8gb memory installed - only 3.25gb usable Win7 64bit

[holmfirthhewie]

8gb memory installed - only 3.25gb usable Win7 home premium 64bit. MSI MS-7358 mobo has no memory mapping facility. No on-board graphics. I have un-checked maximum memory in msconfig. Mobo states 8gb. Resmon shows 4gb reserved. All 4 x 2gb sticks are identical (crucial).
Any ideas where to go next?

 

[Berkey]

You could run http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html or http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/715-memory-diagnostics-tool.html to see if it passes the bill.

Also, you might use something to make sure everything is being recognized properly such as CPU-Z | Softwares | CPUID

Could also be the Ram sticks or the slots. I had a similar problem with my last laptop in which, I took the sticks out and put on stick #1 into slot #1, restarted and made sure it was recognized , then put stick 2 in slot #1 and restarted to check and so on a so forth with both sticks in both slots. It turned out that I must have not securely put the one stick or RAM in properly, as after all that, they both showed up and all was well.

 

[gregrocker]

I wonder what the Crucial System Scanner software to find out what type of memory is in your computer
says?

 

[holmfirthhewie]

Thanks to Berkey - ran CPUID which indicated that slots 2 and 4 were not 'Crucial' sticks. Checked them out and the Crucial stickers were not the same as in slots 1 and 3 - I bought the errant ones via eBay and they came from China so obviously fakes.
Have since put in four brand new Crucial 2gb sticks but still get the same result - only 3.25 usable memory (DDR2 6400). Thought this would sort it but now getting very frustrated.
There is no facility on my current MOBO to map the memory, as suggested by Microsoft.
Thought about new MOBO but that would involve buying new OS, new CPU, even more RAM DDR3 sticks and, as none of the new MOBOs have PATA, would need new Optical drives (no physical room for PATA to SATA converters)
Any other ideas?