RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing)

Nghf7659 · 05-11-2008, 05:45 PM

Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 build 6001
Upgraded ram from 1GB to 4GB. Vista reports 4GB installed in msinfo32 but only about 800mb are installed physical. same as watching perfmon, only uses about 800mb, just like it did before i upgraded the RAM, the ram was not purchased in addition to original, it was a full replacement, so the sticks are good, and also my second OS server 2k3(same HD) utilizes all the 3.5 i should have very well. Ran vista's memory diagnostic and no problems were found. Could someone clue me into what vista is up to with that? is there a setting or something i am missing. I was on phone with Micro for 2 hrs and he said it was going to the research team and they would contact me. Lame. any light that could be shed would be much appreciated.

if this topic was posted already, sry for the double
Thx

frank200 · 05-12-2008, 08:20 AM

Unless I am reading you wrong, all of your memory is installed physically but you are only using 800 MB of th total available memory. The rest of it is cached ready to be used if need be. Whatever you were using previous to the memory upgrade will not change as a result of the memory upgrade.
The amount of phsical memory used is equal to what is running in the system at the present time. So if you open an application that is not currently running you will see an increase in the amount of physical memory being used. Vista remembers what applications you use most frequently ard caches those applications into memory at startup to reduce the time necessary to load the application when you need it. This is why Vista usually takes so long to boot up.

If you want to know your total phsical memory installed and what has been cached, and therefore by deduction what is being used look in task manager:

Capture.JPG

Nghf7659 · 05-12-2008, 08:08 PM

image 1.Firefox is only thing running..

2. Here there is two Game clilents open and connected, also VMware is running and streaming a video on firefox, Winamp is also running.
notice there is no increase in total RAM

Since i posted, Microsoft "Research Team" called me and did exactly what the first guy did, i allowed remote, he looked at TM, MSinfo32, and again told me theyd have to look into it. so i have no clue.

Vista isnt only not showing that its there, its not utilizing it when it should be. In the second pic, the computer is very slow to respond. Even with 4 of those clients running in the other OS it has no issues when utilizing all 4GB. Vista will lock up and throws the clients off the internet, and inevitably something will go unresponsive. The second pic was going to be with 3 clients, but they kept crashing, and once the screen capture software i had went unresponsive. The HD is very clean, having uninstalled, Defraged, Registry cleaned, disk cleanup. i have only stuff running that i use regularly.

so no, thats what the first guy from microsoft tried to tell me as well, but when he looked at himself, he passed it on to someone else. I have no idea. i do know what im doing to some degree, i have a couple IT certs. but i dont understand why vista wont use all the memory... any help is appreciated thx

Edit:posted wrong pic

1 g0t 0wn3d · 05-12-2008, 08:23 PM

What motherboard do you have and what ram did you get?

Nghf7659 · 05-12-2008, 08:37 PM

this is the mobo, from a prefab by acer obviously.
Acer EM61SM/EM61PM

OCZ pc6400 DDR2 800mhz, which is the same speed that came out of it.

Also this is a pic from the other os on the HD.
notice all 4gigs show, and its utilizing past 766mb.
there is 3 game clients open, and a bunch more stuff, way more than in vista. Winamp, audacity, firefox is streaming a video. xfire, yahoo messenger, WMP, all running when that shot was taken.

Its not the old memory that vista uses either, its 1gb of the 4 brand new installed, the other sticks are removed.

Edit:forgot to upload pic
Cant see it but its using almost 900mb there.

Nghf7659 · 05-12-2008, 08:44 PM

the first pic in my second post was not meant to be so small. the toal is 766, the cached is 300 something...

1 g0t 0wn3d · 05-12-2008, 08:44 PM

it looks like there is 4gb there

Nghf7659 · 05-12-2008, 08:45 PM

the post that shows 4gb is in the other Operating system. Not in Vista, the problem only lies in vista.

l_b_rex · 05-13-2008, 06:27 AM

Is your computer faster since you added ram? If so I would say this is a non-issue.

