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Memory question ?
Hi,
I received my new DELL computer last week, but I have a question about memory. When I check the amount of Memory RAM I have with Vista's control panel, it says 3070MB or 3GB,
although I ordered 4GB.
When I checked with DELL Suppprt Automated PC TuneUp software, it says 2GB..
I called DELL's technical support and they said the reason why I read 3070MB with Vista's control panel is because Vista uses 1GB for running itself and thus shows only the amount of available RAM.
Can anyone confirm that? I'm a bit suspicious about that...
With DELL Support Center software, I have this information:
3.0 My Memory
3.0.1 Total Memory 3 GB
3.0.2 Available Memory 2 GB
3.1 My Memory (Extended Information)
3.1.1 Total Virtual Memory 6325 MB
3.1.2 Available Virtual Memory 5104 MB
3.1.3 Total Page File Size 3369 MB
3.1.4 Available Page File Size 3331 MB
3.1.5 Swap File C:\pagefile.sys
3.2 Physical Memory Devices
3.2.1.1 Location DIMM_1
3.2.1.2 Memory Type Unknown
3.2.1.3 Speed 667 ns
I find weird that total memory is 3GB instead of 4GB. Available memory = 2GB?! Shouldnt it be 3GB of available memory if Vista uses 1GB?
Message Edited by Misou on 10-28-2007 11:27 PM
Message Edited by Misou on 10-28-2007 11:27 PM
discostu668
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Posted October 29th, 2007 09:00
the 32-bit version of vista doesn't allow 4GB of ram. i just maxed out my ram on my system (dimension 9150) and now i have 4GB installed. my system tell me i have 3.5GB of ram available... not sure why this number is higher than what most people are saying, but i'll take it. you can possibly try the hotfix available on microsoft's website to see if that'll squeeze any more ram out.there's a 32-bit and 64-bit version.but i would do some research before applying the hotfix.- Misou, As stated, you are getting the maximum memory for your system. The 2 Gb of Available Memory is correct though it sounds like you have quite a few programs loading at startup. Unless you upgrade (I wouldn't suggest it at this time) to 64-bit Vista all is as it should be.I would not install the fix mentioned unless you're getting that specific error message.
discostu668
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Posted October 29th, 2007 18:00
in my case, after i rebooted my computer a few times once i had the full 4GB installed, i got a message in my bios telling me that due to a hardware or software change, windows could not boot and no amount of restarting would get me past that point.unless the problem solved itself after i reseated all the ram (which i know was seated properly prior to the message) because i ran some tests to see if it was the hardware, the hotfix seemed to have fixed the problem for me.but i agree with you that the hotfix should not be installed unless you're absolutely sure you need it, which is why i suggested to do a bit of research first.and with no error message, there's likely nothing wrong anyway.discostu668
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Posted October 29th, 2007 18:00
i don't think it's ever a bad idea to have more ram than you need.parabola66
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Posted November 29th, 2007 03:00
Dell is correct and so is your computer. it will only show you what RAM is available and Vista does or can use 1 Gig of RAM. try this diagnostic tool to get a complete overview of what is going on in your system. It is called Belarc Advisor in case you wish to research it. It is a small software program and it pens up in a browser window to show you everything that is going on with your computer. Very cool tool indeed! I use it quite often...
C3PO5
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Posted October 29th, 2007 04:00