When my system boots up, it reads that I have 2555 kbytes of memory when in reality, I have 4.0 gig installed. I have Corsair Ram that is supposed to be "gamers" ram which I am supposed to be able to overclock or tweak. I have done nothing of the sorts to date. I am under the impression that XP Pro 32 Bit, only see's or can actually use 4 gig of RAM, is this true? Why in the bios on my screen does it report less than what is actually present? Also, is the machine taking full advantage of the 4 gig that I have or is it a waste of memory? I do some video transcoding on the machine, which takes forever, but I also understand this is an older machine. I have an ATI Radeon 9600 video card with 256 emg onboard memory. My 16 year old has a quad core system that smokes mine, but he's always on it and it is his to use so who am I to say otherwise, besides his father, giver of life and food? heheh I included my system information hoping that might help answer any questions you may have about the system configuration. All drivers are current as well as the latest bios available.. what's a poor fella that can't afford an upgrade at this point in time to do? Is the system using the resources that it has to the best of its ability or can I somehow change some settings so it "works" faster? Many thanks for the advice! Regards,F Nolte IIIOS Name Microsoft Windows XP ProfessionalVersion 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600OS Manufacturer Microsoft CorporationSystem Name BIGDADDYSystem Manufacturer: AsusSystem Motherboard Model P4C800E-DeluxeSystem Type X86-based PCProcessor x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 5 GenuineIntel ~3398 MhzBIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. 1023.001, 6/20/2005SMBIOS Version 2.3Windows Directory C:\WINDOWSSystem Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2Locale United StatesHardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)"User Name BIGDADDY\Bill & DawnTime Zone Eastern Daylight TimeTotal Physical Memory 4,096.00 MBAvailable Physical Memory 2.03 GBTotal Virtual Memory 2.00 GBAvailable Virtual Memory 1.96 GBPage File Space 4.35 GBPage File C:\pagefile.sys1 person needs an answerI do too

When my system boots up, it reads that I have 2555 kbytes of memory when in reality, I have 4.0 gig installed.[snip]Total Physical Memory 4,096.00 MBAvailable Physical Memory 2.03 GBTotal Virtual Memory 2.00 GBAvailable Virtual Memory 1.96 GBPage File Space 4.35 GBPage File C:\pagefile.sysWhere are you seeing the report of 2555 kbytes of memory? It looks from your msinfo32 report that Windows is recognizing the entire 4 GB.Time for some reading. Start here: http://blogs.technet.com/b/markrussinovich/archive/2008/07/21/3092070.aspx

Holy Cow do I feel minuscul now, I was hoping for a quick, simple answer, not to feel like an idiot. Essentially from what I read and understood, 32 bit systems are outdated, 64 bit systems are in and my machine is a "dinosore" (hahaah on spelling) and should be taken out back and put to rest with the Desert Eagle, correct? or is there a laypersons guide to tweaking the system that I have to have it function to it's absolute best without having to go out and spend $3k on a new 64 bit system that if I purchased now, the wife would take me out back with the Desert Eagle, right next to my computer? hahah if you don't have a sense of humor in todays world...you r doomed! At least that's my take after 49 years on the planet. Awaiting your reply and thanks, intersting reading but WAY above my head. Regards,F. Nolte III

It's not that 32-bit systems are outdated (yet), but at least consumer versions of 32-bit Windows operating systems are limited to using 4GB of RAM. In addition, of the 4 GB, some amount, about 1 GB or so, is unavailable because those memory addresses are being used by hardware devices (mostly video cards).Unless you are running memory-intensive apps such as some games or video editing, 3 GB of available RAM should be plenty for XP.As far as "tweaking the system," that's a whole other story, and one that I'm not ready to answer. In general, home computers work best when you eliminate programs that you don't use or don't need and perform routine maintenance. In particular, the fewer "toolbars," "helpers," and other such add-ons, the better off you'll be. And get rid of any overly aggressive "security suite" you may have installed (McAfee and Norton come to mind, although I've heard that Norton is "better" than it used to be).MVP Malke on routine maintenance: http://elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Maintenance