RAM problems with Windows XP

[Hykster 0]

Okay here goes. I hope that there's someone out there that can help me out with this.

 

I have upgraded to Windows XP and I have done a clean install. My previous version OS was WindowsMe. Now, WindowsMe RECOGNIZED my stick of 128 MB PC-133 RAM along with a stick of 256 MB PC-133 RAM.. totaling 384 MB RAM. My BIOS HAS RECOGNIZED that I have 384 MB RAM installed. Okay...

 

I boot up Windows XP, my BIOS says that I have 384 MB RAM installed. When I go to Help and Support and check my hardware configuration that Windows XP build, it says that I only have 320 MB RAM installed. That's 256 + 64. How come it won't recognize the other half of my 128 MB RAM stick? At first I had 192 MB RAM, but then I switched the RAM around in the SDRAM slots on the motherboard. Also when I right-click on the MY COMPUTER icon, and select properties, it says that I have a 800 Mhz processor with 384 MB RAM... sigh..

 

Is it possible that Windows XP will only recognize sticks of RAM that are the SAME SPEED AND MEMORY SIZE? (for example.. I'll need 2 sticks of 256 MB RAM in order for XP to say.. hey you have 512 MB).

 

Can anyone shed the light on this for me? This is the only problem I have noticed with my installation of XP. Thanks. (Please reply at the boards or e-mail me at kevin_hyk@hotmail.com)

 

Kevin

AMD Athlon 800 Mhz

384 MB RAM (XP only recognizes 320, but the BIOS says 384).

3DFX Voodoo 3 3000

SBLive! X-Gamer

[tweaked 0]

You've just found a genuine Winxp BUG!

my system does the same thing.

with that help and support proggy it says i have 256, but in device manager it sees the full 512...

 

hhmmm??

 

thoughts anyone?

 

even better, when i run msinfo32 it says this:

 

Total Physical Memory 256.00 MB

Available Physical Memory 348.56 MB

 

 

ummm what???

how can the avaiable be more than the physical??

i am going to jack around with some setting, like my agp aperture settings..

and what not..

 

let you all know if anything changes.

[Hykster 0]

Thanks for responding dude, looks like I'm not alone. I did some random tests and used my MOBO software that has a utility that tells me the RAM and temp, stuff like that, ya know and it recognizes it. Even when I play my games, I can go into the debug menu or command console and check to see how much RAM it's using and all my games recognize all of my RAM.. but the diagnostic in XP says only 320 MB instead of my full 384 MB. I'm thinking it's a possible bug... I hope. My RAM is from Kingston. Lemme know what you find out and I'll keep looking and experimenting with this. If I got it from reading 192 to 320, I must be doin' something right, LOL. Laterz!

 

Hykster

[TaoArcher 0]

Only think i can think is to try switching the slots that your RAM chips are in. See if that works.

[Hykster 0]

When XP was only recognizing 190 of 384 MB RAM, I switched the ram around in the memory module slots and got 320 of 384 MB RAM, but no matter what during the BIOS when Windows boots up, it always says 384 MB RAM and it tests it, writes to it and says it's status is "OK." So I dunno, really weird if you ask me.

 

Hykster

[Vampy 0]

Hykster: Read you post and went looking! When I use help and support it reports correctly. When I right click on my computer it reports correctly. Got smug at this point and ran msinfo32........

It reported that 190meg were missing!! 8)

 

Have moved dimms in slots/changed fsb speeds etc etc just to see what happens! No change!

 

I suspect that it is "seeing" and using whats there as I run memory intesive graphics/3d apps and have not noticed any real drop off in performance which I would expect with them.

 

 

Update:

 

have just ran msinfo32 after opening different apps the avail mem changes all the time!!

vampy

[ZoSo925 0]

Im having sorta the same damn problem. I just posted this on another message board.

 

------------------------------------

106721.1

 

I cant seem to put more then 512mb of Ram in my system. I dont know what they heck is wrong. I even did a fresh OS install with 768mb CL2 Crucial and once I installed the new 4in1 or my Radeon drivers, I get get a BSOD or various errors when I rebooted from installing that driver.

Here is my system.

 

Abit KT7a

1.33ghz Tbird

512mb CL2 Crucial

Radeon 8500

SB Audigy Gamer

Hauppage TV/FM/DTV Tuner

D-Link 10/100 NIC

Pioneer 16x DVD

Yamaha 8x4x24

 

I can go into safe mode and it will recgonize the RAM but normal mode..forget it, there is no way in.

