1GB of RAM, not 4?

[Ron Whitfield]

My tech friend that set up my laptop say's my laptop reads 1GB of RAM instead of the 4 that is stated everywhere.
What gives? I bought this computer with a focus on the amount of RAM available.

Is this like the mega pixel thing where there is actually way less than tauted on any given item?

Not camping happy...

[craigwatanabe]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

Where else is it saying 4Mb of RAM? The only two places you'll find an accounting of RAM will be in your computer properties screen and in the BIOS boot sequence.

Otherwise open up the panel underneath the laptop to find two of sometimes three module locations. The other one typically resides under the keyboard and requires some knowledge. Check this website out for basic information about laptop memory locations.

It's also possible the RAM fried and you have a bunch of defective RAM modules. You must be running Vista for that much RAM.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

I meant everywhere as in advertised and reviewed.

Yes, I'm running Vista. But only using funky wireless does it have problems. Plug in and it's damn good from the little I've seen using it that way.

If, I'm truly stuck with such little RAM/memory for the moment, how can I buck it up?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

do a physical check of your ram. I'm not familiar with Vista but with XP you do a right click over your My Computer icon, select properties and you'll see how much RAM your computer actually has.

Another way is to download Belarc Advisor and let it scan your computer. It'll tell you everything about it.

When I used to work in retail, people would buy things, and return it minus the part they lost in a previous purchase of the same product. In your case I wouldn't be surprised if your laptop was a return, minus 3-gig of RAM. I never buy a product that looks as if it was opened. If it was opened and it was the last one in stock and I had to have it, I would check everything out completely. Look for wear marks on the screws that hold the back panels that secure the RAM...everything. If something looks out of place or an accessory is missing (that you can live without) demand a discount greater than 10%. Most retailers allow an automatic 10% discount just to get the sale. Demand more like 15% or 20% but seek out a store manager first.

You need to physically check to see how much RAM you have. Or at least have Belarc Advisor tell you what you got. Also check the box vs the ID plate of the laptop and make sure you got the same thing advertised on the box that was inside the box.

In any case 1GB of RAM isn't enough to run Vista smoothly. Microsoft may say that it's okay, however beta testers of Vista know from experience that you need a minimum of 2GB.

[Ron Whitfield]

Thanx, Craig

I got it off ebay 'new' and it wasn't in the standard box you usually see a new laptop in, so you may be on the right track about someone absconding with RAM. I'll do as you suggested.

And I'll look into belarc, I had that on my to-do list along with Everest Home 2.20 - FREE @ http://filehippo.com/download_everest_home/

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

Yep, only 1 GB of RAM.
How do I get at least 4 again?

How much GB to equal 256 MBs, which is the minimum to run with more memory on my laptop?
I may do the flash boost for now.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

do a physical check of your ram. I'm not familiar with Vista but with XP you do a right click over your My Computer icon, select properties and you'll see how much RAM your computer actually has.

The procedure with Vista is slightly different.

Click on the start orb (located on the bottom left corner).

Click the control panel.

Click system and maintenance.

Click system.

From there, you can check the system category to see how much RAM you have and the processor speed.

Hope that helps.

[Ron Whitfield]

Just been there and done that...

...but thanx!

[helen]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

Yep, only 1 GB of RAM.
How do I get at least 4 again?

How much GB to equal 256 MBs, which is the minimum to run with more memory on my laptop?
I may do the flash boost for now.

You would have to buy memory and place it in the laptop.

You would need four 256MBytes RAM boards to make 1 Gbyte. Also memory boards are not universal so you are going to run into a hodge podge of terms like DDR or SODIM, so it is important to note what kind of memory boards your laptop takes.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

Thanx for that, helen.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Thanx, Craig

I got it off ebay 'new' and it wasn't in the standard box you usually see a new laptop in, so you may be on the right track about someone absconding with RAM. I'll do as you suggested.

And I'll look into belarc, I had that on my to-do list along with Everest Home 2.20 - FREE @ http://filehippo.com/download_everest_home/

Was it in a non-distinct brown box with some minor manufacturer printing in black? If so it was probably a refurbished laptop that was a warranty replacement or bought off of a retailer selling refurbished units. Look somewhere on the laptop for a refurbished sticker, ID plate or inscribed directly on the case.

Everest Home is another great tool so is Advanced System Care. Both are also free as is Belarc Advisor.

Now if you have 1GB of RAM in two DIMM slots chances are you'll have to replace both 256MB RAM modules and replace with 2- 2GB RAM modules.

If you indeed have only two 256MB RAM modules, you've been had. No Vista computer would have been sold that way. For Vista Computers using two RAM modules the minimum would have been two 1GB modules.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

To start with, I still had the original post from ebay and re-checked, the seller did state it contained 1GB of RAM. So my naivete and giddiness at the time of purchase is as much to blame as the seller. It's the welcome to the 21st century learning curve and it won't be painless. Lesson #1 learned the hard way here.
But it was sold as being new, therefore should have been fully loaded.

No refurbish tag or anything to say it was. It looks way too new to have been refurbed, and the seller has a 100% rating, but I guess anything is possible at this point.
I'll just assume I was had and focus on getting it up to speed at more cost.
I'm using a flash stick for the first time and it's running faster than usual via the wireless connection I frequent. But I can get the proper RAM replacement off ebay at 4GB for $80 which will give me 5 and solve that problem. Just hope I can follow the instructions I have to open the inards and do the swap without screwing something up.

Craig, I really appreciate your help. Just having a concerned person to feedback with helps a lot.

[helen]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

Computers have a limited amount of physical space to hold memory and it varies from computer to computer. Some can support 4 memory boards, others only 2 memory boards. Is that 4 Gbytes of RAM you are buying on one board or on two boards?

And how many memory boards can your laptop support? One? Two? Four?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

Helen is correct. Most laptops nowdays sport two DIMM slots underneath and possible one underneath the keyboard area. Go to that link I posted earlier for typical DIMM slot locations.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: 1GB of RAM, not 4?

Is that 4 Gbytes of RAM you are buying on one board or on two boards? And how many memory boards can your laptop support? One? Two? Four?

There are options, 2GB or 4GB per board.
Havn't busted open the backside yet. It's a large T shape access that covers half the underbelly.

How much memory can a typical laptop handle, is there a limit, within reason of course? If it comes with 4, can I safely go to 5?

What about overclocking? I've heard it's not best to do.
Would my minimum amount of 1GB be able to handle overclocking?