Nghf7659 · 05-13-2008, 07:45 AM

umm it is an issue, because the ram only works in one operating system. i use both....

frank200 · 05-13-2008, 07:55 AM

Do you have an option to boot the operating systems individually. If so, try booting Vista first, if you haven't done so already.

Nghf7659 · 05-13-2008, 09:56 AM

maybe i misunderstand, but i can only boot one at a time, from startup. Vista was the first one i booted after installing the new memory, i bought it to improve Vista.

l_b_rex · 05-13-2008, 01:15 PM

ok. I know what you are saying but my point is that if the computer is faster than the memory is working just not showing.

Nghf7659 · 05-13-2008, 02:46 PM

Vista is not performing any better than it did before the upgrade, while the other operating system is using it and has been running great ever since. IN server 2k3 i can get it to utilize 1gb or more of memory. when i try the same in vista, it gets up there to high 6-700mb and its starts getting very slow and unresponsive. no where in the above did i say it was running better in vista.... the other os is not the issue, i merely used it as an example to show that the ram is functioning as intended, BUT NOT WITH VISTA.

summary: Vista is running like it did before the 4gb upgrade. Will not utilize over what it was previously using. Now if anyone can shed any light on this, i would be grateful. I dont know how to further clarify this...

05-11-2008, 05:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
Nghf7659 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 8 OS: Vista SP1	RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 build 6001 Upgraded ram from 1GB to 4GB. Vista reports 4GB installed in msinfo32 but only about 800mb are installed physical. same as watching perfmon, only uses about 800mb, just like it did before i upgraded the RAM, the ram was not purchased in addition to original, it was a full replacement, so the sticks are good, and also my second OS server 2k3(same HD) utilizes all the 3.5 i should have very well. Ran vista's memory diagnostic and no problems were found. Could someone clue me into what vista is up to with that? is there a setting or something i am missing. I was on phone with Micro for 2 hrs and he said it was going to the research team and they would contact me. Lame. any light that could be shed would be much appreciated. if this topic was posted already, sry for the double Thx

05-12-2008, 08:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
frank200 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 142 OS: Windows Vista	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) Unless I am reading you wrong, all of your memory is installed physically but you are only using 800 MB of th total available memory. The rest of it is cached ready to be used if need be. Whatever you were using previous to the memory upgrade will not change as a result of the memory upgrade. The amount of phsical memory used is equal to what is running in the system at the present time. So if you open an application that is not currently running you will see an increase in the amount of physical memory being used. Vista remembers what applications you use most frequently ard caches those applications into memory at startup to reduce the time necessary to load the application when you need it. This is why Vista usually takes so long to boot up. If you want to know your total phsical memory installed and what has been cached, and therefore by deduction what is being used look in task manager: Capture.JPG

05-12-2008, 08:08 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nghf7659 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 8 OS: Vista SP1	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) image 1.Firefox is only thing running.. 2. Here there is two Game clilents open and connected, also VMware is running and streaming a video on firefox, Winamp is also running. notice there is no increase in total RAM Since i posted, Microsoft "Research Team" called me and did exactly what the first guy did, i allowed remote, he looked at TM, MSinfo32, and again told me theyd have to look into it. so i have no clue. Vista isnt only not showing that its there, its not utilizing it when it should be. In the second pic, the computer is very slow to respond. Even with 4 of those clients running in the other OS it has no issues when utilizing all 4GB. Vista will lock up and throws the clients off the internet, and inevitably something will go unresponsive. The second pic was going to be with 3 clients, but they kept crashing, and once the screen capture software i had went unresponsive. The HD is very clean, having uninstalled, Defraged, Registry cleaned, disk cleanup. i have only stuff running that i use regularly. so no, thats what the first guy from microsoft tried to tell me as well, but when he looked at himself, he passed it on to someone else. I have no idea. i do know what im doing to some degree, i have a couple IT certs. but i dont understand why vista wont use all the memory... any help is appreciated thx Edit:posted wrong pic Last edited by Nghf7659 : 05-12-2008 at 08:18 PM.

