RAM reserved by the system. RAM reserved by hardware: how to remove it and reasons for the appearance Memory reserved by hardware what does it mean in windows 10

The maximum amount of RAM that 32-bit versions of Windows can “see” is 4 GB. Therefore, if you have more RAM, you should install the 64-bit version to take advantage of that memory. To find out what version of Windows is installed on your computer, open the “System” item in the Control Panel (or right-click on “My Computer” and select “Properties”).

In the “System type” item, information about the bitness of your version of Windows will be displayed. However, it is not only the system bit size that can affect the amount of available RAM in Windows.

Your version of Windows has a maximum memory limit

In addition to the bitness of the operating system, the amount of visible memory is also affected by which edition of Windows you are using. For example, if you have Windows 7 Starter installed on your computer, the maximum available amount of RAM is 2GB, not 4. Windows 7 Home Basic users only have 8GB of RAM available, even if they are using a 64-bit version of the OS. . There are similar limits for the latest version - Windows 8.

Version	X86	X64
Windows 8 Enterprise	4 GB	512 GB
Windows 8 Professional	4 GB	512 GB
Windows 8	4 GB	128 GB

Maximum amount of available RAM memory in Windows 8

Version	X86	X64
Windows 7 Ultimate	4 GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Enterprise	4 GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Professional	4 GB	192 GB
Windows 7 Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
Windows 7 Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
Windows 7 Starter	2 GB	Not available

Memory is allocated for operation of the built-in video card or other equipment

Various computer hardware can use some of the system RAM to operate. The most common option is the use of RAM by integrated video controllers (integrated video card). But this is not the only option when hardware uses RAM.

You can see the amount of RAM used by the built-in video card and other computer equipment in the same “System” window. If memory is allocated to them, you will see two values ​​- installed RAM and available for use, which will be displayed in parentheses. Accordingly, the difference between them is the size of RAM that the devices took for themselves.

The motherboard has a memory limit

Motherboards also have limits on the available RAM memory. Just because all the memory modules have successfully fit into the slots does not mean that the motherboard is capable of handling all that memory.

To find out if the motherboard sees memory, enter the computer's BIOS. To do this, immediately after turning on the PC and before starting to load the operating system, press the appropriate button for this; information about it is usually on the screen (As a rule, this is F2 or Delete). In most BIOS versions, you will see information about installed memory on the first screen.

If all the memory is visible in the BIOS, but not in Windows, then we are looking for a problem in Windows. If the memory is not displayed in the BIOS, then you should look for the problem at a lower level than the operating system. First, you should familiarize yourself with the specifications of the motherboard (for example, find it on the Internet).

Incorrectly installed memory

If you are sure that the motherboard supports the entire amount of installed memory, but it still does not appear in the BIOS, it makes sense to check whether you inserted it correctly.

Turn off the power to the computer, open it, it is better if it is grounded. Remove the memory sticks and carefully place them back in place, making sure that the memory is seated correctly. You can also clean the RAM contacts using a hard eraser.

In some cases, for proper operation of RAM you need to install it in specific slots - in this case, look for information in the instructions for the computer motherboard.

Another way to diagnose a problematic memory module is to remove them one at a time, then turn on the computer and look at the amount of available memory.

Problems with the RAM itself

If you are having any problems with your memory, it may be the cause. You can use a RAM testing utility such as memtest86 or use the built-in Windows memory diagnostic utility. You can also recommend testing the memory sticks one by one by installing them in the computer - this way you can more accurately determine the faulty module.

I hope this article about possible reasons why your computer does not see memory will help you solve the problem.

Quite often, Windows users complain that when they have a large amount of RAM, the amount available for use is not at all the value determined by the operating system itself. For some it may be 35-50 MB, but you can find values ​​much higher (memory reserved by hardware). How to remove it will be discussed further. But for now let’s dwell on the root causes of this situation. Why is memory reserved, for what resources?

Memory (reserved by hardware): how to remove it and what is causing this problem?

First of all, any user of the Windows operating system family should clearly understand that this problem is typical exclusively for systems with 32-bit architecture or, as it is usually referred to, x86. In 64-bit OSes this question does not arise at all.

