Hi, I've upgraded from Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard to Enterprise in order to make use of more RAM. The server previously had 32GB of RAM. The upgrade from Standard to Enterprise, using DISM, seemed to go OK, so I powered down and installed the RAM. This a Dell Poweredge T710, I was taking it from 32GB to 72GB. The BIOS recognised the RAM, although I needed to change from "Advanced ECC" to "Optimizer" mode for it to use all of it. After rebooting, windows can see the RAM but in the system panel will display: Installed memory (RAM): 72.0 GB (4.00 GB usable) In the resource monitor, the remainder of the RAM is showing as reserved for hardware. I've tried various RAM configurations, including reverting it to the same chips and same configuration as before the upgrade, but always just 4.00 GB is showing up as usable. Following some threads on these forums I've gone into msconfig and set the maximum memory "by hand" but that doesn't fix the problem. How do I make this RAM available to Windows? It was available before the upgrade, because I could use the full 32GB RAM the server had to start with. A screenshot (this is after reverting to the original RAM configuration) http://screencast.com/t/5FuzevdNb I don't know if it's related, but my remote desktop configuration has also disappeared: http://screencast.com/t/mYedomeQWS (the bottom half of this dialog should allow me to configure Remote Desktop, it was working before the upgrade but now it isn't). Thanks, Tom

Hi Syed, I saw that suggestion elsewhere in the forums, but I can't see anything in the BIOS that looks like that setting. Does it go by any other names? This is a Dell Server (T710). Thanks, Tom

contact your vendor and see if it helpshttp://www.virmansec.com/blogs/skhairuddin

Additional possibility - is this likely to be the BIOS, as suggested by Syed Khairuddin, or could it be something about the upgraded Enterprise edition? - I'm using an MSDN key if that's a help.

Hi Tom, I suggest updating your BIOS and contacting Dell to enable memory remapping. For more information, please refer to the following article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978610/en-us Sorry but I do not have enough memory to test the issue. It will be appreciated if you could perform the following tests: 1. Clean Install Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise. 2. Clean Install Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard and then upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise using the disk. 3. Clean Install Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard and then upgrade to Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise using DISM. What are the results? Tim Quan

Hi Tim, OK, I have temporarily got round the problem - it's not the BIOS - but now I don't know how to fix it permanently. The clue came from this thread: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/winserverTS/thread/6debc586-0977-4731-b418-ca1edb34fe8b C Clarke appears to have done the same things as me: "We had "updated" these from Standard to Enterprise, using the DSIM utility and the generic KMS key available off of MS web site. We had then changed the license key, from the GUI to be a valid license key for Enterprise. After a reboot RDP was not working." "Just now I reverted to the "generic" KMS key and everything is working..." later on he says: "Then I used another valid MAK key, and everything still worked. If I use the other one (which is now working on a completely rebuilt server), it doesn't - also says 4GB usable out of 48GB RAM....?.." ...exactly the same symptoms as me; only 4GB usable RAM, no RDP. I've just changed the product key on our server to use the generic KMS key for Enterprise - and all is good. I have RDP, and I have 72GB RAM. But - I'm now using a key for which I don't have a license. This server is purely for development and testing (right now we need to have 20 VMs up at the same time, hence the need for extra RAM beyond 32GB and therefore Enterprise). Originally, the server came with a Dell OEM key for 2008 R2 Standard, it didn't start off with the MSDN key for 2008 R2 Standard. So, my question now becomes - how do I apply the MSDN Enterprise key and still retain more than 4GB usable RAM, RDP, and perhaps other features that I didn't spot were missing? Am I going to have to rebuild the server using the MSDN Enterprise key? Is it not possible to follow this upgrade path (OEM Standard Key -> MSDN Enterprise Key)?

ohhhhhh what a pleasure to learn new things on the forums. Never heard that this issue can be from the license key. Keep it up TOM :)..http://www.virmansec.com/blogs/skhairuddin

It looks funny. Another related thread: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/winservergen/thread/deec0d50-ab5d-4b97-a0a3-5402416b0344 It seems some features will not be available after using DISM to upgrade the system while not using a KMS key. I will continue to monitor this issue. Tim Quan

Thank you Tim. Do you have a suggestion as to what I should so next? It's running with the KMS key, but it won't work if I switch to the MSDN key. I can't leave it running with the KMS key as it isn't licensed (it says 2 days left for activation and presumably I wouldn't be able to activate it). One possibility is to rebuild the server so that it starts off with the MSDN 2008 Enterprise key - but that's a bit drastic and I'd hold up a lot of developers and testers while I did it! Tom

