# [SOLVED] 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs



## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

I have 8GB of RAM installed in my comp but in systems it says "8GB (3.12GB usable)".

I am running...

windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS 
Core Duo 2 E7500
8GB RAM (4 x 2GB)
ABIT IL9 Pro MoBo (AMI BIOS)

Do I need to update the BIOS?


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Any help


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## smiti363 (Jul 23, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

try to run ur ram on different PC and see if the other system will detect all of ur ram because it wight be broken.

cheers


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## usasma (Apr 11, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Go to Start and type in "msconfig" (without the quotes)
Click on the Boot tab
Click on the Advanced Options button
Is the box that says "Maximum memory" checked? If so, uncheck it.
Click OK to exit the dialogs and reboot to make sure that the changes are saved.
Test to see if that fixed it.


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## DT Roberts (Jun 22, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Is this 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7?

32-bit operating systems can only use a maximum of 4GB, and even then it allocates some of the 4GB (usually about 1GB) for "shared system memory", so that it can be used for either your video card or directly by the system.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see now. I'll look into it. Just make *sure* that it's 64-bit, because that's exactly what happened with my 32-bit system.


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## jenae (Jun 17, 2008)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Hi, unless I am mistaken what you see is normal although using 3+ gig of memory is quite heavy usage, you have 8gb windows is using 3gb you still have almost 5gb of ram left. You will rarely see windows use all 8gb of ram.


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



jenae said:


> Hi, unless I am mistaken what you see is normal although using 3+ gig of memory is quite heavy usage, you have 8gb windows is using 3gb you still have almost 5gb of ram left. You will rarely see windows use all 8gb of ram.


My system is not using 3.12GB of RAM .
Under system in control panel it is saying 8GB of RAM is install and in brackets , it is say 3.12GB is usable.

In task manager its saying Im using 876mb of RAM and total physical memory is 3199mb


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



usasma said:


> Go to Start and type in "msconfig" (without the quotes)
> Click on the Boot tab
> Click on the Advanced Options button
> Is the box that says "Maximum memory" checked? If so, uncheck it.
> ...


I did as you said , it was already unchecked so I checked it then reset and nothing changed so I unchecked and reset and still nothing.


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## jenae (Jun 17, 2008)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Hi, digging deeper I see the specs on that board support only 4 gb of ram.


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



jenae said:


> Hi, digging deeper I see the specs on that board support only 4 gb of ram.


http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=IL9+Pro&fMTYPE=LGA775

I also made 100% sure before i got more RAM it supported 8 GB


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## pallepr (Jul 11, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

If you check the specs on intel.com for 945P then it says only 4GB is supported.


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

I see.

My next question would be..
Why the hell would a MoBo maker , make a board that supports 8GB of RAM just to have it counteracted by the chip set?.....Bloody stupid if you ask me


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## pallepr (Jul 11, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

The manual from their website says the same:

Memory
• IL9 Pro: 4x 240-pin DIMM slots (DIMM1~DIMM4) support
maximum memory capacity up to 4GB

So the specs on that webpage must be wrong.


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

It would explain alot


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

How old is the mobo? COuld it be that 4GB was seen at the time to be unreachable?


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Im not sure ot the release date but I have had it over 1 year


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

I guess this has been sorted .
Can be deleted now


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Hi - 

One last item, if you don't mind, please. 

Please run this Windows Management Instrumentation command (WMIC) that should shed additional light on the RAM. Bring up an elevated administrative cmd/DOS prompt -
START | type *cmd.exe *| RIGHT-click on cmd.exe above under Programs | select "Run as Administrator | then type/paste the following command - 

```
[font=lucida console]
wmic memorychip list /format:htable /translate:nocomma > "%temp%\1.html" & start iexplore "%temp%\1.html"
[/font]
```
An IE browser page will open with the results. Please save it in HTML format (file ext = HTML). Zip it up and attach to your next post.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

. 


Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.


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## paolosardi (Sep 2, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Ummm... are you really *really *sure you're running a 64-bit version of Windows?

Your problem sounds a lot like you've a 32-bit version installed.

If I were in you I would double check.


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



jcgriff2 said:


> Hi -
> 
> One last item, if you don't mind, please.
> 
> ...


I did ad you said but nothing showed in the IE window


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



paolosardi said:


> Ummm... are you really *really *sure you're running a 64-bit version of Windows?
> 
> Your problem sounds a lot like you've a 32-bit version installed.
> 
> If I were in you I would double check.


Yes Im really *really * sure lol


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## OldMX (Sep 8, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Load bios defaults or enable memory remapping option on bios


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



jcgriff2 said:


> Hi -
> 
> One last item, if you don't mind, please.
> 
> ...



Hi - 

That is interesting. I just tried the command on a different system and did not have trouble. Let's do this then... re-run the command, but this time the output will be in your documents folder - *memory.html*

Bring up an elevated administrative cmd/DOS prompt -
START | type *cmd.exe *| RIGHT-click on cmd.exe above under Programs | select "Run as Administrator | then copy/paste the following command - 

```
[font=lucida console]
wmic memorychip list /format:htable /translate:nocomma > "%userprofile%\documents\memory.html" & explorer "%userprofile%\documents"
[/font]
```
Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



jcgriff2 said:


> Hi -
> 
> That is interesting. I just tried the command on a different system and did not have trouble. Let's do this then... re-run the command, but this time the output will be in your documents folder - *memory.html*
> 
> ...


