W7-64bit memory question

[donnyb]

I installed the 64 bit version for the first time. My system had only 2 Gig of memory, but I decided to install 2 more. Now when I boot into W7-64, the memory shows 4 gig installed, 3 gig usable. What am I missing?

 

[mickey megabyte]

are you sure you installed the 64bit version?

from your description it seems you have the 32 bit version installed.

what can you see in control panel >> system + security >> security?

also what cpu are you using?

 

[DataMan47]

You might have a chipset that doesn't support addressing all 4GB; did you check the FAQ?

9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the x86-64 version?
The good:
* Support for more than 3 GB of RAM (with proper motherboard support; some older chipsets, like the Intel 945GM, do not allow the addressing of all 4 GB, even if your OS supports addressing all 4GB)

 

[kpo6969]

Also could vary by how much ram your gpu has on board.

 

[donnyb]

I definitely have the 64 bit OS installed. I suspect the problem is due to my chipset. I guess I didn't consider that. BTW, I have an AMD Opteron 170 dual core and the chipset is nVidia nForce 4. The system is about 2 years old.

 

[spliff]

Make sure ur chipset and bios r most current available.

 

[mickey megabyte]

sorry for asking obvious questions first, donnyb, but we have to start somewhere!

i don't have any experience with this mobo/chipset, but some quick googling throws up results that seem to suggest others are running 64bit systems. as spliff suggests above, is your bios up to date? it's always a bit of a hairy process flashing a bios, but it can work wonders with certain problems.

sorry i can't help any further - maybe other forum users will see your post and will be able to assist.

good luck!

 

[usasma]

It depends on why the missing 1 gB isn't showing up.

It could be that there are devices on your system (primarily the video card) that have reserved that amount of memory (most likely). You can review the allocations in Device Manager by selecting View...Resources by type...then expand the memory section.

Or it could be that the memory is limited by the OS. Check in MSCONFIG...Boot tab...Advanced Options button to see if it's limited there.

I wonder if it's a BIOS/mobo issue as Windows recognizes that the 1gB is there.

 

[donnyb]

I finally figured out my problem, and am posting the solution in case anyone else may have the same thing. I had to make a small change in the Bios setup. I had to enable memory mapping above 4Gb.

 

[mickey megabyte]

good to hear that you solved your problem donnyb - enjoy your upgrade!

 

[chuckr]

the memory shows 4 gig installed, 3 gig usable. What am I missing?

About 1 gig...

(Sorry, just couldn't resist...)

Especially now that it's fixed!