Memory configuration

[selector]

I have 2 slots for memory currently 1gb in each slot. Could I have a configuration of one slot 2gb and one slot 1gb so as to have 3gb Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[Ron_Smith]

More detail needed - Mainboard for instance.
Depending on the mainboard - most recent ones will take extra memory but the older ones do have a limit as to what they can handle.
Find the mainboard type and number and post here and we can then advise you.

 

[selector]

Thanks for replying Ron, unfortunatly I am at work at the moment (funnily enough I work on the railway) but I do know the maximum memory my board will accept is 4gb if that helps.

 

[Ron_Smith]

If your board will accept 4Gb then yes you can increase memory by anothjer 1 or 2Gb - if you can try to match the memory already installed - not vital but it sometimes makes life easier !!
Ron

 

[selector]

Thanks ron, will be upgrading to 4gb total when funds allow.

 

[lewisner]

Before you get 4GB read up on the internet about issues with Windows not seeing more than 3GB. My PC is capable of holding 4GB but when I upgraded it Windows XP 32 Bit could only see 3GB. I upgraded my PC to Windows 7 64 Bit and it can STILL only see 3GB!!

 

[shaneturner12]

If I remember rightly, changing from a 32-bit operating system to a 64-bit operating system normally involves a clean install (it may be possible to do it as an upgrade but the memory limit stays the same)

If you are not sure what a clean install is, it will involve formatting the hard drive (make sure you backup all files you are likely to want onto an external drive or CD/DVDs - once the drive is formatted it is very difficult if not impossible to go back.

Also, a Windows update or two may be required for Windows to see the full 4GB+.

Shane

 

[lewisner]

I've done a clean install and it works OK except for the 4GB. I've trawled the internet high and low for the answer to this problem and there as many answers as posters.One common theory is "Upgrade your BIOS to enable memory remapping". My BIOS are Award Software and date to 2005.However Award have changed hands and when I attempt to Upgrade all I get is a link to download "trial versions" of Driver Detective or some such Malware.When I run them, nothing changes and my BIOS are exactly as they were.I've given up trying, and followed the Homer Simpson rule "If at first you don't succeed, give up and have a beer".

 

[shaneturner12]

There is another couple of possibilities...
Firstly, do you have all the applicable updates for your Operating system? There may be one or two that specifically address this issue.

Secondly, the graphics card (if it is integrated) may be using part of the memory - sometimes anything up to a gigabyte. The Resource Monitor may be able to help with this - it may be able to show you what is using what.

Shane

EDIT: You can access the Resource Monitor from Task Manager - Performance tab.

 

[lewisner]

Here's what it says -

Physical Memory (MB)

Total 3071
Cached 1289
Available 2202
Free 967

Kernel Memory (MB)

Paged 144
Nonpaged 46

System

Handles 12574
Threads 526
Processes 43
Up Time 0.02:59-
Commit (MB) 954/6141

And in Resource Monitor it says -

Available 2160 MB
Cached 1289 MB
Total 3071
Installed 32768 MB

Thanks for your help BTW.

 

[shaneturner12]

It looks like a possible BIOS problem to me - either that or the memory inside the system is not reporting correctly to Windows.

I would advise (If you are using Windows 7) running a memory check - type 'diagnose' into the Start menu then select 'Diagnose your computer's memory problems' then follow the instructions (Note: The memory check takes place outside Windows). If you are using Windows Vista, you will need the installation DVD (if you have one) to do this.

Shane

 

[johnwhelan]

Try running the Belarc advisor that might give us some more information.

www.belarc.com/free_download.html

Thanks John

 

[RRSignal]

Before you get 4GB read up on the internet about issues with Windows not seeing more than 3GB. My PC is capable of holding 4GB but when I upgraded it Windows XP 32 Bit could only see 3GB. I upgraded my PC to Windows 7 64 Bit and it can STILL only see 3GB!!

What brand and model of motherboard do you have? I agree that it's probably a BIOS issue, but I have run across mobos that just can't see 4Gb period due to their architecture.

