16GB ram issues

[DanceswithUnix]

I do not have access to the advanced options in msconfig to increase maximum usable memory, it just won't let me click it.

That seems odd. This page says you can set it. Perhaps something has configured this value down for you in the past and locked it, though I can't imagine how.

http://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/fi...dows-7-64-bit/

You are running that as administrator?

[shaithis]

Memory hole option in BIOS?

Other than that, I have seen posts were a reinstall fixed it....although on one hand I find that hard to understand but if Linux shows all 16GB, then maybe it is a weird Windowsism.

The other thing at the back of my mind is GRUB. If GRUB is loading first and passing control off to the Windows boot manager, I'm wondering if that is causing the issue.....can you boot directly from the Windows disk? (Normally F8 during POST will bring up boot override)

[Pete301]

Thanks for all the replies. I will test the things that you have mentioned. I think I might need to do a reinstall of windows by the looks of things, but I will try the solutions you have mentioned before I reinstall.

I'm on holiday over the next week so I will post if I find the solution at some point in two weeks or so, or I will post asking for more help if I can't fix it .

Thanks again.

[ik9000]

edit - forget previous comment (now deleted). I maketh no sense.

one thing you could try:

Go to device manager, System devices, direct memory access, right click properties, driver, update driver.

(also look out for any yellow ! triangles in device manager which may indicate something not quite right)

Another:

Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\System
-> Advanced system settings
->Advanced tab
->Performance settings ->advanced
How much virtual memory is set for the paging file?
Does the amount of free HDD space on your C drive exceed this amount? If less Win7 may (and this is a big guess/sepculation) be limiting memory to make sure it has sufficient space to dump the page file during a suspend/hibernate routine. I'm not sure win7 does this, I don't think it did, but it may have been introduced in SP1.

[Bonebreaker777]

Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\System
-> Advanced system settings
->Advanced tab
->Performance settings ->advanced
How much virtual memory is set for the paging file?
Does the amount of free HDD space on your C drive exceed this amount? If less Win7 may (and this is a big guess/sepculation) be limiting memory to make sure it has sufficient space to dump the page file during a suspend/hibernate routine. I'm not sure win7 does this, I don't think it did, but it may have been introduced in SP1.

Driver update been suggested already, but your second advice does provoke some thought. Will try it tomorrow (remove one module, leaving 4GB in my system, set page file to just a little bit over 4GB, then reinsert second module and see what the system does. Page file will be not system managed, will be custom).