RAM memory problems dealt with on Microsoft’s Support & Community sites

Visit the RAM Memory: DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4 section of this website for information on memory.

The RAM Memory Problems section displays the posts devoted to memory problems.

Here is a list of links that cover RAM memory problems on Microsoft’s Support and Community sites:

1. – My operating system is Windows 8 32 bit I’ve got a 4GB of RAM but it tells me (2.98 Usable) any solution to this? – A 32-bit version of Windows Vista/7/8.10/10 can only use 3.2GB of memory; a 64-bit version can use the maximum amount of memory that can be installed on any desktop or laptop PC.
2. – Preventing low memory problems
3. – Diagnosing memory problems on your computer – Running the Memory Diagnostics Tool – Applies to Windows 7 but the information also applies to Windows 8.1 and 10.
4. – Memory problems – Using Memtest from memtest.org to determine if memory is bad.
5. – Memory problem – User’s PC has 1GB of RAM memory and is using Windows Vista, which requires a minimum of 2GB.
6. – The usable memory may be less than the installed memory on Windows 7-based computers – This MS Knowledge Base article goes through all of the several reasons why usable memory is less than reported memory. The most common reason is that a 32-bit version of Windows Vista/7/8.1/10 cannot use more than 3.2GB of memory. 4GB can be installed but only 3.2 can be used due to the fact that a 32-bit operating system has a limited number of memory addresses that it can use. A 64-bit version of Windows or any other operating system can use far more memory – far more than most home users are likely to need. Windows Home Premium can use 16GB and Windows Professional can use 192GB. For more information, visit the MSDN page called Memory Limits for Windows and Windows Server Releases.
7. – DDR3 Memory won’t run at its specified speed of 1600MHz – The user has 6GB G-Skill DDR3-1600 RAM that can run up to a speed of !600MHz, but Windows 7 won’t run it at 1600MHz. If he sets it to that speed in the system BIOS, he gets a Blue Screen of Death. He eventually set it to work in the BIOS as he wanted but only running at 1333MHz.

Note well: Unless you know what you are doing, to avoid buying the wrong memory for your computer, you should always use the memory-selector tools provided by online RAM vendors that also manufacture memory – at crucial.com (Crucial Advisor tool – you select your brand-name PC or motherboard) and Crucial System Scanner (requires a download) and kingston.com (use the System-Specific track to “Find the Right Memory”).