Acer 5745G 2.3 out of 4 GB installed RAM usable.

[Octothorpe]

Like the title says, this issue popped up a few days ago. I've done the old "uncheck maximum memory" and that did nothing. I also already opened up my computer and made sure there was no dust on the ram and that the sticks were properly installed. I don't know my way around a BIOS and i'm afraid to change anything that's gonna screw up my computer. Thanks in advance.

 

[matts6887]

Well from the sounds of it; it sounds like several programs or services running in the background are using a massive amount of ram. I would go into the task manager and check to see what programs and or services are using a lot of ram and close those services if they are not needed; and or close the programs that are not needed. These are some simple things for now that hopefully may help ya out. If not; post back and we can take it from there.

 

[dbtmellis]

are you running 32 or 64 Bit Windows? 32 Bit Windows can only see up to a max of 3.2 GBs of RAM, no matter how much you have installed. If you want to be able to use all 4GB (and higher) you will need to install the 64 Bit Windows. You will also need to find out if your CPU is 32 or 64 bit.

 

[dbtmellis]

to Find out what Bit Windows you are running go to Start Menu, right click on Computer, select Properties. This will bring up the System Window. It will show you what bit Windows you are running.

I also forgot to mention, if you only have a 32 Bit CPU, you are stuck. You cannot install a 64 bit Windows on a 32 Bit CPU. If you have a 64 Bit CPU, and are running only 32 Bit Windows, I would suggest you upgrade. the only way to do that is to reinstall the Windows with the 64 Bit disc.

 

[DocBrown]

Laptops usually allocated a certain amount of Ram memory for the onboard GPU (Graphics/Video chip)

 

[dbtmellis]

A good read too 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions - Windows Help

How do I tell if my computer can run a 64-bit version of Windows?
To run a 64-bit version of Windows, your computer must have a 64-bit-capable processor. To find out if your processor is 64-bit-capable in Windows 7 or Windows Vista, do the following:

1. Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button
   
   , and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type Performance Information and Tools, and then, in the list of results, click Performance Information and Tools.
2. Do one of the following:
   • In Windows 7, click View and print detailed performance and system information.
   • In Windows Vista, click View and print details.
3. In the System section, you can see what type of operating system you're currently running under System type, and whether or not you can run a 64-bit version of Windows under 64-bit capable. (If your computer is already running a 64-bit version of Windows, you won't see the 64-bit capable listing.)