAM slot/haven't pressed the ram properly so it is no on- open the case and try to start the PC with the two ram pieces separately on different slots. Use the beep codes to indicate the problem if you have mobo speaker connected.
http://www.computerhope.com/beep.htm
If you give full spec of the RAM used could help. Also the net is full with different live-cd/dvds with ram testing tools, I personally like Hiren for all in one solution.
RE: Ram Question - Harus - 11-11-2013
http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l630/sebassf1/ram1.jpg
Larger Ram
![[Image: ram1large.jpg]](http://s1127.photobucket.com/user/sebassf1/media/ram1large.jpg.html)
Smaller Ram
![[Image: ram2small.jpg]](http://s1127.photobucket.com/user/sebassf1/media/ram2small.jpg.html)
They're the same voltage, speed, manufacture, capacity. Only difference is 2 of the sticks are half the size physically.
4 sticks total, 4x2 gig sticks. I have individually tested the ram without errors. Alongside that, my motherboard before it even allows the BIoS to boot up, tests everything that is connected to it, it runs a self diagnostic and checks each slot, if something is broken or failing, it lets me know before it allows itself to boot up.