As for the reasons that when viewing the available volume it turns out that the memory is reserved by hardware (we’ll look at how to remove the existing reserve in Windows 7 a little later), they are mainly associated not even with the operating system processes themselves, but with the release of memory for integrated graphics accelerators , built directly into the motherboard, which cannot provide sufficient memory to perform any system and non-system operations related to displaying current events on the screen in terms of the correct operation of the system interface itself.

In addition, it is not uncommon for RAM to be allocated according to user settings, where the system partition specifies the use of all processor cores with maximum RAM allocated to each core. But the main problem with installing such options is that not everyone is aware of exactly how many cores the processor has and how much memory to allocate for each of them. For example, many people believe that the second generation Intel Core i7 processors installed on laptops are 4-core. This is wrong. They can be called such quite conditionally, since each core accounts for two streams of computing power. By installing memory for four processors/cores instead of two, you get the problem that the memory is “eaten up” in the system properties.

RAM is reserved by hardware: how to remove it? The simplest method to fix the problem

But let's return to the original problem. To begin with, even after the initial installation of the operating system, go into its properties and look at the available amount of RAM in the performance section, compared to the one that is fully determined. If the discrepancy is too large, it is possible that the installed system has its limitations.

At least initially, it is worth looking at the special compatibility tables of system versions with the computer configurations used. It may very well be that the installed OS will have to be changed (no additional actions will have any effect in this case). On 32-bit systems, the ceiling is usually 4 GB. Everything that will be installed above will be defined as memory reserved by hardware. How to remove (in Windows 10, for example) such nonsense, I think, is already clear. If the system does not support installing more RAM, then there is no point in trying. Change the system or remove memory sticks.

Using System Configurator Settings

With the Windows configurator, which is called by the msconfig command, the situation is somewhat more complicated. This is where the memory allocation settings for each processor core are located.

If you set such parameters yourself and using system tools, specify only the main cores without taking into account threads and memory allocation for each core. If you are asked to specify the maximum memory, do not flatter yourself - after a reboot (and it is mandatory after setting the appropriate options) the system may simply “fly off”, and after that no means of resuscitating it will help (naturally, except for a complete reinstallation).

The best method to solve the problem

In general, it is believed that the problem of how to remove memory reserved by hardware can be solved quite simply by installing an operating system similar to the previous one, but with a 64-bit architecture.

Here you don’t have to deal with additional settings of options. No, you can, of course, try again to set the use of all CPU cores, but believe me, this will not lead to anything good (tested in practice). Therefore, to avoid such incidents, it is better to give independent choice to the system itself.

Graphics adapters

In addition, if you see that the memory is reserved by hardware (how to remove the reserve is already a little clear), pay attention at that moment that two video cards can be installed on the computer.

Try switching from an integrated adapter to a discrete one, using at least the “Device Manager” in the simplest case, where the built-in chip, as is already clear, just needs to be disabled.

Instead of an afterword

For the rest, you should initially rely on the limit tables for the used RAM, since failure to comply with such conditions if the system is incompatible with the hardware of the installed equipment may cause such problems in the future, not to mention more serious consequences.

As for the main solution, immediately pay attention to the graphics card, for which the 32-bit OS allocates memory, even for the execution of its own processes, which cannot be executed without using the minimum required volume (the graphical interface simply will not work). And this, in turn, can provoke the emergence of problems of a more serious nature that cannot be eliminated using standard methods.

As for the reasons that when viewing the available volume it turns out that the memory is reserved by hardware (we’ll look at how to remove the existing reserve in Windows 7 a little later), they are mainly associated not even with the operating system processes themselves, but with the release of memory for integrated graphics accelerators , built directly into the motherboard, which cannot provide sufficient memory to perform any system and non-system operations related to displaying current events on the screen in terms of the correct operation of the system interface itself.

In addition, it is not uncommon for RAM to be allocated according to user settings, where the system partition specifies the use of all processor cores with maximum RAM allocated to each core. But the main problem with installing such options is that not everyone is aware of exactly how many cores the processor has and how much memory to allocate for each of them. For example, many people believe that the second generation Intel Core i7 processors installed on laptops are 4-core. This is wrong. They can be called such quite conditionally, since each core accounts for two streams of computing power. By installing memory for four processors/cores instead of two, you get the problem that the memory is “eaten up” in the system properties.

