Ok guys, I decided to upgrade my RAM for AoC. Previously i had 4x512mb RAM = 2gigs. Currently I have windows xp home edition service pack 2. I have installed the RAM and double checked everything, slots 1&3 left-right are used correctly. All Hardware is working. BIOS is acknowledging the RAM as 4 gigs which is the exact amount i am now using. Yet when i check windows system it still says im only running 2 gigs and i have not noticed much if any performance increase. Do i need windows vista to run more than 2 gigs of RAM? What do I do, and how do I fix this?
XP even 32 bit should be able to allocate up to 16GB.
All you need to do is to go to Bios, and switch memory remap feature.
By default, even with 4 gigs of ram installed into machine XP gives "userland" 2 gigs of address space and reserves the remaining 2 gigs for OS and device addressing etc. There is one switch you can add to boot.ini to give programs access to 3 gigs of memory - /3GB
for example in my system the boot.ini line with the windows boot options would be:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP professional" /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN /FASTDETECT /3GB
Remember that editing boot.ini by hand might render your computer unbootable and other "fun" stuff.
Even with the /3GB switch the maximum continuous memory block is about 2Gb, but application which is /3GB aware and does memory reservation in smaller chunks can benefit on it.
There is another switch /PAE that enables the use of "emulated" 64 bit address space on 32 bit machines, but using that is generally a bad idea.
I don't think that would work his 2gb sticks will be a matched pair and mixing different RAM modules together is a recipe for bluescreens. And even if he used several sticks I still think it would show up as 2.25gb regardless. For the hasstle he's just better of getting a OEM copy of Vista.
I disagree on both counts. As long as he uses the same type of RAM he can run 2 sticks of RAM in DUAL channel and his one 2 GB stick in one of the others it won't run in dual channel but it will be compatible. The best route to go would be all 4 sticks running in dual channel, but you see, it won't recognize the 4th stick in dual channel when runnin a 32 bit system, so it would but just as well that he was running a 2 GB stick in that slot OR instead just 1 of the 1 GB sticks.
The "matching pairs" aren't necessary, but if you're running dual channel it is recommended.
Plus as long as his BIOS is updated to the newest version, I'm sure Dell has already addressed any memory issues in an update. You can tell on your post screen whether or not your BIOS is reading your 4 gigs or not. This doesn't mean your 32 bit system will run it, it will just let you know that your system can handle it.
Also, with Vista, if you don't get the 64 bit version you'll run into the same issue.
OK, talking a/b ram, I got a noob question, XP 32 bit by default uses 2gigs of ram but in some cases can use more. Can XP 32 bit use 2gigs of any type of ram as long as the motherboard can use it such as DDR3 instead of DDR2?
XP 32 bit doesn't technically use anything by "default" but basically as far as the amount and type of allocated RAM you can use is determined by your Motherboard and BIOS version.
If your motherboard doesn't support a RAM bus of 1066 or what have you then getting that type of RAM won't work for you and will either not show up at all or cause errors.
Its also not a good idea to mix and match bus types. you can do it but it could cause errors.
I know what the problem is now, though you usualy get 3.25gb of RAM if youve got 4 gigs in. Some motherboard chipsets only go to 2.25gb it might because of the 2 2gb modules. But its basicly something to do with XP. Only way around it Vista 64 bit. Don't get 64 bit XP lol.
I wouldn't get 64 bit anything from microsoft, I'd run lineux (never could spell that) if I needed 64 bit processing.
If anything is wrong, id say its the home version, try upgrading to XP Pro.
Ok guys, I decided to upgrade my RAM for AoC. Previously i had 4x512mb RAM = 2gigs. Currently I have windows xp home edition service pack 2. I have installed the RAM and double checked everything, slots 1&3 left-right are used correctly. All Hardware is working. BIOS is acknowledging the RAM as 4 gigs which is the exact amount i am now using. Yet when i check windows system it still says im only running 2 gigs and i have not noticed much if any performance increase. Do i need windows vista to run more than 2 gigs of RAM? What do I do, and how do I fix this?
XP even 32 bit should be able to allocate up to 16GB.
All you need to do is to go to Bios, and switch memory remap feature.
Yes sir, I dont know where these guys learned about Operating systems, but 32 bit can run 16GB of ram, where 64 bit can run like 32 TB (Terra-Bites) or something crazy like that.
