• ×
    Information
    Windows update impacting certain printer icons and names. Microsoft is working on a solution.
    Click here to learn more
    Information
    Need Windows 11 help?
    Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
    Windows 11 Support Center.
  • post a message
  • ×
    Information
    Windows update impacting certain printer icons and names. Microsoft is working on a solution.
    Click here to learn more
    Information
    Need Windows 11 help?
    Check documents on compatibility, FAQs, upgrade information and available fixes.
    Windows 11 Support Center.
  • post a message
Guidelines
Any failures related to Hotkey UWP service? Click here for tips.
HP Recommended
HP Pavilion 500-311x
Microsoft Windows 8.1 (32-bit)

I recently bought 2GB additional ram for my old 2GB PC and it was 1,89GB usable ( it was fine ), but after i inserted my ram and, oh god, the ram usable is just 3,41GB ram usable out of 4GB, the system reserved only takes 100MB. Can someone pls give me a solution? I bought my PC at about June 2014.

7 REPLIES 7
HP Recommended

That's ok. A 32 bit machine can adress just 2^32 bit of the Ram. You need a 64 bit  to access more.

HP Recommended

Actually the "the system reserved only takes 100MB" is space on the hard drive and not system resources, but the 3.14GB available is not out of reason for system overhead taking the rest.  @VH2000 comment about switching to 64 bit is advisable for RAM above the 4GB limit of the 32 bit OS, however.


I'm not an HP employee.
Did this message answer your question? Please indicate below as an Accepted Solution!
Did you find this message useful? Click on the "Was this reply helpful" Yes button.
HP Recommended

@TheOldMan -- Actually the "the system reserved only takes 100MB" is space on the hard drive and not system resources, 

 

I disagree that it is disk-space.

 

Before adding the RAM, there was 1.89 GB available, leaving about 100 MB of RAM "stolen" by the motherboard.  After adding the RAM, there still is that 100 MB of RAM "stolen".

Maybe, that 100 MB is used as a video-buffer.

 

Due to internal memory-allocations by 32-bit Windows, Windows can only use the first 3.2 GB of RAM.

The addresses between 3.2 GB and 3.9 GB are "reserved" by Windows.

 

HP Recommended

Hello
and having the exact configuration would help a bit as well.

Hello

[start]
This is an automatic response
in order to avoid writing the same thing each time

Some elements may therefore not apply to you 
To be able to answer you effectively, we need some information

 

we need the exact model of your computer, and the product number
To find it follow this
for a desktop computer

HP Desktop PCs - How Do I Find My Model Number or Product Number? | HP® Customer Support
and for a laptop
HP Notebook PCs - How Do I Find My Product Name or Number? | HP® Customer Support

Give the full name with the product number P / N


this is not a model:
HP Desktop M01-F1xxx
the requested product number must look like this
Product Number: 9EE50AA # ABA
the model corresponding to this number will therefore be
HP Desktop - M01-F1033wb

Give the full version of windows

for windows 10 type winver in the search box
if you give the best information
your problem could have a solution more quickly (depending on the difficulty, of course)
Learn how to use the Community

 

Advice for asking the "Very Best Question"

 

First-Time-Here-Learn-How-to-Post-and-More

--------------------------------------------- Signature ---------------------------------------------
was this reply helpful , or just say thank you ? Click on the yes button

Please remember to mark the answers this can help other users
please click on the accept as solution button if message provided an answer to the problem




Desktop-Knowledge-Base
Windows 11 22h2 inside , user

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HP Recommended

i see, so that's why it is now 604MB hardware reserved?

HP Recommended

Give screenshots of the parameters where you see all the information of what you have
Check the video settings
It is also quite possible that a quantity of memory allocated to the graphics card, is more important, since you have more memory installed.

https://www.crucial.com/support/memory-windows-recognize-4gb

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/the-usable-memory-may-be-less-than-the-installed-memory-on...

 

 

--------------------------------------------- Signature ---------------------------------------------
was this reply helpful , or just say thank you ? Click on the yes button

Please remember to mark the answers this can help other users
please click on the accept as solution button if message provided an answer to the problem




Desktop-Knowledge-Base
Windows 11 22h2 inside , user

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HP Recommended

@mornplayroblox -- i see, so that's why it is now 604 MB hardware reserved?

 

Yes. The 32-bit version of Windows uses the first 3.2 (or up to 3.4?) GB of RAM.

The motherboard "borrows" the last 100 (128?) MB for some other reason (video buffers?), making that range of addresses of RAM unavailable to any operating system (Linux, 64-bit Windows).

 

What is left in the "middle" is reserved by Windows (not by the motherboard) to avoid problems within 32-bit Windows.

 

† The opinions expressed above are the personal opinions of the authors, not of HP. By using this site, you accept the <a href="https://www8.hp.com/us/en/terms-of-use.html" class="udrlinesmall">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="/t5/custom/page/page-id/hp.rulespage" class="udrlinesmall"> Rules of Participation</a>.