Additional - in the link you mention above, you say you can change the key after using the KMS key for the DISM upgrade. But that isn't working for me. I need w way of applying the MSDN key without breaking the server - it's that or a rebuild. Thanks, Tom

Hi Tim, Would it be useful to send the DISM log to somebody at Microsoft to take a look at? Also if there's a log of changes to product key on the system, that would be useful to look at alongside the DISM log. Tom

I had this issue a long time ago and to use the correct enterprise key i had to reinstall with the correct media. I came across the same problem again but this time i did it differently, you can unregister / activate your OS and change / activate a new key. This gets more complicated as you swap instal discs OEM / retail / technet etc as keys may not be compatible. What media are you using and where did you get it from?

The original media would have been a Dell OEM disk, the server came preinstalled with Windows 2008 R2 Standard so I never installed that myself. I haven't used any new media yet; the MSDN key comes from my MSDN subscription and the KMS Generic key can be found in many posts on these forums. If I was to use any media for the Enterprise install it would be the combined Standard/Enterprise/DataCenter DVD that I get in my MSDN subscription. But I was trying to do it all with DISM so that it would be a quick job - set the version to Enterprise with DISM and the MSDN key, install the new RAM and job-done. Instead it's been a 24 hour nightmare but such is life. looking at my DISM log I can see that I originally tried to uprade using the MSDN Enterprise key, but it wouldn't have it: dism /online /Set-Edition:ServerEnterprise /ProductKey:[MSDN key] => Error DISM DISM Transmog Provider: PID=5728 Product key is keyed to [], but user requested transmog to [ServerEnterprise] - CTransmogManager::ValidateTransmogrify I think I tried several things, including changing the current product key to the MSDN one. Eventually I tried dism /online /Set-Edition:ServerEnterprise /ProductKey:[KMS Generic Key] ... and this appeared to work. I then changed the product key again (using the control panel) to the MSDN key, thinking that was the end of the matter. Only later when tried to start up VMs did I realise I only had 4GB of usable RAM. I didn't make the connection with the licensing changes at this point and went off on a wild goose chase of BIOS settings, memory configurations and the like. Only later when I saw the thread mentioned above did I make the connection and reapply the KMS Generic key - which gave me all the RAM back. But now I have a system that isn't properly licensed, presumably I won't be able to activate it as it is, so I've got 2 days to enjoy it.

Thanks Tom, I will report this to our product group. Thank you for your efforts and feedback. Tim Quan

Hi, Just to let you know, the way round this problem (i.e., switch an OEM/KMS-keyed version to an MSDN key) is not to use DISM or change the product key from within Windows; you have to do a bit more than that. Here's how I got my server back: Start with the server upgraded to Enterprise using the KMS Key. This for me is unlicensed. Use the MSDN installation media (i.e., the burned ISO) and run the installer from within the current Windows instance. You can then reinstall Windows - make sure you pick the correct option so that you preserve existing files, application, settings etc. After half an hour or so Windows will have finished installing. When you activate Windows, use the MSDN key, and all will work. So, it looks like you can't switch keys between OEM/KMS/MSDN - you need to install Windows (or reinstall/update) from the appropriate installation media for the key to "take" correctly. Tom

Hi, I ran into the same issue you did. I used a KMS key I found on Technet to upgrade from Standard to Enterprise using DISM. I hit the 4GB memory issue and was down to 2 processors as well. However, I was able to eventually get the MSDN key to work by additonal a few additonal steps I found here (http://forevergeeks.com/change-product-key-on-windows-server-2008). These are the steps. 1. Open the command prompt and change working directory to System32 directory 2. Type in slmgr.vbs -ckms (this clears and KMS entry you may have) 3. Type slmgr.vbs -upk (this removes any product key installed) 4. Type slmgr.vbs -ipk xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx (where the x’s is the new product key you want to use ) 5. Type slmgr.vbs -ato (this activates the server) I suspect that steps #2 & #3 did the trick. Hope this helps. Don

Hello Tom, Can I get get you to run the mgadiag tool and send me the output when the machine is in the failure state showing the 4 gig of RAM? Tool download http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=52012 Run the tool, copy the results from the text of the ouput and paste them into the email ALso include the cab file that is generated in the %SystemDrive%\MGADiagToolOutput folder darrellg@online.microsoft.com remove the word online before sendingThanks, Darrell Gorter This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. VAMT - Volume Activation Management Tool - Download link http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ec7156d2-2864-49ee-bfcb-777b898ad582&displaylang=en