I might need REAL assistance...

[dortmunder]

Stupidly, I changed a BIOS setting (an ASUS model - I 'enabled' Top Performance thinking it would allow me to see the full 4G of the RAM I newly installed). The PC just beeped, I had to switch it off and now nothing happens when I switch on.

Can anyone recommend a reliable PC repairman in Wick?

Many thanks

[dx100uk]

put the memory back the way it was
then reset the bios to defaults.

should work

dx

[dortmunder]

That's odd. Last time I looked there was a reply from blueivy here but now it's gone...

Anyway, that first post of mine was made on a pal's PC but this post is being made from home. Which, of course, means I'm sorted! Damn, I'm so pleased with myself. Luckily, there was a 'how-to' in my ASUS handbook for CMOS reset but it was a damn fiddly job. There's all that space inside a desktop PC yet everything is so inaccessible - how do people with laptops manage? I put in new RAM a few days ago, that was a right fiddle and now the battery and the three wee pins - none of them easy to get at. Anyhoo, job done so thanks.

My problem started when I switched from 32 to 64 bit. With 32 bit, Control Panel/System says 'Installed memory - 4GB'. With 64 bit I get '4Gb (2.94Gb usable)' which left me feeling hard done by so I was looking for a way to 'get at' that extra RAM. I read a post in a forum about 'memory remapping' in the BIOS so I thought I'd give it a go. I couldn't find the remapping feature but, in the same area, I found Top Performance so assumed that was the same thing. Never assume...

So here's another poser for you clever chaps - is there any way to access that 1.06 of RAM that's being denied me at present?

Many thanks.

[blueivy]

My problem started when I switched from 32 to 64 bit. With 32 bit, Control Panel/System says 'Installed memory - 4GB'. With 64 bit I get '4Gb (2.94Gb usable)'


Which screen are you looking at that says this?

[dortmunder]

Hi Paul. This one:
The BIOS also sees 4Gb but with 3 available. I've read that the figure deducts RAM used by a video card but I've also read that, with x64, that doesn't apply and you should have all your RAM free. Seems to be a common issue.

[blueivy]

Need to wait until that attachment is approved before we can see it.

[dortmunder]

It's just Control Panel/System. (View basic info about your computer).

[blueivy]

It's just Control Panel/System. (View basic info about your computer).

I missed this:



The BIOS also sees 4Gb but with 3 available. I've read that the figure deducts RAM used by a video card but I've also read that, with x64, that doesn't apply and you should have all your RAM free. Seems to be a common issue.


It's to do with 32bit addressing in that it can't see any more than 4GB of memory. That's obviously as much as you have, however there is also memory used by the video card, BIOS, etc. that also need to be addressed. So, in your case, these other 'bits' are taking up just over 1GB of memory. However, this isn't applicable in an x64 system as the theoretical limit is 16 exabytes (a lot of memory). However Windows 7 x64 RC (which is Win 7 Ultimate) is limited to 192GB of memory.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't have this problem with an x64 operating system.

Two things spring to mind:

1. Maybe a BIOS issue (a long shot but possible) - try updating it to the latest.
2. Did you do a fresh install of Win 7 x64 or did you upgrade from Vista (I think you said before it was a fresh install)?

[dortmunder]

Hi Paul. Yep, I have the latest BIOS version. Mine is a 'basic' board (so I read somewhere) and does not have the option to do 'memory remapping' (which, I've again read, could cure this sort of problem). I installed the Win7 x64 onto a freshly formatted D drive. Might my RAM issue be linked to the Vista x32 which I've left in place on C??

Regards

[DocStone]

It is probably (I won't say 100% ;) ) due to the limitations of your motherboard and the inability to enable Memory Mapping.

This is a common problem with 64bit operating systems and >3Gb RAM. Until Mobo manufacturers realise that systems running >3Gb RAM are now no longer restricted to us PC geeks with more money than sense who run out to buy the highend boards (with so many BIOS options that by the time we figure out how to use them all the board is out of date again) and start enabling such functions on the entry level and lower priced Mobo's or at least releasing a BIOS update that actually does more than allow support for newer PC's then there is not much you can do I am afraid.

Google your Mobo and 3Gb and see what comes up.

[blueivy]

It is probably (I won't say 100% ;) ) due to the limitations of your motherboard and the inability to enable Memory Mapping.

I had a quick Google about this as I suspected that Memopry Mapping would only be necessary if you were running a 32 bit OS (to allow the full 4GB of memory to be usable on those systems I assumed the BIOS would remap parts of system memory elsewhere). However, that's not the case.

What DocStone says is spot on - I found this (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605) (remember Win 7 is just tweaked Vista underneath) - checkout the prerequisites in the Workarounds section.

[dortmunder]

A huge thanks to you both. Given that I can't 'remap' due to my run of the mill BIOS, I'm stuck with 3Gb available out of 4Gb. But what the hell - better than the 1Gb I had before and the 4Gb only cost me £30 in total.

Thanks again.