32bit XP with 4GB RAM

Hi

I built a new pc recently, and put vista 64 on it. After much messing about with drivers and software, I ended up going back to 32 bit XP (SP3). Long story short - I couldn't get my 2 graphics cards playing nice in vista, and I couldn't get my tv tuner working well in 64 bit.

When I bought the machine, because I was expecting to have a 64 bit OS, I got 2 x 2GB sticks of RAM. When I took the decision to downgrade to 32 bit XP, I expected to lose some RAM (32 bit etc), and expected to get around 3.2GB.

Now that I'm up and running, XP shows only 1.93GB of RAM. I have checked with CPUz, and it sees both sticks, and recognises 4GB, but in the system properties, and also in task manager, I only see 1.93GB.

I have been googling this all morning, but haven't managed to find anything useful.

Does anyone have any ideas where my 1.27GB (3.2 - 1.93) of RAM has gone? Is this to be expected?

Hope that makes sense!

Thanks

V

Start> Run>MSCONFIG.EXE> BOOT.INI tab> Advanced Options button... UNcheck
/MAXMEM box.

Lookie here.

You won't be able to use all 4GB for one single application, though. At once, I mean. But it should halp when running lots of stuff.

Thanks guys

clocker - I had a look in the advanced settings of boot.ini, and the box was already unticked. When i tick it, the max I can set it to is 1984.

Snee - congrats on the little one! and I followed the link, and think i understand a bit better what is going on. I think I read elsewhere that PAE has been disabled from SP2 for XP - nevertheless, I tried it without success. I also tried the /3GB switch, which didn't work either.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

V

Hmm.
The numbers you're showing make it seem like one stick isn't getting read at all.

Maybe try pulling one stick, see if Windows is happy.
If so, swap to the other stick and see what happens.

Then try it again with both sticks.

Seems like makework, but you never know.

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Originally Posted by vivitron 15

Snee - congrats on the little one!

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Bret: My wife and I weren't able to have children. ... Bret: Yeah, she's imaginary, yeah. The kids take after her in that sense.

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and I followed the link, and think i understand a bit better what is going on. I think I read elsewhere that PAE has been disabled from SP2 for XP - nevertheless, I tried it without success. I also tried the /3GB switch, which didn't work either.

Any other ideas?

Thanks

V

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http://www.eggheadcafe.com/community...tion-does.aspx might halp.

PAE needs a bit of tinkering but should be enablable. /3GB might be more help though, if you can get it to work. The above link may do it for you. If you get the entry working you can take the original out or better yet put the 3gb entry as default and save the other. Be careful, though.

It's been ages since I've used it myself. Not using anything with above 2gigs myself nowadays, but last I heard both tweaks should be usable on XP. Although it might be it only works with xp pro. Are you on XP home?

But clocker makes a good point about it possibly being bad ram or something.

Thanks again guys. I think clocker's idea is the first place to start - the simplest solution is usually correct and all that!

Failing that, I'll try adding a new line to boot.ini, as per the link.

Grrr, why are pcs so complicated - im sure MS do it just to keep IT people in work!

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Originally Posted by vivitron 15

Grrr, why are pcs so complicated - im sure MS do it just to keep IT people in work!

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Nope, they do it so that when they change things around they can make the IT guys pay for expensive training courses. :angry:

edited, basically said the same thing as clocker

Quote:

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Originally Posted by vivitron 15

Thanks again guys. I think clocker's idea is the first place to start - the simplest solution is usually correct and all that!

Failing that, I'll try adding a new line to boot.ini, as per the link.

Grrr, why are pcs so complicated - im sure MS do it just to keep IT people in work!

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hey now, i would like to keep my job :D

Well, yesterday I pulled one of the RAM sticks, and booted: windows showing 1.93GB. Pulled the other stick, booted: 1.93GB. Put both sticks back in, but in the yellow sockets (were in black before): 1.93GB.

One thought I just had is: is it worth trying one in a black, and one in a yellow?

The next step is to try with the /3GB in front of /fastdetect, as per the link above.

...and I'm on XP Pro

Actually, after a little more googling, I found a link that suggests turning "memory mapping" off. I will also try this, see if it helps any (I have the Asus P5B motherboard).

hmm, so I booted into Bios and changes the memory mapping setting (it was off, so tried it on), and that did nothing.

I also tried putting /3GB in the boot.ini file - same.

The last chance is trying one yellow and one black. Interestingly, bios showed up as 2GB just now - im sure it didnt when the ram was in the black slots...

hmmm, so i have put the two sticks in slots 1 and 2 (black and yellow), and bios definitely shows 4GB installed.

Using either the default boot.ini or the boot.ini with /3GB, I get the same - 1.93GB.

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OK, it turns out that I need to have "memory mapping" turned on for 4GB to show up in bios; with it turned off, only 2GB shows up.

Now, I'll try (again) using the /3GB switch, to see if that does anything

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Hmmm, so I turned "memory mapping" on, with the sticks still in different coloured slots, and booted with the /3GB switch, and still nothing.

Very bizarre. I'm hoping to mess about with some home movies, and so was hoping to have the extra RAM to help out. In the meantime, I have cleared a partition and "bought" a copy of XP 64bit. I am going to install this on the spare partition and dual boot. I figure this will help with two things: firstly, I can have 64bit, 4GB RAM for home movie stuff (on a cleanish system), and secondly, I will know that I can get 4GB RAM working (i.e. its not the RAM thats the problem).

Still would love to get the extra in 32 bit though!