How to get more usable RAM in Win 10

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In an attempt to improve my Windows 10 (32-bit)  desktop, I recently upgraded the RAM from 8 GB to 16 GB. My MB has a built-in graphics board, so I know some of the RAM goes to graphics processing. And, since it’s a 32-bit system, I think the max usable RAM is limited to 8 GB. After installing the new RAM, the system info reads “16.0 GB (2.21 GB usable).”

I checked the BIOS, and it shows 16 GB. I’ve tried going into MSCONFIG and clearing the Maximum memory checkbox.  I don’t think the RAM is malfunctioning since it is visible in BIOS and in the system settings. The RAM chips are identical. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get my machine to recognize more usable RAM? Thanks in advance for your help.

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If you run Task Manager > Performance > Memory it will show you how much RAM Windows sees.

If you are really running Windows 10 32 bit you will never be able to see / use more than 4GB RAM. You will have to install Windows 64 bit to use the extra memory – you can’t upgrade from 32 to 64 bit.

cheers, Paul

2 users thanked author for this post.

satrow, doriel

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Although this screenshot is from Windows 7 pro x86(32bit), the task manager displays a total of 3039 mb available to the system but, the device has 4096 mb of RAM installed.

To utilize that extra RAM safely, you need to move to a x64 (64bit) operating system.

Windows - commercial by definition and now function...

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The 4G addressing limitation is architectural, not something arbitrary by the manufacturers.
2 to the 32nd power = 4,294,967,296.
But 2^64 = 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 (18 quintillion);
which is very roughly 32K moles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32-bit_computing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit_computing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avogadro_constant

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It’s licensing, not architectural, that MS launched a Win 2003 x86 Server Datacenter Edition licensed for 128GB of RAM was a clue:

The maximum 32-bit limit of 128GB, supported by Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition

Geoff Chappell broke it down and cracked it for a Vista x86, there was an unlicensed method of converting ?Vista? x86 some time later, maybe someone’s been working on a W7 version?

Good luck with finding stable x86 3rd party drivers that’ll work with your hardware though.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Microfix, wavy

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I would tend to believe the calculations above by PaulK, which suggest that a 32 bit system could never generate  numbers large enough to address memory locations beyond about 4 GB.  However, for what it’s worth, there is a 4 GB Patch, which may or may not do anything.

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 20H2

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No wonder MS went bust, trying to sell multiple x86 64/128GB versions of their XP/Vista-like server ranges:

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2008
The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Server 2008. Limits greater than 4 GB for 32-bit Windows assume that PAE is enabled.
Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2008
Version Limit on X86 Limit on X64
Windows Server 2008 Datacenter 64 GB 1 TB
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise 64 GB 1 TB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2003 R2
The following table specifies the limits on physical memory for Windows Server 2003 R2. Limits over 4 GB for 32-bit Windows assume that PAE is enabled.
Physical Memory Limits: Windows Server 2003 R2
Version Limit on X86 Limit on X64
Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter Edition
64 GB 1 TB
(16 GB with 4GT)
Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition
64 GB 1 TB
(16 GB with 4GT)

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Thanks, all– I had thought that a 32-bit system could use up to 8 gb RAM, but I see that I’m wrong. I appreciate your help!

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@delsuggs, I know you say you have a 32-bit system.
— For verification, does that mean your processor isn’t 64-bit capable?

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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The  CPU is an AMD A10-5800K, so it’s 64-bit capable. But one issue is that I have a program that I must run that is 32-bit, but I can’t install it on a 64-bit machine because it uses the old-school 16-bit installer.

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Depending on your needs (and the program you need to run), you may be able to create a virtual machine running a 32-bit version of Windows to run that program in. This will work even on a 64-bit version of Windows. This will allow you to leverage more RAM on the rest of your system while still being able to use older 16-bit programs. With 16 GB of RAM installed, 32-bit virtual machines should be fairly smooth sailing as they can only use 4 GB of RAM anyway. So in your case, even if you gave that VM 4 GB of RAM, you’d still have 12 GB left over for the rest of your system.

I can recommend VirtualBox or VMware Workstation Player as free virtual machine programs for Windows. VirtualBox has more features out of the box for free, while VMware seems to have better performance overall. Your mileage may vary, but feel free to test them both out and see how well the program you need to run works in both.

As for getting a copy of 32-bit Windows, Microsoft still makes 32-bit versions of Windows 10 available for download. I believe you can download them from Heidocs or using the Media Creation Tool. Be sure to download the ISO version of Windows, since that’s needed in order to install Windows in a virtual machine (analogous to buying a disc with Windows on it and then popping it into a physical disc drive). If you have older versions of Windows lying around, you can try using those as well (Windows XP and 7 work quite well in virtual machines these days).

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[Zig]

??Have you tried running THE INSTALLER in compatibility mode for an earlier version of Windows??

Zig

• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Zig.

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