RAM is reserved by hardware: how to remove it? The simplest method to fix the problem

But let's return to the original problem. To begin with, even after the initial installation of the operating system, go into its properties and look at the available amount of RAM in the performance section, compared to the one that is fully determined. If the discrepancy is too large, it is possible that the installed system has its limitations.

At least initially, it is worth looking at the special compatibility tables of system versions with the computer configurations used. It may very well be that the installed OS will have to be changed (no additional actions will have any effect in this case). On 32-bit systems, the ceiling is usually 4 GB. Everything that will be installed above will be defined as memory reserved by hardware. How to remove (in Windows 10, for example) such nonsense, I think, is already clear. If the system does not support installing more RAM, then there is no point in trying. Change the system or remove memory sticks.

Using System Configurator Settings

With the Windows configurator, which is called by the msconfig command, the situation is somewhat more complicated. This is where the memory allocation settings for each processor core are located.

If you set such parameters yourself and using system tools, specify only the main cores without taking into account threads and memory allocation for each core. If you are asked to specify the maximum memory, do not flatter yourself - after a reboot (and it is mandatory after setting the appropriate options) the system may simply “fly off”, and after that no means of resuscitating it will help (naturally, except for a complete reinstallation).

The best method to solve the problem

In general, it is believed that the problem of how to remove memory reserved by hardware can be solved quite simply by installing an operating system similar to the previous one, but with a 64-bit architecture.

Here you don’t have to deal with additional settings of options. No, you can, of course, try again to set the use of all CPU cores, but believe me, this will not lead to anything good (tested in practice). Therefore, to avoid such incidents, it is better to give independent choice to the system itself.

Graphics adapters

In addition, if you see that the memory is reserved by hardware (how to remove the reserve is already a little clear), pay attention at that moment that two video cards can be installed on the computer.

Try switching from an integrated adapter to a discrete one, using at least the “Device Manager” in the simplest case, where the built-in chip, as is already clear, just needs to be disabled.

Instead of an afterword

For the rest, you should initially rely on the limit tables for the used RAM, since failure to comply with such conditions if the system is incompatible with the hardware of the installed equipment may cause such problems in the future, not to mention more serious consequences.

As for the main solution, immediately pay attention to the graphics card, for which the 32-bit OS allocates memory, even for the execution of its own processes, which cannot be executed without using the minimum required volume (the graphical interface simply will not work). And this, in turn, can provoke the emergence of problems of a more serious nature that cannot be eliminated using standard methods.

Earlier on our forum people were interested in the question of how to enable hardware acceleration in DirectX, which allows you to speed up some functions of graphics accelerators and run games that previously refused to work on a PC. This time we’ll look at the topic of how to enable hardware acceleration of the video adapter on Windows 10 or deactivate this option.

Step-by-step instructions for enabling and disabling hardware acceleration in Windows 10

The first way to disable hardware acceleration of a video adapter in Windows 10 is described in detail on the official Microsoft forum. Let's look at it step by step:

• Right-click on an empty space on the desktop and select “Display Settings.”
• A new window will open. Click on the “Advanced options” link.

• We need the Diagnostics tab. In it, click on the “Change parameters” button.

• By clicking on this button, a window will appear in which you can drag the slider to the desired position to activate or deactivate hardware acceleration in Windows 10.

IMPORTANT! If the “Change settings” option is not active, it means that the ability to enable/disable hardware acceleration is not available on your PC due to the technical characteristics of your device. Or, hardware acceleration is already enabled.

If hardware acceleration of sound and video in Windows 10 negatively affects the operation of games, programs and the system as a whole, you can disable it using a special registry tweak. To do this you need to do the following:

• Open notepad. Paste the following text into it:

"DisableHWAcceleration"=dword:00000001

• We save the file under any name, only with the .reg extension.

• We launch the finished file.
• After making changes to the registry, the system must be rebooted.

If changes need to be noted (made using this tweak), you should write the following in a notepad:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

"DisableHWAcceleration"=-

We also save the document under any name, only with .reg format.

If you do not want to use registry tweaks, you can manually edit the necessary parameters. To do this, do the following:

• Press “Win+R” and enter “regedit”.

