Mem shows less then installed memory?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JohnD
  • Start date Start date
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JohnD

Hello, latly my computer seems to have slowed down alot. I ran the MEM
command from the dos command prompt in Win XP Home and mem displays the
following information:
655360 bytes total conventional memery
655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
633296 bytes largest executable program size

1048576 bytes total contiguous extended memery
0 bytes available contiguous extended memery
941056 bytes available XMS memery
MS-DOS resident in High Memery Area


I have a 1 gig PC2700 ddr ram chip on the motherboard. The bios also shows
524288 memory installed. Bad mem chip??
greyscale
 
Hello, latly my computer seems to have slowed down alot. I ran the MEM
command from the dos command prompt in Win XP Home and mem displays the
following information:
655360 bytes total conventional memery
655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
633296 bytes largest executable program size

1048576 bytes total contiguous extended memery
0 bytes available contiguous extended memery
941056 bytes available XMS memery
MS-DOS resident in High Memery Area
Click to expand...

"MEM" is a 16-bit DOS command. When you type "MEM" at a command prompt
(i.e., an instance of the cmd.exe 32-bit command line processor),
Windows XP will load the DOS program COMMAND.COM in a DOS virtual
machine and run the DOS command. Since it is running in a 16-bit
Virtual Machine, it doesn't reflect the physical RAM installed and
available in Windows in the 32-bit Protected Mode. That is why MEM is
showing 640 KB of conventional memory and roughly 1 MB each of EMS and
XMS memory.
I have a 1 gig PC2700 ddr ram chip on the motherboard. The bios also shows
524288 memory installed. Bad mem chip??
Click to expand...

If the BIOS doesn't show the correct amount of installed RAM, and
Windows doesn't show the correct amount of installed RAM (Control
Panel -> System), then something is wrong. Perhaps a defective or
incompatible DIMM or other hardware malfunction. But "MEM" will not
display correctly the amount of installed memory.

- -
Gary L.
Reply to the newsgroup only
 
Hello, latly my computer seems to have slowed down alot. I ran the MEM
command from the dos command prompt in Win XP Home and mem displays the
following information:
655360 bytes total conventional memery
655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
633296 bytes largest executable program size

1048576 bytes total contiguous extended memery
0 bytes available contiguous extended memery
941056 bytes available XMS memery
MS-DOS resident in High Memery Area
Click to expand...

This is normal.
I have a 1 gig PC2700 ddr ram chip on the motherboard. The bios also shows
524288 memory installed. Bad mem chip??
greyscale
Click to expand...

Which system/mbrd? Assuming you have 16 chips on the DIMM in a dual rank
config, does the chipset support 512Mbit memory chips? Other than that it
could be a compatibility issue with the mbrd/DIMM but you need to give more
details.
 
Hello, latly my computer seems to have slowed down alot. I ran the MEM
command from the dos command prompt in Win XP Home and mem displays the
following information:
655360 bytes total conventional memery
655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
633296 bytes largest executable program size

1048576 bytes total contiguous extended memery
Click to expand...
0 bytes available contiguous extended memery
941056 bytes available XMS memery
Click to expand...
MS-DOS resident in High Memery Area
Click to expand...

All is OK, except for your spelling:

http://www.computerhope.com/memhlp.htm#04
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/mem.mspx


- Franc Zabkar
 
That is a memory compatibility problem.

If you are using single sided DDR your motherboard probably does not
recognize half of the RAM because the size is denser [more chips]on one
side. Try using double sided DDR and see if it works or vice versa.

Or, instead of using 2700, try using 2100. I have been there, done that
many times with all kinds of memory modules and the reporting of half
the installed amount of RAM always points to RAM incompatibility.
 
JohnD said:
Hello, latly my computer seems to have slowed down alot. I ran the MEM
command from the dos command prompt in Win XP Home and mem displays the
following information:
655360 bytes total conventional memery
655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
633296 bytes largest executable program size

1048576 bytes total contiguous extended memery
0 bytes available contiguous extended memery
941056 bytes available XMS memery
MS-DOS resident in High Memery Area


I have a 1 gig PC2700 ddr ram chip on the motherboard. The bios also shows
524288 memory installed. Bad mem chip??
greyscale
Click to expand...

Don't use the DOS utility it isn't showing reality. Use the System
control panel app.

Yousuf Khan
 
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