Vista/4GB RAM/32-bit Problems!!!

ray_gillespie

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****!!! I just spent 10 minutes of my life typing this out and when I clicked submit it lost it all!!! ****!!!!!!!!!

Right, now I have that off my chest. Let's start again:

:) Think calm thoughts. :)

I just installed another 2x1GB of RAM to my system, exactly the same spec as before. The BIOS displays this as about 3.9GB but then procedes to boot normally, which is fine. The RAM is set to 1.8v (default is 1.9v).

Vista gets all the way the end of the loading screen and then I get a BSOD with the nvlddmkm.dll named as the source of the problem. My computer then reboots.

I took a stick out, leaving 3GB, and my computer works fine. It's possibly even slightly more responsive under heavy load due to the extra RAM. However, my Vista Performance Information tool shows a decrease in my memory speed rating from 5.4 to 4.8.

My questions to you all then, are:


1) What on earth is the right voltage for my RAM? (Non-ECC) The maximum value in the BIOS is 2.3v but that is in red text which scares me a little.

2) Can I get my memory speed rating back up to 5.4? I assume this has something to do with 1 stick not being dual channel?

3) How can I get Vista to boot with 4GB of RAM? I installed a patch (KB929777) from the MS website and also the latest NVIDIA drivers but this hasn't worked.


Thanks in advance guys, anyone clever and kind enough to help will get a hearty dose of reps!! :)
 
a 32bit os will never use or see the full 4GB its an os limitation - i have 4GB in here, vista displays 4GB (after sp1 update) but the system only has 3.25GB available to it, think i read somewhere about video card reserving the rest or something. If you want your OS to see and use it all you will have to go 64bit.

As to the other questions

1. what is the make of the ram you added? is it the same make/sec as the ram that is in there - i personally never mix my ram, i always buy the same stuff.

2. really need 1 to be answered but i'll try anyway, if you look on most boards you have the option for single or dual chan, you should always use dual chan for mem as it is faster, on my board i have 2 blue and 2 brown slots, i messed the sticks about before as a test and it definitely runs slow if it ain't dual chaned.

3. i answered that above :p
 
I forgot to say, as soon as I can get hold of a DVD of Vista x64 with SP1 integrated, I will install that. It could be a while before I can send off to MS and get the x64 edition with SP1 however, as they don't even know themselves! (I have a retail edition which entitles me to an x64 DVD).

The RAM sticks are all identical, completely.

I don't actually want windows to see the whole 4GB as I know this is imposible with x86. However, I want to be able to boot into Vista with the 4GB installed. However much over 3GB I get will be a bonus :)
 
i installed vista without issue on this pc and it has 4gb in it - i have ultimate, although im not sure that should make any difference, but yes i have the x86 and x64 versions :p i would use x64 if i knew the audio and video tools i use to back up my films would work.

Also just as i thought looking at the name of that dll its nvidia drivers, boot into safe mode uninstall everything, chipset, network video (if its an nvidia board, and reboot, then re-install the drivers, making sure you have the latest ones
 
If you have a product key, I am downloading the X64 SP1 integrated ISO as I type. I'll make it available to you over the next few days. It should install with your key.
 
That was one of the reasons I wished to used 64 bit Vista at the beginning, everyone I know who has loaded it have the same problem, it will not ID 4gigs of RAM.
 
Yeah, though getting the retail edition entitles you to both, so I started with the 32 bit version until the drivers etc got up to speed. Now that the 64 bit version is pretty solid, I think it's a good time to take the step up. Perhaps I should have stuck with XP for a bit longer, but I was too excited hehe!

Thanks for all your help guys :)
 
If you have a product key, I am downloading the X64 SP1 integrated ISO as I type. I'll make it available to you over the next few days. It should install with your key.

gonna be cheeky here - any chance on the x86 iso too :p
 
im not happy - installed x64 and now i cant install my tv card :(
 
a 32bit os will never use or see the full 4GB its an os limitation - i have 4GB in here, vista displays 4GB (after sp1 update) but the system only has 3.25GB available to it, think i read somewhere about video card reserving the rest or something. If you want your OS to see and use it all you will have to go 64bit.


I don't have an answer for ray, but never is too strong

our operating system DOES see the memory, but microsoft refuses to allow it address space, this is not an os problem, it's not a physics problem, it's not a math problem

it's a driver problem, a few of the more popular drivers wouldn't work when they saw too much memory and they wouldn't rewrite the drivers

microsoft had to write a fix for that hardware and those drivers

I am incensed the companies that caused the problem didn't rewrite the drivers for vista but it seems they did not

this "fix" from microsoft first started in xp sp2
 
well if ms put a fix is so bad drivers wouldnt crap out couldnt you say that technically it is an OS limitation, but a required limitation because of bad drivers by third party vendors? - not trying to troll or flame
 
well if ms put a fix is so bad drivers wouldnt crap out couldnt you say that technically it is an OS limitation, but a required limitation because of bad drivers by third party vendors? - not trying to troll or flame
it's definately an os limitation, I am saying that hopefully the os will one day see this memory and more when this issue is resolved

time will tell
 
Although I wish that were true, I think it's more likely that MS will ignore 32 bit from now on and tell anyone with a problem to upgrade to 64 bit :(.

What's more of a concern for me is that although my OS supports it, the NVIDIA drivers go mental with 4 x 1GB of RAM in my motherboard!
 
i got 4gb in here with an intel cpu - but an nvidia motherboard

edit: got my tv card working :D
 
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