Windows 7 Win7 not utilizing all 4 GB of memory

[turb0z]

Hello.

I'm using Windows 7 on one of my older boxes. It's an older AMD X2 and I just upgraded from 2GB to 4GB of PC3200 DDR.

The issue is that Windows is not allowing all 4GB to be used. The system shows that 4GB is physically installed, but is only listing 3GB usable. This is somewhat interesting as there's nothing I've found so far that indicates why this would be happening.

Granted, this is brand new memory (the 2GB I had and now 2GB new) so I haven't been able to validate if it's a memory issue; but I'm convinced it's a software issue because BIOS is showing 4GB installed and so is Win7.

Here's a screenshot of systeminfo:

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Thanks in advance for all the help!

 

[skeldon]

hav u tried vista to see wot that says?

 

[turb0z]

I have not set up a dual boot and have no intention of doing so.

 

[sssteve72]

I have not set up a dual boot and have no intention of doing so.

Maybe a BIOS update?

 

[new geek]

That's wierd, I'm running 4g with windows 7 and am haing no trouble with it recognizing all the memory. Maybe it's a hardware thing?

 

[GomJabbar]

Here is your answer: Ask Dan: What's with the 3Gb memory barrier?

 

[Mitchell_A]

32-Bit systems have limitations: You can only usge 3 Gb of ram. There is no solution to this problem, other then upgrading to a 64-Bit version of Windows 7, and your hardware may not support 64-Bit.

64-Bit systems are capable of having up to 120 GB of ram

 

[jimbo45]

32-Bit systems have limitations: You can only usge 3 Gb of ram. There is no solution to this problem, other then upgrading to a 64-Bit version of Windows 7, and your hardware may not support 64-Bit.

64-Bit systems are capable of having up to 120 GB of ram

Oh dear -- THIS IS NOT TRUE for WINDOWS 7 32 BIT.

It would appear that a lot of people on this board have NO IDEA how OS'es are written.

Windows 7 can address every single byte in a 32 bit address space which as we all know will allow to addess 4GB. Windows XP sp2 and sp3 also work the same (that 3GB switch was only a way of actually dividing up how the RAM was used but memory allocation in W7 doesn't need that type of stuff).

So why have you got less than 4GB.

Well since you have posted something on the board I assume you have some type of display with graphics in it -- that's for starters probably 350 MB out of your 4GB.
You've probably got in your BIOS a built in Sound card, maybe a PCI express card slot and several USB slots. You've probably also got a Wireless and a Network card as well on the motherboard -- certainly if you are using a Laptop.

So it's not surprising to see your memory space at say 2.99GB useable or 3.25GB.

A 64 Bit OS won't have these problems -- the entire address space is addressable -- what it does if you have less than 4GB is to "poodle fake" the addressing scheme -- it will allocate memory in blocks rather like say telephone numbers -- you can have a smaller address range say as small as 4000 numbers but if you prefix these with say a city code then you've vastly increased the address range so say 201 1300 is a different address to 650 1300
These two different addresses will be mapped to somewhere in the 64 bit OS'es address space.

Incidentally the hardware has to be fairly good and fast at performing the address translation and switching.

You also can in no way guarantee that 32 bit applications running on a 64 bit OS will run faster than running on EQUIVALENT hardware using a 32 BIT OS (of course if you've got a QUAD on the 64 bit OS and a single processor on the 32 bit OS then the contest is not even).

In some cases it makes better sense to run 32 bit applications in a separate 32 bit virtual machine on a 64 bit OS. When more true 100% 64 bit applications are available this discussion will rear its head again I'm sure.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[ALPUCHE]

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HERE IS THE ANSWER... I READ IT AND IT WORKED!!!!!
if someone can traslate would be great but i have the solution for this error... I can not speak in technical english but I will do my best...
first... run msconfig.exe, as everybody said... go to "boot" then "advanced" and check all the memory.
restart... dont be impatien, I haven't finished.
second... run mscong.exe, again, yes, again, but this time recheck the maximum memory.
third... once you are in diagnose mode, run msconfig.exe, yes again, but this time, just to restart at normal mode. EUREKA... YOU WILL HAVE YOUR MEMORY COMPLETE!!!!. AHH SI NO ENTENDISTE UN PASO, MI EMAIL ES [email protected], estoy de 8 de la noche en adelante mandame un msn y te ayudo. gracias.

 

[Stillsam]

False solution...

Nope doesn't work at all ...

 

[Mitchell_A]

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Check this out.

 

[Stillsam]

Nope.

I'm afraid not since I run 64-bit Win 7 and have exactly the same problem.