Windows is still using shared memory although dedicated vid. installed

Hi all.
I bought a new video card for my sister, till yesterday she was using an integrated video card, everything is fine except the thing that the system is still using shared system memory and I really don't want this to happen, 512MB of dedicated memory is fine with me, I want to use 3GB for the system not to share for graphics purposes, in BIOS there is nothing to disable or change the "disable integrated video when external detected" is enabled, I don't know what else to do, in msconfig I've set manually to use all 3GB still nothing changed, maybe it's because of the Starter edition I know it has some restrictions but I really don't think so, the OS edition has nothing to do with the video card and so on, what else it could be, how to solve my issue ? Thank you.


Dedicated video memory 512 MB
Shared System Memory 768
Total Available Graphics Memory: 1280 MB

OS Win 7 Starter
Phoenix Award BIOS


Sysinfo:

Windows 7 Starter will only use up to 2GB of RAM, its a limitation, the other 1GB will be unusable and treated as shared memory

In addition to what yowanvista said that shared memory isn't actually being used, it is only used if required by the video card when the video card runs out of its own memory,

Video Memory Virtualization - A Brief Guide

yowanvista said:

Windows 7 Starter will only use up to 2GB of RAM, its a limitation, the other 1GB will be unusable and treated as shared memory

Thank you, I'll leave it this way maybe I'll upgrade to another edition soon.

stormy13 said:

In addition to what yowanvista said that shared memory isn't actually being used, it is only used if required by the video card when the video card runs out of its own memory,

Video Memory Virtualization - A Brief Guide

I understand that but I wanted all 3 GB to be used by the system and not for video.

Luckystar said:

And if you have not already, go back into MSCONFIG and untick the 'allocate memory' box.

As you said, you went into there and set 3GB manually.

Like i said, uncheck that box, as the system will allocate memory which you cannot then use.

Sorry to hijack, just saying this now before it becomes an issue.

Lucky

I did it yesterday, still thank you for letting me know

As has been said the only way you are going to get that other 1 GB used is to install something other than Starter. As it stands right now with Starter installed it isn't being used or shared with anything, it isn't being used at all.

And then once you do and have all 3 GB available that "shared" number will go up, which is based on an algorithm that Windows uses to calculate it based on total system ram and the amount of video ram (dedicated graphics of dedicated system memory), and despite all that it will show 3 GB installed and usable. As I said above and in that tutorial the "shared" memory is only used if and when the video card uses all of its own memory, until that happens that "shared" memory is unused and free for anything else that needs it.

stormy13 said:

As has been said the only way you are going to get that other 1 GB used is to install something other than Starter. As it stands right now with Starter installed it isn't being used or shared with anything, it isn't being used at all.

And then once you do and have all 3 GB available that "shared" number will go up, which is based on an algorithm that Windows uses to calculate it based on total system ram and the amount of video ram (dedicated graphics of dedicated system memory), and despite all that it will show 3 GB installed and usable. As I said above and in that tutorial the "shared" memory is only used if and when the video card uses all of its own memory, until that happens that "shared" memory is unused and free for anything else that needs it.

Thank you once again for you quick and very useful reply.