Ok guys, I decided to upgrade my RAM for AoC. Previously i had 4x512mb RAM = 2gigs. Currently I have windows xp home edition service pack 2. I have installed the RAM and double checked everything, slots 1&3 left-right are used correctly. All Hardware is working. BIOS is acknowledging the RAM as 4 gigs which is the exact amount i am now using. Yet when i check windows system it still says im only running 2 gigs and i have not noticed much if any performance increase. Do i need windows vista to run more than 2 gigs of RAM? What do I do, and how do I fix this?
XP even 32 bit should be able to allocate up to 16GB.
All you need to do is to go to Bios, and switch memory remap feature.
Yes sir, I dont know where these guys learned about Operating systems, but 32 bit can run 16GB of ram, where 64 bit can run like 32 TB (Terra-Bites) or something crazy like that.
switching the memory remap would still not give you the full 4gb. The only option to get the full 4gb is 64bits.
I don't think that would work his 2gb sticks will be a matched pair and mixing different RAM modules together is a recipe for bluescreens. And even if he used several sticks I still think it would show up as 2.25gb regardless. For the hasstle he's just better of getting a OEM copy of Vista.
Thats what i am going to do. I have done some research and it seems the chipset that i have for a dell 600 XPS does not enable me to run more than 2gigs. I think i have tried every trick there is to bring it up to 3.5 gig or whatever. From different forums, and Newegg customer feedback(people having the same issue) it seems like windows Vista 64 bit is what makes the difference for MY system.
Only on the 64 bit version. 32 bit version can only recognize up to 3.5gb or RAM. You can have 4 but only 3.5gb will be available.
NO, it doesnt show up at all over 2.0 gigs on a 32 bit windows xp. thata the problem. if you have a solution besides upgrading to a 64 bit version of windows .....then lets hear it. I am open for suggestions.
My first suggestion would be to try the memory remap feature in the bios if it has one. Failing that, I would test each chip individually to see if you might have a bad one. Also you might try to download a copy of Memtest and test the ram, it could point to problems with the ram.
XP even 32 bit should be able to allocate up to 16GB.
All you need to do is to go to Bios, and switch memory remap feature.
32-windows OS (XP or Vista) can't allocate more than 4 GB of system Ram according to Microsoft. You can remap the memory in the BIOS, so the graphic card is allocated outside the first 4GB of Ram, this way you can get a bit RAM out of the system, because the graphic card is not using up the space where the system RAM is allocated.
I don't the theory about how much RAM a OS should be able to allocate, but I prefer to go by what is empirical proven and seen on the OS in question (here Windows).
For those interested there is an interesting help article about it here:
My first suggestion would be to try the memory remap feature in the bios if it has one. Failing that, I would test each chip individually to see if you might have a bad one. Also you might try to download a copy of Memtest and test the ram, it could point to problems with the ram. Link for memtest http://www.memtest.org/ GL with this one.
Ok, All RAm is brand new and BIOS acknowledges the correct amount inserted. And i have already tested each chip. So how do i do a BIOS remap?
XP even 32 bit should be able to allocate up to 16GB.
All you need to do is to go to Bios, and switch memory remap feature.
32-windows OS (XP or Vista) can't allocate more than 4 GB of system Ram according to Microsoft. You can remap the memory in the BIOS, so the graphic card is allocated outside the first 4GB of Ram, this way you can get a bit RAM out of the system, because the graphic card is not using up the space where the system RAM is allocated.
I don't the theory about how much RAM a OS should be able to allocate, but I prefer to go by what is empirical proven and seen on the OS in question (here Windows).
For those interested there is an interesting help article about it here:
I suggest OP to read the help article, since it talks about having 4BG ram, but not all showing up and it tells about workarounds.
From the link you provided..
WORKAROUND
loadTOCNode(1, 'workaround');
For Windows Vista to use all 4 GB of memory on a computer that has 4 GB of memory installed, the computer must meet the following requirements:
•
The chipset must support at least 8 GB of address space. Chipsets that have this capability include the following:
•
Intel 975X
•
Intel P965
•
Intel 955X on Socket 775
•
Chipsets that support AMD processors that use socket F, socket 940, socket 939, or socket AM2. These chipsets include any AMD socket and CPU combination in which the memory controller resides in the CPU.
•
The CPU must support the x64 instruction set. The AMD64 CPU and the Intel EM64T CPU support this instruction set.
