windows 7 ram problem

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quantum

New user

3 posts
Posted: 18/03/2010 5:03 PM

i recently finsihed building a brand new computer with 4 gig of ram and windows 7 64 bit operating system, my problem is that it states that i only have 2 gig instead of 4, i thought that the 32 bit version of windows 7 would have this problem, not the 64 bit.

so could someone please help me, this is urgent

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EvilChickenMonkey

User

307 posts
Posted: 18/03/2010 6:03 PM

Are you using 2 sticks of ram? If so, one might not be being recognised.

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ss-rotel

User

674 posts
Posted: 18/03/2010 6:03 PM

32 bit windows 7, and 32bit Vista SP1, will REPORT 4gb of memory, if it's there, but will only use 3.2

... only thing i can think of is that the board isn't as new as you think, and the 2gb sticks you are using are single sided, and @ a higher density that the BIOS can read properly.

you have jump'd into you BIOS to make sure it's reporting the memory properly.

We do all run MEMTEST 86 on all our machines before we install windows right?

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rogue316

There is nothing wrong with AMD.

Cornerstone member

284 posts
Posted: 19/03/2010 7:03 AM

ss-rotel wrote:
We do all run MEMTEST 86 on all our machines before we install windows right?

No. lol.

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quantum

New user

3 posts
Posted: 19/03/2010 9:03 AM

yes i am using 2 sticks of 2gb ddr3 1333mhz, also i do believe that they are double sided.

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ss-rotel

User

674 posts
Posted: 19/03/2010 11:03 AM

quantum wrote:
yes i am using 2 sticks of 2gb ddr3 1333mhz, also i do believe that they are double sided.

ok... soo, if you can see the chips, they are on both sides of the PCB? if so they are double sided... No guessing needed :)

IF you have a Heat spreader on them, you should still be able to tell if you look REALLY closely

still haven't been told if you have checked in the BIOS if it see's both 4gb of the ram. If it doesn't , it's not a windows issue...

Re-seat the ram, wiggle them in socket, swap them round, if they aren't detected in the BIOS and if that dont work, do a BIOS update with just one working stick of ram.

would hate to glich your board during the update.

NOTE - updating you BIOS is not for the complete novice. You can brick your shinny m/board quite easily with a bad update.

DISCLAIMER - this is JUST friendly advice. If you break it, it's not my fault *grin*

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EvilChickenMonkey

User

307 posts
Posted: 19/03/2010 12:03 PM

++ ss-rotel.
Checking the bios will isolate between software or hardware.
Reseating might fix the problem too.

These days updating the BIOS is easy; you can use a usb and do it from the bios (my preference) or do it through windows. The biggest problem is if the power goes out halfway through updating.

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ss-rotel

User

674 posts
Posted: 19/03/2010 1:03 PM

EvilChickenMonkey wrote:
These days updating the BIOS is easy; you can use a usb and do it from the bios (my preference) or do it through windows. The biggest problem is if the power goes out halfway through updating.

True, it is easier, but if there is a memory problem, and the problem manages to corrupt the information being written to the BIOS, then you end up with an expensive piece of fiberglass.

sooo, best to start by running memtest before hand, see if that picks up on all the memory, and/or glitches. If you end up with lots of errors, try each stick on it's own, and if neither error, you're BIOS will probably/deffinately need that update.

obviously if one errors on it's own, then you may have a dead bit of ram, and the motherboard was smart enough to not use the stick, hence 1/2 the ram.

Not that i've ever heard of a motherboard that would do that... but who knows...

Personally i recon 1 stick's not seated properly.

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quantum

New user

3 posts
Posted: 20/03/2010 9:03 AM

okay people, i took out both dimm and resat them, checking the bios both before and after with the same result of only 2 gig, i tried to only seat one stick in the first bay and the computer wouldnt work, tried some other bays and the same thing, according to the book you need to put one stick in bays A1 and B1 before it would work, which i have done with the same result of only 2 gig.

so what do you guys think.

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