ram size

[Guest]

under my computer it shows my ram being 512 but under help and support info it only says i have 256 ram why dont it read the same

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Does your system share main system ram with the graphics card? If yes, that
could be the issue.

 

[Cerridwen]

Does your system share main system ram with the graphics card? If
yes, that could be the issue.

Michael, I don't think so for a couple of reasons: -

1) If it was an on board graphics chip (I think of them as chips, rather
than cards as a card is something you plug into an expansion slot) then the
difference would be reflected in both places. I have verified this with my
father's system, which has 256MB RAM and an o/b chip which is currently
utilising 16MB (and running XP Pro) and the RAM reads 240MB everywhere.

2) I have never come across an o/b chip that takes any more that 64MB.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Sorry about the graphics card reference. I should simply have asked if
graphics was sharing with main system memory.

You may be right on the second but that's a default setting. I believe this
setting can be adjusted. It wouldn't surprise me to find a user who has
made such an adjustment yet not made the connection that they were stealing
from main system memory to do so.

Nonetheless, I should have included other possibilities such as possibly a
bad ram stick, especially true if the user just added more ram and suggested
swapping out the ram sticks to test them or a tester as in the following:
http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp

 

[Cerridwen]

Sorry about the graphics card reference. I should simply have asked
if graphics was sharing with main system memory.

You may be right on the second but that's a default setting. I
believe this setting can be adjusted. It wouldn't surprise me to
find a user who has made such an adjustment yet not made the
connection that they were stealing from main system memory to do so.

Nonetheless, I should have included other possibilities such as
possibly a bad ram stick, especially true if the user just added more
ram and suggested swapping out the ram sticks to test them or a
tester as in the following:
http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp

No need to apologise - that's just me! It's a BIOS thing, though, and 64 is
the maximum most BIOSes can be set to 'steal' (at least on every system I've
ever seen). It's not limited by the system RAM (IOW, if it was possible you
could set it for more than the physical RAM accidentally). Oh I know there
are many - my father was one until I explained.

Simmtester?! I'm a Memtest86 gal, myself.

 

[Cerridwen]

Sorry about the graphics card reference. I should simply have asked
if graphics was sharing with main system memory.

You may be right on the second but that's a default setting. I
believe this setting can be adjusted. It wouldn't surprise me to
find a user who has made such an adjustment yet not made the
connection that they were stealing from main system memory to do so.

Nonetheless, I should have included other possibilities such as
possibly a bad ram stick, especially true if the user just added more
ram and suggested swapping out the ram sticks to test them or a
tester as in the following:
http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp

No need to apologise - that's just me! It's a BIOS thing, though, and 64 is
the maximum most BIOSes can be set to 'steal' (at least on every system I've
ever seen). It's not limited by the system RAM (IOW, if it was possible you
could set it for more than the physical RAM accidentally). Oh I know there
are many - my father was one until I explained.

Simmtester?! I'm a Memtest86 gal, myself.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

Ah...obviously I have no experience with shared memory setups (Don't want
one, would never buy one<G>) beyond what I've seen in print or on these
boards. I was under the impression you could set graphics memory higher
then 64MB, assuming the system had enough physical memory to accommodate.

Thanks for the information.

Hmm, memory testers...I've tried both, not sure I really have a preference,
it was only an example!

 

[Ron Martell]

under my computer it shows my ram being 512 but under help and support info it only says i have 256 ram why dont it read the same

There is a known bug in the System Information utility in Windows XP
that does result in it reporting an incorrect amount of RAM in some
instances where there are multiple RAM modules installed and
especially when the modules are of different sizes (e.g. 2 pcs of 128
mb plus 1 of 256 mb for 512 mb total).

So long as the System Properties window reports the correct RAM amount
this is purely a cosmetic issue and it will have no effect on
performance or memory usage. I do not know if this bug is being
fixed as part of the pending Service Pack 2 updates for Windows XP.

Hope this explains the situation.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"The reason computer chips are so small is computers don't eat much."