RAM Problem (Windows 7 Pro 32bit) - 3,00GB installed, 1,98GB usable !? How come !?

I just installed Windows 7 (32 Bit) on an old laptop (Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo M6450).
Initially the laptop had 2 x 1GB modules and Windows 7 showed that those are available as it should be.

Now I replaced one of the modules with a new 2GB module, hoping to be able to use a total of 3GB RAM. Here the 2 modules:



However, Windows 7 isn't helping me much:



How is this possible and how do I solve it!??

Please pay attention that 1 GB is NOT reserved for the onboard Graphics - it wasn't when I was having 2GB and such an old chip certainly does not use 1GB for graphics (the laptop initially came with 512 MB RAM in total when it was purchased 5 years ago...).

Everest does show both modules as they are installed.

Any suggestions !???

 

According to Crucial, that notebook is limited to 2gb of memory.

 

... But obviously the correct amount is visible to the OS.... This doesn't add up. If it is a MoBo limitation, than shouldn't it only recognize 2GB and that's it?

 

Not necessarily. It can read the size of the module, but the memory controller can only utilize 2GB.

 

check in msconfig.exe -> Boot -> Advanced Options

if Maximum Memory is set to 2Gb

 

Nope. Checked that already. Was off and I tried setting it to 3 GB - didn't make a difference.

 

I think Pentium M chipset (855_M and 915_M) max RAM support is 2 GB. I don't think 2 GB sticks had come out yet, though electrically it may support 2 GB sticks, the memory controller maybe restricted to 2 GB. This happened with 965 chipset when it was found some laptops can do 8 GB DDR2, Arrandale with 8 GB sticks.

Most of the time it is a BIOS limitation, as Lenovo and Apple restricted 945 chipsets to 3GB and 2/3 GB, respectively. Maybe you'll want to post this at Fujitsu's support forum?

 

Gracy123, try the following:

Remove the 1GB stick and see if you can boot into Windows and if you still see 1.98GB usable.

If you can, continue...

Switch the 2GB module to the position the 1GB module was in before - see if you can still see 1.98GB usable.

If you can, continue...

Install the 1GB module into the former slot of the 2GB module and see if you can now have more than 1.98GB usable.

If this hasn't changed and there is nothing in the BIOS that may affect memory (even for the gpu?) then it is as everyone says: a platform limitation.

What is weird is that you may be able to try different (matching) RAM modules (shouldn't hurt to try 2x 2GB sticks) and then finally see more than 1.98GB usable.

Good luck.

 

As stated it is most likely a chipset limitation but do what tiller suggested to find out for sure. Also remember, integrated graphics can scale up based on the amount of memory you have. If you had only 1GB of system memory, the GPU won't be able to reserve 1GB but if you upgrade your system memory, the GPU can now take advantage of it.

 

Did all of this already - 1.98 all the way. I even inserted 2GB + 512 MB - 1,98 again.

I am just surprised Windows does realize there are 3GB installed and so does Everest showing the correct information about the sticks. I would expected them not to show anything different than 2GB installed... 2 available ...

 

That is certainly not the case I don't think anyone imagined/planned an integrated GPU to be using 1 GB of ram 5 years ago This is like having an integrated GPU use 4GB of ram now Not to mention that there never was and never will be an integrated GPU to use over 33% of your RAM

 

Funny how Windows sees 3 GB. Does your BIOS see 3 GB?

Many modern integrated graphics and leech a significant amount of RAM to use for VRAM. We had a Sony that could use up to 1.9 GB...

 

BIOS sees 2GB How is that even possible

Many modern integrated graphics and leech a significant amount of RAM to use for VRAM. We had a Sony that could use up to 1.9 GB...[/QUOTE]
Yes but certainly not being 33% of the total memory and certainly not on a 5 years old machine

 

Which chipset is it using?

 

System, processor, architecture
Chipset: Intel 915GM+ICH6-M
CPU: Intel Pentium M processor, FSB 2 MB SLC
Pentium M 725A (1.60 GHz) / 400MHz
Pentium M 735A (1.70 GHz) / 400MHz

Everywhere I check, I see 2GB max.

 

915GM doesn't have remap but does address 4GB so you will get less than 4GB but don't know why your limited to 2GB.

Look in MSINFO32 under HW/memory and correlate to E820 map that's generated by BIOS.

Have you updated to the latest BIOS?

