How To Free Up Ram On Windows 7

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Windows 7 Home Premium Windows vii Professional Windows 7 Ultimate Windows seven Dwelling Bones Windows seven Starter More...Less

Symptoms

On a calculator that is running Windows 7, the usable retentivity (RAM) may be less than the installed memory.

For example, a 32-bit version of Windows 7 may report that there is but 3.five GB of usable organization memory on a computer that has 4 GB of memory installed.

Or, a 64-bit version of Windows 7 may study that there is merely 7.i GB of usable organization memory on a reckoner that has 8 GB of memory installed.

Note The amount of usable memory in the examples are not exact amounts. Usable memory is a calculated amount of the full physical memory minus "hardware reserved" retention.

To view the installed memory and the usable memory in Windows 7, follow these steps:

Click Start , right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
View the Installed memory (RAM) value under System. For example, if it displays four.00 GB (three.5 GB usable), this ways that y'all take three.5 GB of usable retentivity out of 4 GB of installed retention.

Cause

This is expected behavior on computers that are running Windows 7. The reduction in available organisation memory depends on the configuration of the following:

The devices that are installed in the computer and the memory that is reserved by those devices
The ability of the motherboard to handle retentiveness
The Organization BIOS version and settings
The version of Windows seven that is installed (For example, Windows 7 Starter Edition just supports 2 GB of installed memory.)
Other organisation settings

For instance, if y'all have a video card that has 256 MB of on-board memory, that retentivity must be mapped within the beginning 4 GB of address space. If 4 GB of system retentivity is already installed, part of that address space must be reserved past the graphics memory mapping. Graphics memory mapping overwrites a office of the system retentivity. These atmospheric condition reduce the total amount of system memory that is bachelor to the operating organization.

For more information about how to make up one's mind how memory is used on your computer, run into the "Physical Memory Allocation in Windows 7" topic in the "More than Data" section.

What To Try

There are several additional situations that could cause the usable RAM to be less than expected. These problems and possible solutions are listed here:

Cheque the organization configuration settings

This problem may occur because the Maximum retention option is selected incorrectly. To gear up this, follow these steps:

Click Commencement , type msconfig in the Search programs and files box, and so click msconfig in the Programs listing.
In the Organisation Configuration window, click Advanced options on the Boot tab.
Click to clear the Maximum retentiveness check box, and then click OK.
Restart the computer.

Update the arrangement BIOS

The problem may occur because the system BIOS is outdated. If y'all have an older computer, the system may be unable to admission all the installed RAM. In this case, you lot have to update the system BIOS to the latest version.

To update the BIOS on your computer, visit the Web site of your computer manufacturer to download the BIOS update. Or, contact your computer manufacturer for help.

Cheque BIOS settings

The problem may occur because some BIOS settings are incorrect.

Enable the memory remapping feature

Cheque the BIOS settings to see whether the memory remapping feature is enabled. Memory remapping gives Windows access to more than memory. Yous can enable the memory remapping feature in the BIOS by booting to the organisation setup. Encounter the User's Guide for your computer for instructions on how to boot to organisation setup on your estimator. The name for the memory remapping feature may be different for dissimilar hardware vendors. This tin can be listed equally retentivity remapping, retention extension, or something similar. Exist aware that your computer may non support the memory remapping feature.
Change the AGP video aperture size in the BIOS settings

Cheque the BIOS settings to see how much memory that y'all have allocated to AGP video aperture. This is the memory that the system is sharing with the video card that is used for texture mapping and rendering. This memory would non exist used by the system, because it is locked by the video carte. You can adjust the AGP video aperture size in the BIOS. Standard settings are "32MB,""64MB,""128MB,"and "Car." Later you change this setting in the BIOS, restart your computer, and and so check the usable retention. Y'all can test each setting to come across which offers the best results.

Cheque possible issues with the physical RAM

The problem may occur considering in that location are issues with the physical RAM installed.

