Hi

I have a huge problem:

My W 500 (4061 A75) takes 1004 MB RAM for "shared memory" even if I am workin with the FireGl v 5700 (an it does not support shared memory mode, just the dedicated 512 mb...)

so i'm not sure if the 1004 MB RAM are reserved for the Intel Chipset (switchable graphics...)

does somebody know how i could change the amount of "shared memory"? i don't find it in the bios?

Thx for your help

This is a limitation of running a Windows 32bit operating system on your W500.

You can read all the details about this at Geoff Chappell's website: http://www.geoffchappell.com/viewer.htm?doc=notes/windows/license/memory.htm and follow the links to obtain a utility to see how your machine's memory is mapped. My W500 (4061-2HU) has the following memory configuration:

C:\Program Files\fwmemmap_x86>.\fwmemmap.exe

Map of firmware memory ranges (from int 15h function E820h)

       Address               Size              Type
=================== =================== =================
0x00000000`00000000 0x00000000`0009EC00  1 (memory)
0x00000000`0009EC00 0x00000000`00001400  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`000DC000 0x00000000`00024000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`00100000 0x00000000`9D3A1000  1 (memory)
0x00000000`9D4A1000 0x00000000`00006000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`9D4A7000 0x00000000`00110000  1 (memory)
0x00000000`9D5B7000 0x00000000`00058000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`9D60F000 0x00000000`000B7000  1 (memory)
0x00000000`9D6C6000 0x00000000`0000B000  4 (ACPI NVS)
0x00000000`9D6D1000 0x00000000`00003000  3 (ACPI Reclaim)
0x00000000`9D6D4000 0x00000000`00004000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`9D6D8000 0x00000000`00004000  4 (ACPI NVS)
0x00000000`9D6DC000 0x00000000`00003000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`9D6DF000 0x00000000`00027000  4 (ACPI NVS)
0x00000000`9D706000 0x00000000`00002000  3 (ACPI Reclaim)
0x00000000`9D708000 0x00000000`00207000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`9D90F000 0x00000000`00090000  4 (ACPI NVS)
0x00000000`9D99F000 0x00000000`00060000  3 (ACPI Reclaim)
0x00000000`9D9FF000 0x00000000`00001000  1 (memory)
0x00000000`9DC00000 0x00000000`02400000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`E0000000 0x00000000`10000000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FEC00000 0x00000000`00010000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FED00000 0x00000000`00000400  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FED10000 0x00000000`00004000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FED18000 0x00000000`00001000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FED19000 0x00000000`00001000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FED1C000 0x00000000`00004000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FED20000 0x00000000`00070000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FEE00000 0x00000000`00001000  2 (reserved)
0x00000000`FF800000 0x00000000`00800000  2 (reserved)
0x00000001`00000000 0x00000000`5C000000  1 (memory)     (1.5GB memory mapped at 4GB)

Summary (in MB, ignoring partial MB):

Total memory:               3990
Memory above 4GB:           1472

And the performance tab in the Vista task manager displays:

 Physical Memory (MB)

Total                2517

There's nothing you can do about this, except move to the 64bit version of Vista or Windows 7. Chappell sums it up at the link above:

That 32-bit editions of Windows Vista are limited to 4GB is not because of any technical constraint on 32-bit operating systems. The 32-bit editions of Windows Vista all contain code for using physical memory above 4GB. Microsoft just doesn’t license you to use that code.

[...]

Both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows can use all of physical memory, including above 4GB, but a 32-bit Windows application has at most 3GB of linear address space through which to access any physical memory.

[...]

If you have physical memory above 4GB and wonder how it can be that the PAE kernel does not use that memory, the answer is licensing. The 32-bit code for using memory beyond 4GB is present in Windows Vista as Microsoft supplies it, but Microsoft prepares license values in the registry so that this code never gets to work with any physical addresses above 4GB.

Hi

Just had a replacement laptop for work, a W500.

Was clean installed Win 7 32mb as our "IT" team wont put 64bit on due to VPN support (rubbish because I can get a driver... anyway)

I have found this post because I have seen the same issue with my laptop. 2.46gb usable memory.

My query though is HOW do I configure the system to return the 1gb being used by the internal gfx?

I have used the BIOS to turn off switchable and disable OS check, I see windows loses the Intel display reference in Device manager BUT the 1gb is still missing.

I wont to use the dedicated gfx all the time and want every bit of memory for system usage (VMs etc)

Any method to stop the OS/BIOS giving 1gb memory over to the integrated graphics?

Thanks

I don't think there is any method to override the hardware memory mapping that the BIOS defines, since the hardware mapping is used by the operating system's graphics drivers to gain access to graphics memory and control the display.

For reasons of stability and the other reasons discussed in the links quoted & cited in my post above, 32bit client Windows operating systems always map the device memory in a way that subtracts from the existing complement of physical memory. To avoid this, install a 64bit client Windows operating system.

If you disable the integrated adapter in BIOS, you can use ReadyFor4GB on it.

I wouldn't touch "Readyfor4GB" with a 10-metre pole: hacked OS kdernels are never good for stability or security--but that's just my fears. Anyway...

Two Wikipedia articles pretty much cover the reasons why people running 32-bit versions of Windows with 3 or 4GB of physical memory are never going to be able to use all of it:

a) "The 3GB Barrier" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_GB_barrier

and (more technical)

b) "Physical Address Extension" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension 

The fundamental problems are your IT team and their arthritic VPN. You may be able to use the following facility to run your VPN with whatever drivers you need for it, while running 64-bit Windows 7 with 8GB of RAM:

http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/04/24/secret-no-more-revealing-windows-xp-mode-for-windows-7/

and:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Virtual_PC

Good luck!