BTW AFAIK iGD shouldn't use more than 64MB of dedicated RAM.

 

Hmm, Fujitsu-Siemens have such a horrible support that I don't even know if there is another Bios or ever was.....

 

Looks like updating the BIOS will not help. Looking at the last BIOS 1.01C on the fujitsu site, it's capping RAM to 2GB.

Code:

                 shl     bl, 1
                 cmp     bl, 80h
                 jbe     short loc_319A
                 mov     bl, 80h            ; <--- TOLUD capped to 2GB

 loc_319A:
                 mov     eax, 9Ch

You could try a BIOS mod forum if it bothers you enough.

 

"Awesome". Well whatever. I just had the RAM laying around and thought it would be great to make 3 out of 2, especially after upgrading to Windows 7, but if not... than I guess not :-/
Thanks a lot for your help to find the reason! +rep

 

Gracy123,

I thought you may have tried those suggestions I made previously.

Could you see what Resource Monitor under the Physical Memory tab is showing and maybe post it here?

Like this:

 

I think this is just an issue of Windows 7 being smarter than the older BIOS. Once Windows has booted, ACPI takes over to control hardware in the machine. Windows however is reading the SPD chips in the RAM and displaying that. The BIOS reads what it can of the RAM manually and adds it up, Windows just reports what the SPD chips tell it.

So as everyone has already said, it's just a chipset limitaion

 

Can make a screenshot later, but it shows the missing 1 GB as Hardware Reserved ....

 

So, it's either reserved by the Video card (as someone already guessed) or simply by the BIOS (more likely, seeing that the BIOS only shows 2GB total) 'cutting' off anything above 2GB.

Either way 2GB is all you get Gracy123!

 

As said - the GPU definitely isn't the case.
It has to be the BIOS I guess.
Pity I did not put the RAM while the computer was running XP to see what shows up there. I still find quite a few threads in different forums about Windows 7 somehow having problems with RAM on older laptops, whereas the BIOS turns out not to be the problem...

 

But if I have to accept there is nothing that can be done I still have 3 choices:

1. Leave it as it is - 2GB + 1GB installed, only 2GB usable (which... not clear)
2. Remove the 1 GB and leave 2GB in one of the slots
3. Put 2 x 1GB in each slot.

What would be better?

The 1GB ram pieces are quite old and a cheap brand. The 2GB piece was in use for one year in another pc.

 

I would find it impossible to believe that Win7 is the culprit here (and that XP would see/use all 3GB - it wouldn't even see the 3GB is my guess).

Assuming that the system has support for Dual Channel RAM, the 2x 1GB modules is your best bet. 'Old' and 'cheap' doesn't mean anything. If they work (and DC is supported) it will give the best overall performance to this system.

Use CPUz to check for Dual Channel support on the MB.

(Actually, even if DC is not supported: I would still put these (otherwise worthless) RAM modules (the 2x 1GB ones...) in there anyway.

Too bad we couldn't help more (so, you don't want to mod the BIOS, eh?).

 

Yes, DualChannel is supported as far as I know but will check.

I would mod the BIOS if I could, but I can't

 

it is a chipset/bios limitation. I have a D410 facing the same issue, gave up on that.

 

You should install 64bit Windows OS and your problem will go away!

 

Given that she only has 3GB installed, 32 bit won't be a limiting factor. It's only when you go above 3-4GB that you need 64 bit.

 

Exactly.
32 bit has nothing to do with it! This is a totally different limitation.

 

are you sure ?

 

No, I'm pretty sure he doesn't no what he's talking about since on my Win 7 32-bit system, it reads 3GB just fine (not my current Acer). Also, Gracy you are incorrect. Integrated graphics can consume 1GB out of 3GB in some situations, but when it is not used, it would scale down.

 

If I remember correctly, the video on that supports only 256megs of ram at most,. Is that a bios or chip limit, I'm not sure, I don;t even remember where I saw it, but that is the limit.

As mentioned, this is most definitely a bios limitation, and Windows 7 is just reading the SPD information. 64bit will do absolutely nothing here as it's the bios locking you down.

There groups out there who can and will mod the bios for you, some may ask a small fee, some may not, I have never used or looked into it, but I do know they exist. Doing so could introduce new problems such as stability or a trojan, so buyer beware.

 

The Intel Pentium M shown in the screenie in the starting post is a 32 Bit processor and doesn't support a 64 Bit OS!