Check whether you have bad memory modules

To bank check whether you are experiencing this effect, turn off the estimator, unplug the figurer, and and so swap the order of the retention.
Make sure that the retentivity organisation is right

Refer to the User's Guide of the computer to determine in what order the memory modules should exist inserted into the retentivity slots. The arrangement may require you to use specific slots when yous are not using all the available slots. For case, the computer has four slots bachelor. But you may have to use slot 1 and slot 3 if yous want to use but 2 memory modules.
Check whether retentivity standoff cards are used

If you use a retentiveness standoff menu to hold multiple memory modules on the figurer, the organization may require specific configurations for this scenario. Therefore, the usable retention may be less than expected.

More Data

The following sections offer boosted information almost memory allocation equally reported in the Resource Monitor, describe the terminology used, and offer additional information on Retention reporting and memory limitations in Windows seven.

Physical retentivity allotment in Windows 7

The following table shows how the Resource Monitor categorizes the retentiveness currently installed on a Windows 7-based computer.

Memory allocation	Clarification
Hardware Reserved	Retentiveness that is reserved for use past the BIOS and some drivers for other peripherals
In Employ	Memory that is used by process, drivers, or the operating system
Modified	Memory whose contents must get to disk before it can be used for some other purpose
Standby	Memory that contains cached data and code that is not actively in use
Free	Memory that does not contain any valuable information and that will be used first when processes, drivers, or the operating system need more than memory

Note To view how the installed memory is allocated in Windows 7, follow these steps:

Click Start , type resources monitor in the Search programs and files box, and and so click Resource Monitor in the Programs list.
Click the Memory tab, and then view the Physical Retentivity section at the bottom of the page.

Memory status in Windows 7

The following table defines the Resource Monitors current reported status of the installed retentiveness on a Windows 7-based computer.

Memory allotment	Description
Bachelor	Amount of memory (including standby and gratis retentiveness) that is immediately available for use past processes, drivers, and the operating arrangement
Cached	Corporeality of retentivity (including standby and modified retentivity) that contains cached data and code for rapid admission by processes, drivers, and the operating system
Total	Amount of physical retentivity that is bachelor to the operating organisation, device drivers, and processes
Installed	Corporeality of concrete retentivity installed in the computer

Windows 7 memory reporting

Windows 7 reports how much physical memory is currently installed on your computer. Windows NT-based operating systems before Windows Vista Service P1 report how much memory is available to the operating organisation. The available retentivity reported in these earlier versions of Windows does not include hardware reserved memory. This is a reporting change simply.

You volition see this reporting change in Windows Vista SP1 and later on versions of Windows in the following locations:

The RAM value in Welcome Center
The Retentiveness value at the bottom of the My Estimator windows
The Retentivity value in the System Backdrop windows
The Total corporeality of system memory value of the View and Impress Details page of the Operation Data and Tools item in Control Console

Additionally, the Organisation Information tool (Msinfo32.exe) displays the following entries on the Arrangement Summary folio:

Installed Physical Retention (RAM)
Total Physical Memory
Available Concrete Retention

The reporting in the following diagnostic tool has not inverse:

The Performance tab in Chore Manager

When the physical RAM that is installed on a estimator equals the address space that is supported by the chipset, the total system memory that is available to the operating system is e'er less than the physical RAM that is installed.

For case, consider a computer that has an Intel 975X chipset that supports eight GB of address space. If you install 8 GB of RAM, the organization memory that is available to the operating system will be reduced by the PCI configuration requirements. In this example, PCI configuration requirements reduce the retentivity that is available to the operating system by an corporeality that is between approximately 200 MB and approximately one GB. The reduction depends on the configuration.

Physical memory limits in Windows vii

The following table specifies the limits on concrete memory for the unlike versions of Windows 7.

Version	Limit in 32-flake Windows	Limit in 64-bit Windows
Windows 7 Ultimate	four GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Enterprise	4 GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Professional	four GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Dwelling house Premium	iv GB	16 GB
Windows 7 Home Basic	iv GB	8 GB
Windows vii Starter	2 GB	two GB

For more information well-nigh retentivity limits for Windows releases, click the following link to view the article on the Microsoft Web site:

Retentiveness Limits for Windows Releases

References

The third-political party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are contained of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, almost the performance or reliability of these products.

Need more help?