 

[JCitron]

There is another couple of possibilities...
Firstly, do you have all the applicable updates for your Operating system? There may be one or two that specifically address this issue.

Secondly, the graphics card (if it is integrated) may be using part of the memory - sometimes anything up to a gigabyte. The Resource Monitor may be able to help with this - it may be able to show you what is using what.

Shane

EDIT: You can access the Resource Monitor from Task Manager - Performance tab.

I agree with Shane on this one. There might be something eating up the memory space. Check your BIOS settings to see if there is something that can be turned off, particularly if you've got a plug-in video card and you have memory allocated to the internal one.

I'd also check for BIOS updates for your motherboard. Sometimes this issue is addressed with an update or two.

John

 

[lewisner]

Here is the Belarc scan for my PC http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinzac55/4710324346/sizes/o/
The motherboard is a Scilly(very appropriate) with a Socket 939 connection.
My GPU's are 2 x Nvidia 6800 GT in SLI mode.

"Shaneturner I already did the memory check and it said there were no problems.

 

[saintjimmy]

Just by looking at your Belarc profile, it says you have 3072 MB (3 GB exactly) installed, yet it shows each RAM slot with 8 GB in it. I'm thinking maybe a BIOS update could fix it. Maybe even some specific one to address this issue. Here is my profile for comparison, specifically the memory section: http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh112/saintjimmy4723/BelarcProfile.png

 

[shaneturner12]

I agree - there is definetely something amiss in your BIOS settings as according to your Belarc profile, there is 32GB of memory in your system. Is it correctly seated inside the system? If it is, you will need to check in the BIOS as to what is going on. (By the looks of things, either the motherboard cannot handle that much memory, or the BIOS is misreporting memory amounts.

I would also advise a trip to Crucial's website and use their system scanner tool. SIW (http://www.gtopala.com) may help as well - this will report how much memory is actually in your system (make sure you use a 64-bit tool to measure the memory, as a 32-bit tool can only report the first 3-3.5GB of memory)

Shane

EDIT: SIW (System Information for Windows) is your best bet for getting the memory information (and more)- it can also tell you the maximum your system can support (make sure you run it in admin mode if you are using Windows Vista/7)

 

[lewisner]

Hi Shane - I know how much memory my system can support - 4GB.When I originally bought it, part of the deal was a free upgrade to Vista which I never took up.I asked the Tech guy about upgrading to 4 GB and he replied "It will take 4GB but you won't need it, that machine will eat Trainz for breakfast".
When I was thinking about getting W7 I tried the Windows Upgrade Advisor and it said it "couldn't recognise my computer" and Crucial usually says the same.
The only thing about the memory is that the opriginal 2GB and the other 2GB are a different brand but I can't see why this should make a difference as they are both the same specs.

 

[johnwhelan]

Hi Shane - I know how much memory my system can support - 4GB.When I originally bought it, part of the deal was a free upgrade to Vista which I never took up.I asked the Tech guy about upgrading to 4 GB and he replied "It will take 4GB but you won't need it, that machine will eat Trainz for breakfast".
When I was thinking about getting W7 I tried the Windows Upgrade Advisor and it said it "couldn't recognise my computer" and Crucial usually says the same.
The only thing about the memory is that the opriginal 2GB and the other 2GB are a different brand but I can't see why this should make a difference as they are both the same specs.

Interesting comment from the tech guy who probably has never seen Trainz. I think some how we need to figure out what your motherboard is and do a web search to see what we can find out about it.

Packard Bell has never struck me as being one of the top end machine manufacturers. If it was my machine I might be tempted to go to ebuyer.com and buy a new motherboard and a copy of Win 7 64 bit.

Cheerio John

 

[shaneturner12]

I agree there - the BIOS/motherboard may be too old to support W7 (I'm not sure on the 4GB thing though) - and yes, it is best to get memory in pairs as memory from different makers can have differences to how Windows sees it.

It is a little concerning though if the Windows 7 Upgrade tool and the Crucial website both reported that the system was not recognised - as I said above, the system may be too old for Windows 7. Did you also try SIW?

Shane