8Gb of Ram showing as 6Gb in Server 2008 64-bit
Hi,I installed 8Gb of RAM in a machine running Windows Server 2008 64-bit.If I look at the System properties, it does list the RAM as 8.00Gb. However, in Task Manager, total physical memory is listed as only 6014MB. What's happening to the other 2Gb?
July 2nd, 2008 5:06am

Hi, I suggest installing the hotfix KB950233 first. The hot fix for your issue has been packaged and placed on an HTTP site for you to download. WARNING: This fix is not publicly available through the Microsoft website as it has not gone through full Microsoft regression testing. If you would like confirmation that this fix is designed to address your specific problem, or if you would like to confirm whether there are any special compatibility or installation issues associated with this fix, you are encouraged to speak to a Support Professional in Product Support Services. The package is password protected so be sure to enter the appropriate password for each package. To ensure the right password is provided cut and paste the password from this mail. NOTE: Passwords expire every 7 days so download the package within that period to insure you can extract the files. If you receive two passwords it means you are receiving the fix during a password change cycle. Use the second password if you download after the indicated password change date. Package: ----------------------------------------------------------- KB Article Number(s): 950233 Language: All (Global) Platform: x64 Location: (http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%20Vista/sp2/Fix227649/6000/free/344172_intl_x64_zip.exe) Password: eyTlPn1Yt NOTE: Be sure to include all text between '(' and ')' when navigating to this hot fix location! For more information about KB950233, please refer to the following article: The Microsoft System Information (Msinfo32.exe) tool reports the incorrect amount of physical memory in a Windows Server 2008-based or Windows Vista Service Pack 1-based computer that has more than 4 GB of physical memory installed http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950233/en-us Whats the result now? Hope it helps. Tim Quan - MSFTMicrosoft Online Community Support
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July 2nd, 2008 9:19am

Hi Tim,I installed the hotfixand task manager still reports only 6014MB of physical memory. If I look at the Performance Monitor counters for Available and Commited memory, they reflect the values in task manager.. e.g. 2Gb committed, 4Gb available. So according to these two tools, I'm missing 2Gb somewhere.I just took a closer look at msinfo32.exe and while the numbers there changed after the hotfix, they still look odd. They read: Installed Physical Memory (RAM): 8.00GbTotal Physical Memory: 5.87GbThat looks wrong to me...Shawn
July 2nd, 2008 2:05pm

Hi Shawn, Please make sure your memory sticks are in the same brand, model and size. Memory sticks in different brands, models or sizes may cause compatibility issues. In addition, please update your BIOS to the latest version and contact your manufacturer to confirm whether your motherboard supports 8GB RAM. Various devices in a typical computer require memory-mapped access. This is known as memory-mapped I/O (MMIO). For the MMIO space to be available to 32-bit operating systems, the MMIO space must reside within the first 4 GB of address space. For example, if you have a video card that has 256 MB of onboard memory, that memory must be mapped within the first 4 GB of address space. If 4 GB of system memory is already installed, part of that address space must be reserved by the graphics memory mapping. Graphics memory mapping overwrites a part of the system memory. These conditions reduce the total amount of system memory that is available to the operating system. The reduction in available system memory depends on the devices that are installed in the computer. For more information about memory reorganization issues, please refer to the following articles: The system memory that is reported in the System Information dialog box in Windows Vista is less than you expect if 4 GB of RAM is installed http://support.microsoft.com/?id=929605 Windows Vista SP1 includes reporting of Installed System Memory (RAM) http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946003 Hope it helps. Tim Quan - MSFT
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July 3rd, 2008 11:18am

Hi Tim,The memory sticks are all the same. The manufacturer claims the motherboard supports 16Gb (but I only have 4x2Gb modules instead of 4x4Gb).I don't follow what you're saying about the MMIO space for 32-bit systems since I'm running 2008 x64..Thanks,Shawn
July 8th, 2008 1:46pm

Hi Shawn, I understand that you are using x64 edition of Windows Server 2008; however, the MMIO space also applies to x64 edition. Please understand that to use all 16GB of memory on a computer that has 16GB memory installed, we need to not only install Windows Vista/Server 2008 64bit, but also enable the memory remapping feature in BIOS. The memory remapping feature allows for the segment of system memory that was previously overwritten by the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) configuration space to be remapped above the 4 GB address line. This feature must be enabled in the BIOS configuration utility on the computer. View your computer product documentation for instructions that explain how to enable this feature. Many consumer-oriented computers may not support the memory remapping feature. No standard terminology is used in documentation or in BIOS configuration utilities for this feature. Therefore, you may have to read the descriptions of the various BIOS configuration settings that are available to determine whether any of the settings enable the memory remapping feature. When the physical RAM that is installed on a computer equals the address space that is supported by the chipset, the total system memory that is available to the operating system is always less than the physical RAM that is installed. For example, consider a computer that has an Intel 975X chipset that supports 8 GB of address space. If you install 8 GB of RAM, the system memory that is available to the operating system will be reduced by the PCI configuration requirements. In this scenario, PCI configuration requirements reduce the memory that is available to the operating system by an amount that is between approximately 200 MB and approximately 1 GB. The reduction depends on the configuration. Have you enabled the memory remapping feature? If you would like to know how to enable the memory remapping feature in BIOS, you can contact your computer manufacturer for detailed steps. Hope it helps. Tim Quan - MSFT
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July 9th, 2008 12:24pm

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