•
The BIOS must support the memory remapping feature. The memory remapping feature allows for the segment of system memory that was previously overwritten by the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) configuration space to be remapped above the 4 GB address line. This feature must be enabled in the BIOS configuration utility on the computer. View your computer product documentation for instructions that explain how to enable this feature. Many consumer-oriented computers may not support the memory remapping feature. No standard terminology is used in documentation or in BIOS configuration utilities for this feature. Therefore, you may have to read the descriptions of the various BIOS configuration settings that are available to determine whether any of the settings enable the memory remapping feature.
•
An x64 (64-bit) version of Windows Vista must be used.
For those of you who dont understand be sure to read the initial posts...
I have just installed my new OEM of Windows Vista 64 bit and now it acknowledges 4 gigs of ram. No issues at all. I hope this forum has been usefull to everyone concerning RAM issues on windows OS.
I have had some problems finding good drivers. For example sound carddrivers for Creative are not officialy supported so that was fun trying to figure that mess out. Even though i was able to get a driver set from Dell I have crackling sounds which were never there before. Hopefully these issues will be fixed in time to come ....
So at any rate if you do get vista 64 bit, prepare for some issues with drivers.
There are some chipsets that limit the amount of RAM that appears to be available to Windows. One example would be nVidia nForce4 SLI chipset in the Dell XPS system a few generations ago. There was a hard limit set @ 2GB. This was a limitation of the chipset, not the OS.
So, make sure you are not 'hamstrung' via hardware.
As for RAM and Windows XP, the OS can see 4GB. It's just that you lose a lot of 'available' RAM for various pre-mapped, designated system functions.
1MB DOS Memory (DOS, BIOS, etc.,..) (yes, a whole 1mb, lol)
750MB (approx) PCI Memory Range (PCI/PCIe, chipsets, DMI, ICH ranges, etc.,..)
Out of 4GB, you will see 3-3.25gb depending on your particular system's config. Out of that 3.25GB, your application will probably be coded to access about 2GB. The rest goes to the OS, buffers, etc.,
What Microsoft does to your RAM is a lot like what Uncle Sam does to your paycheck, tbh.
Comments
All you need to do is to go to Bios, and switch memory remap feature.
REALITY CHECK
By default, even with 4 gigs of ram installed into machine XP gives "userland" 2 gigs of address space and reserves the remaining 2 gigs for OS and device addressing etc. There is one switch you can add to boot.ini to give programs access to 3 gigs of memory - /3GB
for example in my system the boot.ini line with the windows boot options would be:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP professional" /NOEXECUTE=OPTIN /FASTDETECT /3GB
Remember that editing boot.ini by hand might render your computer unbootable and other "fun" stuff.
Even with the /3GB switch the maximum continuous memory block is about 2Gb, but application which is /3GB aware and does memory reservation in smaller chunks can benefit on it.
There is another switch /PAE that enables the use of "emulated" 64 bit address space on 32 bit machines, but using that is generally a bad idea.
Playing: AC2
Played: UO, DaoC, Horizons, Ryzom, WAR, LotRO, Eve, VG...
The "matching pairs" aren't necessary, but if you're running dual channel it is recommended.
Plus as long as his BIOS is updated to the newest version, I'm sure Dell has already addressed any memory issues in an update. You can tell on your post screen whether or not your BIOS is reading your 4 gigs or not. This doesn't mean your 32 bit system will run it, it will just let you know that your system can handle it.
Also, with Vista, if you don't get the 64 bit version you'll run into the same issue.
If you have any questions let me know.
As someone running XP with 4 gigs of ram I see 3.25 GB of memory.
You need x64 version of Xp as me , i'm running 4gb without any problem.
OK, talking a/b ram, I got a noob question, XP 32 bit by default uses 2gigs of ram but in some cases can use more.
Can XP 32 bit use 2gigs of any type of ram as long as the motherboard can use it such as DDR3 instead of DDR2?
XP 32 bit doesn't technically use anything by "default" but basically as far as the amount and type of allocated RAM you can use is determined by your Motherboard and BIOS version.
If your motherboard doesn't support a RAM bus of 1066 or what have you then getting that type of RAM won't work for you and will either not show up at all or cause errors.
Its also not a good idea to mix and match bus types. you can do it but it could cause errors.
If anything is wrong, id say its the home version, try upgrading to XP Pro.
All you need to do is to go to Bios, and switch memory remap feature.
Yes sir, I dont know where these guys learned about Operating systems, but 32 bit can run 16GB of ram, where 64 bit can run like 32 TB (Terra-Bites) or something crazy like that.