It is still showing nothing


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## tdk1988 (Sep 9, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



confrontation said:


> http://www.abit.com.tw/page/en/motherboard/motherboard_detail.php?pMODEL_NAME=IL9+Pro&fMTYPE=LGA775
> 
> I also made 100% sure before i got more RAM it supported 8 GB


ur mobo supports only 4 gb of ram and the lkink you have given is for IL 9 PRO V MODEL urs is IL PRO only


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



tdk1988 said:


> ur mobo supports only 4 gb of ram and the lkink you have given is for IL 9 PRO V MODEL urs is IL PRO only


Everything on that link is the same other then it saying its 8GB.
If you click the pic of the MoBo on that link it says on the board its a IL9 PRO V1.0 my understanding is the "V" means version , I may be wrong.
Also If you click the pic of the packaging you can just make out it saying "supports up to 4GB DDR2 667".

I have also found the box that my MoBo came in and it also says it supports 4GB (wished I had found it B4 I started this thred lol) , So everyuthing on that link is the same right down to the packaging , only thing different is it saying it suports 8GBs


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## tdk1988 (Sep 9, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

this means that now you got it that ur mobo supports upto 4gb of ram
and there can be errors like this on websites coz i have already seen many errors like this


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

Did you run the cmd/DOS prompt at an elevated admin level? 

Is there a file named *memory.html* in your documents folder?

Please try again -- 

Bring up an elevated administrative cmd/DOS prompt -
START | type *cmd.exe *| RIGHT-click on cmd.exe above under Programs | select "Run as Administrator | then copy/paste the following command - 

```
[font=lucida console]
wmic memorychip list /format:htable /translate:nocomma > "%userprofile%\documents\memory_09-10.html" & explorer "%userprofile%\documents"     & "%programfiles%\internet explorer\iexplore"  "%userprofile%\documents\memory_09-10.html"
[/font]
```
This is the entire command -- are you copying all of it?


jcgriff2 said:


> wmic memorychip list /format:htable /translate:nocomma > "%userprofile%\documents\memory.html" & explorer "%userprofile%\documents"



The repeated failures tell me that Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) may not be running or has encountered a problem. See what your Reliability Monitor looks like - is it blank or filled in?

START | *perfmon /rel*

I would encourage anyone reading this to try the command as well and let me know --- success or failure?

I have attached the output of the WMI command running on this system to this post. That is the info that may help us.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



jcgriff2 said:


> Did you run the cmd/DOS prompt at an elevated admin level?
> 
> Is there a file named *memory.html* in your documents folder?
> 
> ...


Everything you asked me to do I am doing right , the file is in my doco's.
The only thing is if I search cmd.exe in start search I can not find it , I just go to RUN and type cmd and when it loads Ithen paste the thing you said to put type in.


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



tdk1988 said:


> this means that now you got it that ur mobo supports upto 4gb of ram
> and there can be errors like this on websites coz i have already seen many errors like this


thanks for your info but I dont think you have helped me any , but again Thanks


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## blah789 (Aug 25, 2008)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

At boot time, do you get a memory test?
Like nnnnnn KB OK?
What's the last number?
I'd guess either 4,194,304 or 8,388,608


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



confrontation said:


> Everything you asked me to do I am doing right , the file is in my doco's.
> The only thing is if I search cmd.exe in start search I can not find it , I just go to RUN and type cmd and when it loads Ithen paste the thing you said to put type in.



Hi - 

If the HTML file is in the Documents folder, then you did run the command successfully. However, it is necessary to run WMI at an elevated admin level.

Try to get to *cmd.exe * this way -

START | Computer | "C" drive | manuever to the Windows folder | go to system32 folder | scroll down until you see *cmd* | RIGHT-click on *cmd.exe* | select "Run as Administrator" | copy/paste the WMI command -


```
[font=lucida console]
wmic memorychip list /format:htable /translate:nocomma > "%userprofile%\documents\memory_09-10.html" & explorer "%userprofile%\documents"     & "%programfiles%\internet explorer\iexplore"  "%userprofile%\documents\memory_09-10.html"
[/font]
```
A Windows Explorer windows will open to your documents folder and a web browser page/ tab will open with the WMI output. Locate the file *memory_09-10.html* and *memory.html*. Select both, then right-click on one of them, select "Send to (compressed) folder". A zip file named memory.zip or memory_09-10.zip should now be in your documents folder. Attach it to your next post.

Curiosity, please -- if the memory.html file is there in your documents folder, why didn't you zip it up and attach it to a post? Was the file empty?

Thank you!

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.


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## tdk1988 (Sep 9, 2009)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

ok lets see what happens?
now that you have seen on the mobo box that it is written Supports upto 4gb
it is worthless to try and run 8gb :grin:


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*



jcgriff2 said:


> Hi -
> 
> If the HTML file is in the Documents folder, then you did run the command successfully. However, it is necessary to run WMI at an elevated admin level.
> 
> ...


Yet again it shows nothing when I open the html file
It also says this in the cmd prompt.

"Invalid XSL format (or) file name."


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

That would tend to indicate corruption of the OS.

Have you thought about a re-install?


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## confrontation (May 14, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

It was a fresh install two weeks ago.
I have a new MoBo on the way and also a new gfx card , so I will do a re-install when they turn up.
Now I know my current MoBo only takes 4GB I needed one to support ther 8GB I have.


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## jcgriff2 (Sep 30, 2007)

*Re: 8 Gigs of RAM win7 only using 3gigs*

OK... thanks for posting back.

Good Luck to you.

jcgriff2

.


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