BIOS/Windows detects 4GB of RAM; Speccy detects all 8GB
31 replies, posted
To clarify, my computer does have 8GB of RAM but my BIOS only detects half of it.
For some odd reason, my BIOS and the built in system information program that comes with Windows only detect half of my RAM, while Speccy detects all 8GB I actually have. I know my motherboard supports more than 4GB of memory (it supports up to 16GB), I know my motherboard recognizes DDR3 memory as well, and I am absolutely certain my operating system is 64-bit, so I know none of those could be a problem, I don't think.
Specs:
OS: MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K @ 3.30GHz
Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD55
RAM: 8GB DDR3 (spread out over 4 sticks)
So am I doing something wrong or should I not concern myself over it?
I had problem with my computer only being able to use 4GB out of my 6GB with 3x2GB configuration due to 1 stick being broken.
So BIOS said 6GB installed 4GB usable and so did windows, but programs like Speccy/Everest/CPU-Z showed the ammount of installed RAM instead of the usable RAM.
You should be able to see the installed and usable RAM from the windows 7 Resource Monitor like shown in the image below(Sorry for it being all in Finnish).
[img]http://gyazo.com/42a5a43d1232ed6fd89a7b0dc638bdbc.png[/img]
Well, never knew about that program. Unfortunately, still shows 4GB installed.
Odd...
Check your BIOS if you can find anything about Memory hole remapping or memory remapping and enable that.
You totally sure you are not running something in 32-bit and hitting the cei-, no wait that would show only 3gb then. Weird.
[QUOTE=MIPS;30693201]You totally sure you are not running something in 32-bit and hitting the cei-, no wait that would show only 3gb then. Weird.[/QUOTE]
Windows 32-bit will still tell you you have 4GB.
[QUOTE=FlashStock;30693172]Check your BIOS if you can find anything about Memory hole remapping or memory remapping and enable that.[/QUOTE]
This. When I upgraded my RAM from 2 to 4GB, only something like 3006MB was usable. Then I enabled memory remapping in BIOS and the whole 4GB became usable.
[QUOTE=FlashStock;30693172]Check your BIOS if you can find anything about Memory hole remapping or memory remapping and enable that.[/QUOTE]
For some damn reason, I can't seem to find that in my BIOS. However, the BIOS that comes up when I try to set it up is some visual menu and not the classic BIOS screen that I know and love. I'm not sure if I can bypass the visual menu and get to the classic BIOS, and the visual menu is down right terrible.
I'm actually not sure if my motherboard supports memory remapping, but I'll keep looking.
I couldn't find memory remapping in my BIOS. Whether that means my motherboard doesn't have it or if I am not looking hard enough is completely up in the air.
I could still use some assistance.
[QUOTE=Fhenexx;30701740]However, the BIOS that comes up when I try to set it up is some visual menu and not the classic BIOS screen that I know and love. I'm not sure if I can bypass the visual menu and get to the classic BIOS, and the visual menu is down right terrible.
I'm actually not sure if my motherboard supports memory remapping, but I'll keep looking.[/QUOTE]
You sure you don't have uefi, if it's got a gui?
Go to the start menu and type msconfig and hit enter. Go to the boot tab and click Advanced Options. If Maximum memory is checked uncheck it. Then restart. If its not checked then IDK.
[QUOTE=WastedJamacan;30999425]You sure you don't have uefi, if it's got a gui?[/QUOTE]
Uh, if I am actually understanding what you are saying, I have a BIOS with an abnormal GUI instead of your typical UEFI interface (I think), which is why I think I'm missing something.
Apparently, the people down at MSI, who manufactured the motherboard, put in a visual GUI BIOS (they call it ClickBIOS or something) and I actually find it to be more difficult than the standard run-of-the-mill interface.
I hope I answered that right using the terminology correctly, which I probably didn't.
[QUOTE=Thor667;30999980]Go to the start menu and type msconfig and hit enter. Go to the boot tab and click Advanced Options. If Maximum memory is checked uncheck it. Then restart. If its not checked then IDK.[/QUOTE]
Checked that. No dice, unfortunately.
Gotcha.
To give you an idea what I'm talking about when I say "weird BIOS":
This is what I usually deal with:
[img]http://www.washington.edu/lst/help/computing_fundamentals/troubleshootingxp/img/bios.gif[/img]
And this is what I'm actually dealing with:
[img]http://micro.msi.com/clickbios/images/msi-p45-clickbios-screen2.jpg[/img]
Actually, I just figured out my interface [i]is[/i] a UEFI interface (I was wrong, go figure). Is there a way to get to the BIOS up top instead of the BIOS GUI on the bottom? (I don't think there is, but lord knows how many times I was wrong in this thread alone)
I'm pretty sure it's a motherboard thing so no, but I could be mistaken.
Should I just try re-installing my RAM sticks one at a time and see if that does anything? Or would it be a fruitless endevour?
[editline]8th July 2011[/editline]
Also, to reiterate, my BIOS and my OS are both reporting I only have 4GB [i]installed[/i], not just functional. Speccy still detects 8GB.
[editline]8th July 2011[/editline]
Ok, I have tried re-installing my sticks, and from only installing two sticks I am only getting 2GB of RAM. However, my BIOS is actually getting memory status readings from both of them, and my motherboard works on dual-channel mode. Could that be the problem?