All you need to do is to go to Bios, and switch memory remap feature.
Yes sir, I dont know where these guys learned about Operating systems, but 32 bit can run 16GB of ram, where 64 bit can run like 32 TB (Terra-Bites) or something crazy like that.
switching the memory remap would still not give you the full 4gb. The only option to get the full 4gb is 64bits.
Thats what i am going to do. I have done some research and it seems the chipset that i have for a dell 600 XPS does not enable me to run more than 2gigs. I think i have tried every trick there is to bring it up to 3.5 gig or whatever. From different forums, and Newegg customer feedback(people having the same issue) it seems like windows Vista 64 bit is what makes the difference for MY system.
Only on the 64 bit version. 32 bit version can only recognize up to 3.5gb or RAM. You can have 4 but only 3.5gb will be available.
NO, it doesnt show up at all over 2.0 gigs on a 32 bit windows xp. thata the problem. if you have a solution besides upgrading to a 64 bit version of windows .....then lets hear it. I am open for suggestions.
My first suggestion would be to try the memory remap feature in the bios if it has one. Failing that, I would test each chip individually to see if you might have a bad one. Also you might try to download a copy of Memtest and test the ram, it could point to problems with the ram.
Link for memtest
http://www.memtest.org/
GL with this one.
32-windows OS (XP or Vista) can't allocate more than 4 GB of system Ram according to Microsoft. You can remap the memory in the BIOS, so the graphic card is allocated outside the first 4GB of Ram, this way you can get a bit RAM out of the system, because the graphic card is not using up the space where the system RAM is allocated.
I don't the theory about how much RAM a OS should be able to allocate, but I prefer to go by what is empirical proven and seen on the OS in question (here Windows).
For those interested there is an interesting help article about it here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605
I suggest OP to read the help article, since it talks about having 4BG ram, but not all showing up and it tells about workarounds.
Ok, All RAm is brand new and BIOS acknowledges the correct amount inserted. And i have already tested each chip. So how do i do a BIOS remap?
32-windows OS (XP or Vista) can't allocate more than 4 GB of system Ram according to Microsoft. You can remap the memory in the BIOS, so the graphic card is allocated outside the first 4GB of Ram, this way you can get a bit RAM out of the system, because the graphic card is not using up the space where the system RAM is allocated.
I don't the theory about how much RAM a OS should be able to allocate, but I prefer to go by what is empirical proven and seen on the OS in question (here Windows).
For those interested there is an interesting help article about it here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605
I suggest OP to read the help article, since it talks about having 4BG ram, but not all showing up and it tells about workarounds.
From the link you provided..
WORKAROUND
loadTOCNode(1, 'workaround');So Windows 64 bit VISTA is what i need......
The Verdict is in....
For those of you who dont understand be sure to read the initial posts...
I have just installed my new OEM of Windows Vista 64 bit and now it acknowledges 4 gigs of ram. No issues at all. I hope this forum has been usefull to everyone concerning RAM issues on windows OS.
Case closed.
Thanks for all you help.
Well just for a follow up on the 64 bit
I have had some problems finding good drivers. For example sound carddrivers for Creative are not officialy supported so that was fun trying to figure that mess out. Even though i was able to get a driver set from Dell I have crackling sounds which were never there before. Hopefully these issues will be fixed in time to come ....
So at any rate if you do get vista 64 bit, prepare for some issues with drivers.
To the OP...
There are some chipsets that limit the amount of RAM that appears to be available to Windows. One example would be nVidia nForce4 SLI chipset in the Dell XPS system a few generations ago. There was a hard limit set @ 2GB. This was a limitation of the chipset, not the OS.
So, make sure you are not 'hamstrung' via hardware.
As for RAM and Windows XP, the OS can see 4GB. It's just that you lose a lot of 'available' RAM for various pre-mapped, designated system functions.
1MB DOS Memory (DOS, BIOS, etc.,..) (yes, a whole 1mb, lol)
750MB (approx) PCI Memory Range (PCI/PCIe, chipsets, DMI, ICH ranges, etc.,..)
Out of 4GB, you will see 3-3.25gb depending on your particular system's config. Out of that 3.25GB, your application will probably be coded to access about 2GB. The rest goes to the OS, buffers, etc.,
What Microsoft does to your RAM is a lot like what Uncle Sam does to your paycheck, tbh.