• The Registry Editor will open. Go to the branch “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Avalon.Graphics”. Here we find the “DisableHWAcceleration” parameter. To enable hardware acceleration, set this parameter to 00000001(1). To disable acceleration, change “1” to “0” to get 00000001(0).

• Save the changes and restart the PC.

So, by following the above steps, you can enable or disable hardware acceleration in Windows 10.

Read, What does memory compression mean in Windows and how to view information about compressed memory on your PC. And also, what to do if your computer does not have enough RAM and how to determine how much memory a certain process takes. Windows 10 uses compression to store more data in your system's RAM. In the Windows 10 task manager, in the “Performance” tab, information about the size and current memory usage is displayed. Among other parameters, it is indicated that part of the memory is compressed. Let's figure out what this means?

Memory compression is a new feature in Windows 10 that is not available in earlier Windows 8 and 7. At the same time, Linux and MacOS use this feature.

Typically, if your computer has 8 GB of RAM, and running applications and the system itself use 9 GB of data for memory storage, at least 1 GB would have to be stored in the page file on your computer's hard drive. Accessing data in the page file slows down the speed of individual applications and the system as a whole.

However, by using a compression algorithm (the same as in a Zip file), the data size can be reduced and fit entirely into RAM. For example, the system can leave 6 GB of uncompressed data, and compress 3 GB so that it actually takes up 1.5 GB. Thus, you will have 7.5 of the 8 GB of RAM occupied.

Are there any downsides to this approach? Yes and no. Data compression and the reverse procedure require certain processor resources. Therefore, not all data is stored compressed; the system compresses only the information it considers necessary. The compression and decompression operation itself is much faster than writing and reading data from the disk. Therefore, Windows is looking for a compromise between these two approaches.

Why doesn't Windows compress all data?

As we have already discussed, the speed of data compression and decompression is much higher than writing and reading data from disk. Working with such data occurs in a fully automatic mode and does not require user intervention, so why doesn’t the system compress all the data?

Working with uncompressed data is much faster. If the operating system needs to search through a large amount of data stored in RAM, then the procedure for reading, decoding and reverse encoding the data requires significant processor time. In addition, the system reserves part of the RAM to decompress the necessary memory buffer in case of such need.

Based on this, Windows tries to store data that is frequently accessed in a decompressed form; data that is accessed by the system less frequently is compressed or even saved to the page file.

What to do if your computer does not have enough RAM?

So what should you do if you see that the system is using a large amount of compressed data or is working with a large page file? The answer is obvious, add more RAM to your PC, this will be the best solution. It is also obvious that it is better to use as fast RAM as your motherboard allows.

A less obvious solution would be to use an SSD drive for the swap file or the system as a whole. Previously, we looked at how to move the swap file to another drive in our video:

Since the reading and writing speed on an SSD disk is many times higher than that of a traditional hard disk, the entire system will work faster.

How to View Compressed Memory Information on Your PC

To view information about how much memory is compressed on the system, you need to use the Task Manager. To launch it, right-click on the taskbar and select, or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc (for Windows 10, 8) or Ctrl + Alt + Delete (for any Windows) and select.

By default it runs in a shortened form, you need to access the full version. To do this, click the button More details in the lower left corner of the window.

Go to the Performance tab and select Memory from the list on the right. You will see how much memory is compressed in the partition "Use (compressed)". For example, in the screenshot below, the task manager shows that our system is currently using 4.2 GB, 21.6 MB is compressed memory.

This setting changes constantly depending on the number of running applications and the memory they use. The amount of compressed memory may change due to system tasks running in the background; you can monitor this process in real time.

You can also see from the screenshot that our system uses 8GB of DDR3 RAM. 1 GB is reserved in hardware - this memory is used by the integrated graphics system. Memory form factor DIMM, 2 sticks are used and 2 more slots are free in the system. The 1.9 GB cached option displays the current page file size. If you hover your mouse over the diagram in the Memory Structure section, the system will display a tooltip with additional information.

How to determine how much memory a certain process takes up

To obtain detailed information on the memory that each process occupies, go to the Processes tab, then find the one you need and highlight it; the memory column will indicate the actual memory occupied.

Some applications have multiple processes running simultaneously, such as Google Chrome. In this case, it is necessary to calculate the sum of the memory consumed by all running processes.