Windows 7: Windows 7 keeps losing my RAM

laura · 16 Dec 2010

I've read a few of the posts here and can't seem to find one that directly relates to my problem. I'm running Windows7 64, 16 G of OCZ Triple Channel DDR3 and NVidia Quadro FX 4800. Sometimes I have 8 G of RAM, sometimes I have 4 G of RAM. VERY RARELY does all 16 G show up. I think maybe 3 times since I built this beast. It's messing with my work. Can anyone PLEASE tell me once and for all, what can I do to make this go away and have all 16 G of RAM I paid dearly for??

Windows7 64
16 G OCZ Triple Channel DDR3
ASUS Rampage III
NVidia Quadro FX 4800

Thanks for any help.

Laura

fseal · 16 Dec 2010

Does the ram /always/ show up as 16 gig in your bios?

Also 16 gig and "triple channel" don't really sound right togeather. (Or did you mean 18gig of triple channel?) If 16, gig probably should be dual channel, though that I believe is a function entirely of the MB itself, except that dual/triple channel ram is generaly sold in matched modules packs in sets of 2 or 3 and are best installed in those groupings.

Are you sure the ram you got was vetted by ASUS? (ASUS lists compatible modules in their manuals).

Edit, also are your computer specs up to date? Still using the core 2 quad?

Prof Kerfuffle · 16 Dec 2010

Hi,
You have not told us what windows version your running. Here are the limits for the windows versions.
'

Windows 7 Starter: 8GB
Windows 7 Home Basic: 8GB
Windows 7 Home Premium: 16GB
Windows 7 Professional: 192GB
Windows 7 Enterprise: 192GB
Windows 7 Ultimate: 192GB'

brianzion · 16 Dec 2010

hi there i check my ram in resmon and check with rammon by passmark> link here

PassMark RAMMon - Identify RAM type, speed & memory timings (be sure to use the right version for 32/64 Bit)

RAMMon is an easy to use Windows based application that allows users to quickly retrieve the Serial Presence Detect (SPD) data from their RAM modules. It will allow users to identify a multitude of attributes, of which, includes the manufacturer, the clockspeed and other data of their DDR2, DDR3, XMP and EPP memory devices and even some older memory types. It uses SysInfo DLL SDK to gather the SPD attributes from RAM devices. This information provides a snapshot of the available data for each RAM module installed on the system.

brianzion · 16 Dec 2010

also check that windows has allocated all the ram

type msconfig in windows start menu search box
click on result in left result pane
in the window that pops up click boot
click advanced options
next check the MAXIMUM MEMORY box is UN-TICKED in box that pops up
click ok
click ok again
reboot if required

laura · 17 Dec 2010

OK---here's the specs right off CPU-Z

I am running Windows 7 64 bit Ultimate. Intel iCore7 Extreme 980X

I will try that. It's driving me crazy. Thank you Brianzion!!!

Yes, my RAM is compatible with the motherboard.

laura · 17 Dec 2010

It would appear that I'm losing my C Drive. Right after I last posted, it started clicking and being difficult. I'll post if I have more trouble after getting this ironed out. Thanks to all that offered help and suggestions!

Now to go rescue my Drive 0. It's actually two terabytes. Thankfully most of the stuff is backed up, but I need to rescue the stuff that isn't.

laura · 20 Dec 2010

OK, that wasn't the problem. That box wasn't checked.
My CDrive didn't die, and until it does something that Seagate recognizes as a problem, they won't give me a new one.
So, moving on.
The reason the RAM is the way it is with 16 G is because it's two matched sets of 4G sticks---they came in pairs, I bought two pair.

Now, it's showing that I have 16G installed, but it says I only have 6.9 G usable? What's all that about??
This RAM issue is driving me crazy.

Any help?

Thanks!
Laura

fseal · 20 Dec 2010

Well, the first thing is that you have a tripple channel motherboard and processor. The sticks should go in in sets of 3. As I said before some motherboards will take them in pairs but I don't know how well that functions in reality.

Try sticking in just three of the 4 gig sticks in "Bank 0" (closely check your manual for exactly where to put in three sticks, could be slot 1, 3 and 5 for example in a 6 slot motherboard) and see if you get a consistant and solid 12 gig of ram showing up.

Packet · 20 Dec 2010

i've seen this happen due to BIOS issues.
do you have the latest version?

Windows 7: Windows 7 keeps losing my RAM

Windows 7 keeps losing my RAM problems?