05-12-2008, 08:23 PM	#4 (permalink)
1 g0t 0wn3d Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sedona, az Posts: 6,141 OS: Vista basic 32bit My System	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) What motherboard do you have and what ram did you get? __________________ Bench Test \| PC Wizard \| System specs \| PSU info \| PSU calculator \| Memtest86+ \| Speedfan

05-12-2008, 08:37 PM	#5 (permalink)
Nghf7659 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 8 OS: Vista SP1	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) this is the mobo, from a prefab by acer obviously. Acer EM61SM/EM61PM OCZ pc6400 DDR2 800mhz, which is the same speed that came out of it. Also this is a pic from the other os on the HD. notice all 4gigs show, and its utilizing past 766mb. there is 3 game clients open, and a bunch more stuff, way more than in vista. Winamp, audacity, firefox is streaming a video. xfire, yahoo messenger, WMP, all running when that shot was taken. Its not the old memory that vista uses either, its 1gb of the 4 brand new installed, the other sticks are removed. Edit:forgot to upload pic Cant see it but its using almost 900mb there. Last edited by Nghf7659 : 05-12-2008 at 08:44 PM.

05-12-2008, 08:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
Nghf7659 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 8 OS: Vista SP1	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) the first pic in my second post was not meant to be so small. the toal is 766, the cached is 300 something...

05-12-2008, 08:44 PM	#7 (permalink)
1 g0t 0wn3d Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sedona, az Posts: 6,141 OS: Vista basic 32bit My System	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) it looks like there is 4gb there __________________ Bench Test \| PC Wizard \| System specs \| PSU info \| PSU calculator \| Memtest86+ \| Speedfan

05-12-2008, 08:45 PM	#8 (permalink)
Nghf7659 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 8 OS: Vista SP1	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) the post that shows 4gb is in the other Operating system. Not in Vista, the problem only lies in vista.

05-13-2008, 06:27 AM	#9 (permalink)
l_b_rex Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 397 OS: xp sp2	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) Is your computer faster since you added ram? If so I would say this is a non-issue.

05-13-2008, 07:45 AM	#10 (permalink)
Nghf7659 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 8 OS: Vista SP1	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) umm it is an issue, because the ram only works in one operating system. i use both....

05-13-2008, 07:55 AM	#11 (permalink)
frank200 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 142 OS: Windows Vista	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) Do you have an option to boot the operating systems individually. If so, try booting Vista first, if you haven't done so already.

05-13-2008, 09:56 AM	#12 (permalink)
Nghf7659 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 8 OS: Vista SP1	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) maybe i misunderstand, but i can only boot one at a time, from startup. Vista was the first one i booted after installing the new memory, i bought it to improve Vista.

05-13-2008, 01:15 PM	#13 (permalink)
l_b_rex Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 397 OS: xp sp2	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) ok. I know what you are saying but my point is that if the computer is faster than the memory is working just not showing.

05-13-2008, 02:46 PM	#14 (permalink)
Nghf7659 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 8 OS: Vista SP1	Re: RAM Availability(not the 3.2gb thing) Vista is not performing any better than it did before the upgrade, while the other operating system is using it and has been running great ever since. IN server 2k3 i can get it to utilize 1gb or more of memory. when i try the same in vista, it gets up there to high 6-700mb and its starts getting very slow and unresponsive. no where in the above did i say it was running better in vista.... the other os is not the issue, i merely used it as an example to show that the ram is functioning as intended, BUT NOT WITH VISTA. summary: Vista is running like it did before the 4gb upgrade. Will not utilize over what it was previously using. Now if anyone can shed any light on this, i would be grateful. I dont know how to further clarify this...