Re: FOAK: Questions for memory/BIOS experts (long and technical...)

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:43:54 +0100, Carl LHS Williams <ArK7prciXtWGb2qn@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In article <9tKdnYTgA_ST0cvXnZ2dnUVZ8q6dnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Andy Burns <usenet.nov2008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dr Ivan D. Reid wrote:

[snippage]

I find it hard to believe a device fault could cut 2x2 GB dual-channel
down to 3.25 GB -- or even 3.0 -- as the addressing doesn't work like
that. Does anyone know if this is likely? Is it normal for a BIOS to
limit the amount of RAM it reports (I thought 32-bit Windows had a 3 or
3.5 GB limit; MSDN suggests it's 4 GB)?

My flatpot has 4GB, with embedded graphics eating some of that (I
believe the amount eaten is variable with intel graphics rather than
fixed at boot time) XP sees 3.45GB

You might have BIOS settings for "AGP aperature" or "memory hole" that
might make a difference.

I have a vague recollection of issues with large RAM models related not
so much to absolute size as to mapping and placement.

Ah, here we go: http://kerneltrap.org/node/2450

Have a browse around from there, there are probably similar issues with
Windows etc, to do with deciding how to map things.

The only other related thing I can call to mind is that I know if I stick
4G of RAM in my MacBook, it can only see and make use of 3G of it, allegedly,
and that this is a MIOS/motherboard/MMU limitation.

This may shed some light:

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000811.html



In the comments of that blog this article
http://www.geoffchappell.com/viewer.htm?doc=notes/windows/license/memory.htm
seems to say that (for a 32bit Ms OS) it's a MS licencing issue.


--
Siggy played guitar
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Not enough Rams!!!!!
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    (microsoft.public.security.virus)
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    ... I really don't know why the System Properties reports a slightly smaller amount, it might be a glitch in the operating system on your particular machine. ... In System Properties->General, machine B says: "2.00 GB of RAM" and in msinfo32, machine B says: "Total Physical Memory 2,048.00 MB." ... If you have XP Pro you can use WMI to get the processor name at a command prompt and you might see the clock speed along with the name: ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)