I looked at a number of threads here with similar issues, but none quite the same as mine.
My system is Dell Studio XPS 8100 with core i7 860 CPU and 8GB RAM (2x2x2x2), as from the factory. I have not upgraded or changed the RAM sticks that came with my computer years ago,
I have had other issues, such as having to do a system repair restore after harddrive failure in the past year, and recently replacing the graphics card.
After my recent round of maintenance I noticed windows 7 is showing 8GB RAM installed but only 3.6 usable. So I checked the bios and it showed only 4GB installed.
I did a lot of the recommended stuff. I checked the seating of the RAM sticks. I ran a memtest for a couple of hours and found no errors. I updated the bios and flashed the bios. No change.
I started booting up with one individual stick installed in slot 1 (as numbered on the board). Each one was recognized correctly in bios. Then I started trying other combinations. Here are my results:
2GB Stick in slot 1: Good
Stick in slot 1 and 2 (by the mobo numbering): Only 2GB recongized.
Single stick only in slot 3: No boot, 4 beeps
Sticks and slots 3 and 4, no boot and 4 beeps
Finally, 2GB sticks in slots 1 and 3: 4GB recognized.
I never expected that one to work because I would think they would need to be in 1 and 2 if slot 3 didn't work independently.
Not only were they recognized in bios, but windows 7 system shows 4GB installed and all usable, which is actually an improvement over all four sticks.
Later, I put all the sticks back in and got the same result I started with, 4GB recognized in bios, 8GB in windows but with only 3.6 usable.
I thought maybe the board was reserving 4GB for a integrated video memory that I didn't know it had, since it came with a graphics card installed, but there are no such graphics settings to be found in bios.
Is there anything else to look for before concluding that some motherboard hardware error?
I may try getting two 4GB sticks to put in slots 1 and 3 hoping I'll at least get the 8GB back I was supposed to have, because I really don't want to mess with a major overhaul of this five year old machine or spend a bunch of money on a new PC at this point.
My system is Dell Studio XPS 8100 with core i7 860 CPU and 8GB RAM (2x2x2x2), as from the factory. I have not upgraded or changed the RAM sticks that came with my computer years ago,
I have had other issues, such as having to do a system repair restore after harddrive failure in the past year, and recently replacing the graphics card.
After my recent round of maintenance I noticed windows 7 is showing 8GB RAM installed but only 3.6 usable. So I checked the bios and it showed only 4GB installed.
I did a lot of the recommended stuff. I checked the seating of the RAM sticks. I ran a memtest for a couple of hours and found no errors. I updated the bios and flashed the bios. No change.
I started booting up with one individual stick installed in slot 1 (as numbered on the board). Each one was recognized correctly in bios. Then I started trying other combinations. Here are my results:
2GB Stick in slot 1: Good
Stick in slot 1 and 2 (by the mobo numbering): Only 2GB recongized.
Single stick only in slot 3: No boot, 4 beeps
Sticks and slots 3 and 4, no boot and 4 beeps
Finally, 2GB sticks in slots 1 and 3: 4GB recognized.
I never expected that one to work because I would think they would need to be in 1 and 2 if slot 3 didn't work independently.
Not only were they recognized in bios, but windows 7 system shows 4GB installed and all usable, which is actually an improvement over all four sticks.
Later, I put all the sticks back in and got the same result I started with, 4GB recognized in bios, 8GB in windows but with only 3.6 usable.
I thought maybe the board was reserving 4GB for a integrated video memory that I didn't know it had, since it came with a graphics card installed, but there are no such graphics settings to be found in bios.
Is there anything else to look for before concluding that some motherboard hardware error?
I may try getting two 4GB sticks to put in slots 1 and 3 hoping I'll at least get the 8GB back I was supposed to have, because I really don't want to mess with a major overhaul of this five year old machine or spend a bunch of money on a new PC at this point.
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