Also, Speccy is detecting all installed RAM again.
One stick may be broken..
[QUOTE=WastedJamacan;31001843]One stick may be broken..[/QUOTE]
Nope, just installed the second RAM stick into the third slot and now I'm up to 4GB in my resource monitor.
I know that stick is now in a position that allows it to utilize dual-channel mode, but is there a possibility the other two slots are disabled for the same reason?
[QUOTE=Fhenexx;31000969]To give you an idea what I'm talking about when I say "weird BIOS":
This is what I usually deal with:
[img]http://www.washington.edu/lst/help/computing_fundamentals/troubleshootingxp/img/bios.gif[/img]
And this is what I'm actually dealing with:
[img]http://micro.msi.com/clickbios/images/msi-p45-clickbios-screen2.jpg[/img]
Actually, I just figured out my interface [i]is[/i] a UEFI interface (I was wrong, go figure). Is there a way to get to the BIOS up top instead of the BIOS GUI on the bottom? (I don't think there is, but lord knows how many times I was wrong in this thread alone)[/QUOTE]
UEFI =! BIOS
The BIOS is an anachronism in the modern age of computing. The reason it has survived for more than 25 years is because nobody could agree on what to replace it with, and having several implementations of a firmware bootstraping interface would cause massive problems for software developers having to support a plethora of proprietary standards. This is why the big three BIOS manufacturers (Award, AMI and Phoenix Technologies) all have the same standardized BIOS routines, despite their different looks and implementations.
UEFI is completely different from a BIOS in every aspect, and there is no way to get a screen similar to how the old BIOS looked, unless you programmed your own UEFI bootstrap interface.
[QUOTE=bohb;31002117]UEFI =! BIOS
The BIOS is an anachronism in the modern age of computing. The reason it has survived for more than 25 years is because nobody could agree on what to replace it with, and having several implementations of a firmware bootstraping interface would cause massive problems for software developers having to support a plethora of proprietary standards. This is why the big three BIOS manufacturers (Award, AMI and Phoenix Technologies) all have the same standardized BIOS routines, despite their different looks and implementations.
UEFI is completely different from a BIOS in every aspect, and there is no way to get a screen similar to how the old BIOS looked, unless you programmed your own UEFI bootstrap interface.[/QUOTE]
Well I guess I learned something new today.
On another note, it turns out from what I can gather:
[list]
[*]All DIMM slots are functional to an extent that I can get readings on installed RAM sticks.
[*]RAM installed in DIMM1 and DIMM3 are functional. RAM in DIMM2 and DIMM4 are not.
[*]All RAM sticks are functional.
[*]It's [b]not[/b] a problem with "maximum memory" being left checked in msconfig.
[/list]
If you have an idea, don't hesitate at all to throw it out here. Me and my horridly-limited computer knowledge are at a loss here.
I wonder if the memory controller is doing something dumb like bank interleaving and just not handling it properly. Can you install the two working sticks in slots 2 and 4 and have the computer boot?
Installed them only in DIMM2 and DIMM4 and it boots fine with all 4GB being detected.
Try taking both off, and then putting one back on and test with that. Then take that one off and plug the other one in. If it says there's 4gb usable in both tests, then I don't know.
What kind of Ram do you have? If it is the cheapo no name brand then that might be your problem.
[QUOTE=rsa1988;31090885]What kind of Ram do you have? If it is the cheapo no name brand then that might be your problem.[/QUOTE]
If by that you mean it's so shitty it's dead then agree but if you mean that it's just cheap and slow then no.
[QUOTE=rsa1988;31090885]What kind of Ram do you have? If it is the cheapo no name brand then that might be your problem.[/QUOTE]
I use 2GB Patriot PSD32G133K memory sticks, and that comes straight from the shipping manifest.
I don't know what could be amiss here I looked on the msi site at your motherboard and it says it supports 32 gb.
You should contact the technical support on the msi site or technical support for the Patriot since it's their products they may have better answers for you, and if you realize wile talking to them that shit's broken then it's easy to rma you're already there.
Oh man, I hate calling tech support. They never seem to figure out the problem and its just time-consuming. Nevertheless, you're probably right. I'll end up calling tech support sometime later. Still, if anyone still has any ideas how to fix it, I'm all ears.
Otherwise, since I already have a thread up, I do still have another question: my CPU used to idle around 37-39 degrees Celsius and now it idles around 41 degrees Celsius and it goes up to around 70 degrees Celsius when in heavy use with high-resource programs, like games. In the beginning, I thought this might be a problem with the thermal compound evaporating or otherwise, for lack of a better word, disappearing. However, after reading more into the subject, I figured out that it could be a problem with dust cluttering in the fan and the heatsink. I can't say for sure if that is the true problem, but I did find practical mounds of dust crowding the fans on my power supply and I definitely know I have pretty big dust problems. That said, what is the best way to get rid of dust out of heatsinks, fans, and just out of the computer in general without damaging anything?
So you've tried swapping sticks in the slots, and every stick works individually or in groups of two but not 4?
[QUOTE=WastedJamacan;31159288]So you've tried swapping sticks in the slots, and every stick works individually or in groups of two but not 4?[/QUOTE]
Yes, that's about right, but it only works as per the dual-channel rule (I can put them in slots DIMM1 and DIMM2 and it only detects one of them, but when I put one in DIMM3 from DIMM2, then it detects both).
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