Windows XP reporting less RAM than it should... SIGH...

[FMiguelez]

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I know this board is probably not the best place to ask about this, but I'm sure we have one or two PC gurus in here. And this one seemed to be the most ad hoc forum for this question, so...

PeeCee problem:
I bought enough 1 GB RAM sticks to have 2 of my PCs maxed with RAM (4 GB each).

They used to have only 2 GB each, and they were fine. So I put 4 GB on each computer, but now the problem is that when I check computer A in My PC>Properties, it only reads I have 3.12 GB installed.
Computer B reads I only have 3.75 GB RAM. Not 2. Not 3... but 3.75????? Where did the other 250 MB go? And for computer A? I'm missing almost a full gigabyte...

Both motherboards support up to 4 GB RAM.
They are new and compatible sticks.
At least one of the computers have IDENTICAL RAM sticks (brand. model and specs).

If I only leave 2 or 3 sticks, it will read 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM respectively. But if I put the 4 sticks it'll be 3.12 GB or 3.75 respectively.

WHAT is going on? I surfed through all the settings in the BIOS, but I couldn't find anything related to that...

Ideas?

Thanks!

[Jhereg]

While your motherboard might recognize 4 GB Windows XP ( 32bit) will not.
This is a limitation of the operating system. You can try some changes in the OS boot process by enabling PAE.(http://gsmblog.com/post/Boot-Parameters ... d-PAE.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)but no guarantee that it will work nor any guarantee it won't adversely affect your system.
If you wish to use the full 4GB AND your cpu supports 64 bit I suggest moving to Windows 7 64bit.

Also while the actual motherboard can support 4GB the BIOS might not. Does it actually calculate to 4GB?

[RonaldDumsfeld]

What are the differences between the two boards?

Does one have a dedicated graphics card and the other not?

I think XP double maps video memory. So if you have a 516 Mb graphics card on one and not the other that might explain the difference.

Not sure though. You'll have to provide more details if it isn't.

[FMiguelez]

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Guys, thank you for your response, and sorry it has taken me so long to come back to my own post... its' just that, as of now, that RAM issue is THE LEAST of my problems...

I am finding it impossible to instal the eLicenser Control Center (this is the software that runs the Vienna Instruments protection lock). Windows keeps asking for a Network frame special version. I spent a long time in Microsoft's site looking for the right one. I find it. Download it and try to instal it: Windows didn't like it. I go look for another version. Download it but realize that there's a paragraph just below that says I need to also instal another 3 files immediately after the previous one.
Now that I have all that, Windows now wants me to yet instal ANOTHER PREVIOUS file... now it wants Installer 3.5 or later

I mean, at this point I was feeling like screaming. I spent almost the full night fighting this.
After things not working, and almost pulled every hair off my head, I did something different (don't remember what) and now it suddenly worked. I repeated the same for the other PCS.

So finally, I got the eLicenser working. But I still need to do the "3 GB switch" and instal the libraries etc.


I will write here my exact models of motherboards, etc., to see if we can get to the bottom of the original RAM issue, and I'll answer all your questions.
Let me just finish this "installing stage", and then we'll tackle the RAM issue, if that's ok with you guys.

After what I've always thought, and after what I've gone through (I still haven't even mentioned the mess it was with the BIOS) I want SO BADLY to say some remark about Windows. But I don't want to make our Windows gurus mad at me, so I'll shut up... for now

[RonaldDumsfeld]

I want SO BADLY to say some remark about Windows. But I don't want to make our Windows gurus mad at me,

I very much doubt you can find anyone who knows much about windows who will not cheerfully admit that it's shite.
The way you have to look at it is every time something messes up you learn something new.

I forgot about that NET framework update shenanigans.

gl