Why Is the Usable Memory (RAM) Less Than the Total Installed Memory on a Target Server Running 64-bit Windows?

Symptom

On a target server running 64-bit Windows, the usable memory (RAM) is much less than the installed memory. For example, the system may report that there is only 2 GB of usable memory on a target server with 32 GB of memory installed.

Possible Causes

The maximum memory is set for the target server.

Solution

1. Press Win and R on the keyboard to open the Run window. Enter msconfig and click OK. The System Configuration window is displayed.

2. Click the Boot tab and click Advanced options.
3. Check whether Maximum memory is selected. If it is, deselect it and click OK.

4. Click OK to close the system configuration window and restart the target server.