 

I bought 2- 256mb sticks from Crucial last October and I just bought that new 256mb stick. When I got it, it was much smaller and had less transistors on it. I was having problems with it like I described above when I added it. I had set all the default options in BIOS, Cleared CMOS..everything that I could think of. I was sure from the start that this new stick would not work with my system. I called up Crucial and told them my problem and gave them my info for my last purchase. I made sure I got the same exact model/rev that I have for my other 2 sticks.

 

Well, I got the replacement stick and I have the SAME Issues! I got all these weird errors so I did a fresh OS install thinking XP was just being cranky. The OS install goes good and Im not sure if it was the VIA or Radeon drivers that got me back to the same problem. I dont know what could be wrong. I used the new stick on Bank 0 and 1 on Bank 1. The stick works, but once I put in a 3rd stick there is something in the OS that does not like it. Ive check the swap file and set it but that didnt work.

 

I have a KT7-Raid board running Win2K Server w/ 1.5gig of Mushkin RAM and that did not give me any problems at all. It originally had 320mb PC-100 and when I put in the 1.5gig that didn't bark at all.

[Vampy 0]

I have exactly the same memory setup ie. 3 x 256mb sticks from Crucial and have had no problems like this.

 

However I did have the some issues with Me, which turned out to be a hack of the reg to get it to recognise >512mb,(shouldn't be an issue in xp) AND the bios settings.

[Ultrix 0]

You guys are paranoid idiots.

 

If you take the total system ram, subtract the amount used for the system cache, u get the available. Available is just what is free and not in use. That is why everytime you run msinfo32 u get a different number. If you press ctrl-alt-del and go to task manager, change to the performance tab and look at the physical memory box. It lists total, available, and system cache, and believe it or not, system cache + available = total :-)

 

Ultrix

[tweaked 0]

Ultrix,

that is NOT what we are talkimg about (execpt Vampy, he missed the point), yeah in device manager it shows 512 meg of memory, yeah my system is using all 512.

 

the concern is that it doesnt report the hardware properly in other area's of windows I.E. msinfo.

 

this is cut and pasted right out of msinfo:

 

Total Physical Memory 256.00 MB

Available Physical Memory 316.41 MB

 

 

obviously it is using the full 512, otherwise it would not have 316 available, and yes thats 316 AFTER subtracting system cache and that used by programs...

 

the problem is THIS >>>>>>>>Total Physical Memory 256.00 MB

 

NOT this>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Available Physical Memory 316.41 MB

 

Total physical memory is supposed to show my full 512.00 MB. NOT half of it. And NOT Memory left over after i subtract memory used by the system.

 

If i pull one of my 256 sticks it STILL says:

Total Physical Memory 256.00 MB

 

Let me state this for the cheap seats in back that may not be hearing me correctly.

 

IN THE HELP AND SUPPORT CENTER PROGRAM, WHEN YOU CLICK ON:

<VIEW GENERAL SYSTEM INFORMATION ABOUT THIS COMPUTER>

 

IT IS SUPPOSED TO SHOW TOTAL (AS IN ALL PHYSICAL) SYSTEM MEMORY!

 

IT DOES NOT DO THIS FOR EVERY ONE!

 

this is a bug, albeit a not very important one as it is apparent that if device manager correctly see's all the memory, its there and obviously being used.

 

 

Ultrix watch who you are calling an IDIOT, it is apparent that you didn't fully understand what we were talking about before you posted.

 

you start calling people names and you wont get help from them in the future.

 

allright i am putting my soap box back away.

[EddiE314 0]

are you sure you guys aren't using high density ram? thats the only thing i can think of off hand. Sorry.

[Vampy 0]

Tweaked...eh OK! Sorry did misunderstand a bit!

Ultrix..Dont think im paranoid or an idiot thanks.

[Manos 0]

Originally posted by Ultrix:

Quote:

If you press ctrl-alt-del and go to task manager, change to the performance tab and look at the physical memory box. It lists total, available, and system cache, and believe it or not, system cache + available = total :-)

 

Hmm... no.. this is not correct.. Mine says:

 

Physical Memory (K)

Total 523760

Available 263580

System Cache 368220

 

368MB + 264MB = 632MB (I have 512MB RAM)

I havn't checked that other stuff that was wrong... I don't wanna get to depressed right now

 

Just a correction... Nothing peronal...

