RAM not recognized

[shutterspeed]

My Windows XP SP3 is not seeing my RAM. I have 4GB installed, and it is only showing me 2GB in the MyComputer Properties window.

I know XP wont see all 4GB. But my other XP machine sees 3GB and I installed it from the same bloody disk and everything.

I checked the BIOS and it is seeing all 4GB.

So what's up?

I was told that SP3 had the 3GB switch in the boot.ini or some sort of fix in there to recognize more RAM, and it appears to be true in my laptop. But not in my desktop.

Anyone have any ideas?

SRM

 

[aford10]

Edit your boot.ini file and put /3GB in your OS boot line. It should look something like
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional RU" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /3GB

 

[shutterspeed]

OK...as I mentioned...I was told that the SP3 update did this automatically. I do not have that switch in my laptop and it sees all 3GB of RAM.

Also, the desktop has the 3GB switch in there already.

So to summarize again...

The Desktop machine has the switch and does not see the ram. (here is a copy of the boot.ini file
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINXP
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINXP="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /3gb /userva=2800


The laptop does not have the switch and sees the ram no problem. Here is a copy of the laptop boot.ini

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

So how screwy is that? It doesn't make any sense.

Both are fully updated Windows XP SP3 from the same install disk.

go figger.

 

[aford10]

Have you checked cpuz to verify it's only using 2G?

It could be a bad RAM chip or slot

 

[shutterspeed]

Geez. I thought I said this in the first post. I checked the BIOS and it is seeing all 4GB. If it was a bar RAM chip or slot, that would not be the case...right?

What is a "cpuz"?

 

[aford10]

CPUZ is software that monitors your cpu/ram/mobo stats.

I'm just trying to rule things out.

 

[shutterspeed]

Well I dont mean to sound rude, but let's rule out things I havent already covered...

So again, what is a "cpuz" ?

 

[aford10]

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php