Gateway p-6831FX has 3 GB ram but my comp only shows 1?

I just got a gateway p-6831FX and in the WEI and system information it is only showing 1 GB ram when theres suppose to be 3... Whats wrong? My WEI still scores the memory correctly at 4.5... But it says theres just 1 gb installed.

 

HOW much memory is shown in the BIOS..??

And download CPUz too see how much memory it shows....

 

You can also check with Task Manager.

 

its probably taking away the Turbo Cache it can potentially use, which i think could be close to 2GB. or it could be WEI cause it sucks

Also have you taken it apart? the 2GB ram chip could be loose.

 

OR he could be using 32 bit version of vista?

 

Yeah, he could be using a 32 bit version of Vista, but that shows anywhere between 2.5 - 3.5GB of ram (depending upon the hardware) when 4GB or more is installed....!!
In the OP's case it could be the GPU eating away the memory, or a BIOS issue, or a bad or improperly seated module or WEI is screwed up.. or something else.?!

 

gonna try a windows reinstall first... If that doesnt work ill check the easier solution to make sure the sticks are not loose. I assume BIOS recognizes it as WEI says 4.5... Why else would WEI say 4.5? I forgot to check task manager to see if it read all 3 gb of ram.

 

checked windows task manager and it showed 1022 kb of ram.... 83% usage from basic bootup. SO i guess bios doesnt recognize the 2 gigs of ram

 

Best way is to check in the BIOS....If it doesn't show up in the BIOS either..Reseat the modules, and if no success....Switch the module's slots..!!

 

im a newb how do i do that? Just press f2 at startup?

edit i did f2... shows 1024 in slot 1 and 0 in slot 2.

 

ugh now on a restart my mouse buttons dont even work... wth....

 

Yeah F2 should make you enter the BIOS....!! Restart, check the BIOS, and before the windows loading screen comes up, press F8 - boot with last known good config....

 

ive opened the 2 compartments and cant find where the memory sticks are... where are they please.

the f8 last good config still doesnt make my mouse works. It seems like the comp trys loading everything and just stops... COuld it be a memory issue?

 

i hope this is for your notebook....

 

tried to rep u twice it only met me do it once, ill checxk that pdf out thanks

 

its alright man, you can only rep me once, at a time....

 

I don't think it is a memory issue....You mean the touchpad doesn't work..!!

Can you somehow go into device manager through the keyboard or to Control Panel --> Mouse....

 

after following those instructions there is only 1 stick in the damn lappy... Wow... I bought this as a refurb from that buy.com deal.

 

nope nothing on the keyboard works either. It works for like 10 seconds including the mouse then stops. After 10 secs all i can do is move my mouse around

 

Wait, where did you get this P6831FX?

It sounds like

a 2GB stick of RAM is missing.

Edit: Just saw your update.

Email/call gateway and inform them. It's covered under their warranty.

 

SAD....well seems you have a new problem now..!!

Did you change anything in the BIOS, or anything in windows lately..??

 

no, not that i know of, everytime i left bios i changed nothing

 

so you have a 1gb memory card in slot 0 and a 0gb memory card in slot 1.
If that is what the Bios reads, your 2gb memory card is faulty. I would recommend sending teh 2gb memory card back to the manufacturer, as you most likely received a defective memory card. A defective memory card can cause all sorts of problems, so it is best to remove it.
No matter what the operating system is, if the Bios doesnt read it, you know the memory card is defective.

K-TRON

 

Actually, I think he got screwed over. This refurb unit he bought appears to have had its 2GB stick of RAM removed as well as possibly motherboard issues.

Just call up Gateway and get them to fix it.

 

You sure there is not extra memory module in there..??

And since the mouse works, can you do a system restore to a stable restore point..?? Or did you have it switched off..??

 

oh, i see, he bought a refurbished system, I should have read all of the posts.
The only way to know for sure, is if you see any kind of artifacts or strange things in the bios. Usually when a memory card starts to die, the bios starts improperly reading everything, so if your system specs have jibberish anywhere that could be the problem.

However it does seem like dtwn83 is right. I would have it serviced by gateway, cause it looks like the seller pulled a fast one on you.

K-TRON

 

seller was buy.com i doubt they pulled a fast one. Just gateway giving them a bad unit it seems -_-

I am reinstalling windows with the OS CD that came with it. Hopefully that fixes my issue of not being able to use my mouse or keyboard for anything. Ill call gateway CS and see if theyll send me a replacement stick.

 

Yep, while I'm sure that Buy.com wasn't deliberately trying to take advantage of you, it looks like you might have gotten screwed. Reinstall and see how it turns out. If you're still having keyboard/touchpad issues, it might be lose connectors or a motherboard issue. Definitely call up Gateway CS. You can also chat with them online.

 

Try a repair install first....

 

Ugh, did a windows reinstall and its now not recognizing my gfx card. Getting a 1.0 and 1.0 for gfx and gaming gfx on WEI. Do I need to reinstall Nvidia drivers or something? Atleast my mouse now works ugh!

 

Check in Device Manager - What does it show for the Display Adapter..??
Did you do a clean install, or a repair install..??

 

clean install

 

That's a normal problem. The default install doesn't recognize the 8800M GTS. Just update those drivers. You can find them on Gateway's website if you have to.

 

repped, ill try that tomorrow and see if it works. Too sleepy now, I am just hoping buy.com offers me like $25 or $50 credit. Ill call tomorrow and update you guys. I still cant believe it came with 1 friggin gig of ram.

 

Good luck, we're just here to help. Drop by the Gateway forum if you have more problems.

 

If I put 3gb 800mhz ram sticks will they work in this comp?

 

Yes, but the 800MHz will downclock to 667MHz, because that is the max frequency the chipset supports....

 

Why not go for 4GB of RAM? And there are no 3GB sticks if that's what you're thinking. Only 1/2/4 GB.

 

Did you try to tweak the bootup of your computer via msconfig?

If so, go back to ---> the boot tab--=>advanced options------>and unclick max memory.

You maybe set your max memory to 1gig.

 

Worked like a charm. Looks like since I did a clean install of windows I had to install a ton of new drivers. Good news is theres no gateway bloatware

32 bit vista sees 3 GB. I meant 3 GB total. 1 2gb stick and 1 1gb stick.

No, it really just has 1 chip thats 1 gig.