[emthompson 0]

Just a quick question. Why does it matter if it is say the wrong number as long as it recognizes it when it need to? It seems as though you guys are saying that the ram is being used it is just not displaying the right numbers. Well if i have learned one thing from this forum it is to relax. If you worry about every little wrong thing that your OS does then your head would explode. Im not trying to knock you I'm just giving one view of the situation. And to add soem mystery to the situation, I have the same setup as the first guy, a 128mb pc-133 and a 256 pc-133. my system recognizes then perfectly.

 

I have learned to live with what I got. Im not saying dont fix what needs to be fixed but just pick and chose your battles.

[tweaked 0]

ya know, it really doesn't matter.

but as an out of work pc tech i'm really bored and just looking for SOMETHING to fix...

[emthompson 0]

Well since your bored chew on this. Why does my floppy drive run slow as hell now that I switched to XP? My hard drives also seem to be a tad slow. Ohh and when I bring up menues , say the applications menu for instance, it pops up as a big grey box then fils on the applications. It takes about 1 second for the applications to show up. It is like this when I try to open up my computer and stuff like that.

[tweaked 0]

gimme a detailed list of your hardware and software drivers.

[emthompson 0]

Windows XP Corp

Soyo SY-K7VTA

Athlon T-Bird 1

VIA 4-in-1 4.35

384 MB PC-133 (256 - 128)

Matrox Graphics Mystique PCI 2mb - Soon to me VisionTek ti 500

Drivers - XP Drivers 5.1.2001.0

SBLive Value

Drivers - XP Drivers 5.1.2601.0

3com 3c905b-tx 10/100 nic

Drivers - 4.5.0.0 Provided by Microsoft

WD 30gb 7500 rpm Ultra DMA - Recognized as SCSI?

Drivers - XP Version 5.1.2535.0

Maxator 30gb 7500 rpm Ultra DMA - Recognized as SCSI?

Drivers - XP Version 5.1.2535.0

Samsung CD-RW SW-208B - Recognized as SCSI

Drivers - XP Version 5.1.2535.0

Pioneer 16x 115 DVD - Recognized as SCSI

Drivers - XP Version 5.1.2535.0

Floppy - Driver - XP Version 5.1.2600.0

Lian-Li PC-60usb Case

250 watt power supply - I have a 300 Enlight but mobo won’t accept it

 

 

I have no clue as to why it thinks all my IDE are SCSI!!!!!

I had to disable the VIA bus master IDE drivers because XP wouldn't stop bugging me about it. I figured that it was under SCSI RAID stuff so it cant hurt since the mobo has absolutely no SCSI or RAID on it.

 

 

I tried to give a picture of my devise manager but it is not working,

I didnt even notice that it thinks the IDE is SCSI!!! That might be the problem but I have no clue. If you want any other info just let me know what and how to find it.

[tweaked 0]

when you installed the 4.35 via drivers did you install the ide portion?

 

if so, yes that is likely the problem

[emthompson 0]

this was happeneing before the 4.35 instal

[tweaked 0]

are you in acpi mode?

does all your stuff share one irq?

[emthompson 0]

OK man, you gota tell me how to get you the answers. Im not the sharpest knife in the box but if you give me the general idea then I can do it. I dont know how to look up IRQ's or acpi stuff. Just tell me and I will get your answers to you.

[tweaked 0]

right click on my computer, choose properties.

go to hardware, click device manager.

click view, choose resources by type.

click irq.

 

send me the results

[emthompson 0]

Ok here you go. I really wish I could just take a picture and put it on here.

0 System Timer

1 Standard Keyboard

3 COM 2

4 COM 1

6 Floppy

8 System CMOS

9 Microsoft ACPI compliant system

13 Numeric Data processor

14 Primary BM Ultra DMA Channel

15 Secondary BM Ultra DMA Channel

(PCI)5 Creative Modem Blaster v.90

(PCI)5 VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controler

(PCI)5 VIA Rev 5 or later USB Universal Host Controler

(PCI)10 Matrox Graphics PCI

(PCI)11 3com Either Link

(PCI)12 Creative SB Live! (WDM)

(PCI)12 VIA AC'97 Audio Controler (WDM)

 

There you go!!!

[tweaked 0]

try disabling your onboard audio, it is sharing its irq with the sblive, and i assume your not using the onboard audio?

 

we should switch to email for this.