G75VX Half of RAM has disappeared ?

[TexSa]

Hello all.
I have an G75VX 16 GB RAM version that I am very happy with which I have been using for a long time now (around 5+ years)
2-3 days ago while I was using a couple developer programs like I always do I got a low memory warning and when I checked around I was surprised to see only 8GB of RAM was shown (%90 were in use). I was surprised and used Windows Memory Check service (which found nothing wrong with memory) and followed some tutorials that aimed at memory leaks (disable NDU at REGEDIT etc). I checked BIOS (by tapping F2 at the opening) and it showed 8192 MB of memory.
Then I checked resources tab in the Task Manager it showed 14 GB of RAM was available but only 8 were in use. Then sometimes it showed 16 and then 15.8 GB of RAM was available. You can see the screenshot below:




I am really confused as to what is happening here. This has never happened and I never had any hardware problems with this laptop. Everything else seems to be just fine and as always. Any ideas as to to what this might be ? And what can be done ? I really need that 8 GB of memory.

Some Info:
I am using Windows 8.1 64 bit. (6.3 Build 9600)
BIOS Version: G75VX.204
I made no formatting or any hardware changes to my machine.

Thanks a lot beforehand.

[TexSa]

Uhhm, sorry for double posting but really no one has any ideas ? I am really in a pinch.
I really love my ASUS ROG laptop and want to keep using it.
Thanks again.

[Gps3dx]

TexSa wrote:
Uhhm, sorry for double posting but really no one has any ideas ? I am really in a pinch.
I really love my ASUS ROG laptop and want to keep using it.
Thanks again.

it can be caused by number of reasons:

• dust- turn PC off -> open the laptop to a point where you can take the RAM sticks out -> clean any dust CAREFULLY W/O HARMING ANY OF THE SMALL ELECTRONICS of the motherboard, then apply isopropanol ( =isopropyl alcohol which is recommended more then regular 'ethyl alcohol' ) to the sockets and stick's gold connectors, making sure not to leave any remnants of cotton fiber in/on them.
  
• one of the RAM sticks / sockets got HW issue... you can verify it AFTER cleaning any dust ( read part A above ) by simply switching the sticks into different sockets, or better - take all the cards out, then insert only 1 card at a time TO THE SAME SOCKET then boot into bios to see if it detects the right RAM amount of the stick.
  
• SW issue - if it's not HW based issue, it mightbe something with windows, although IMHO it's RARE... might be due to an OLD and non-updated OS to the latest revision, or a malware that hampers the CPU & RAM on low level.
  typically, one can verify it's an OS issue by booting ANOTHER PORTABLE OS from a USB, and since the issue is with a MS based OS, I recommend to try to boot a 'portable' ( i.e live boot ) linux based OS like ubuntu (or any other) to check the total ram available to an OS.
  if with the linux everything is OK, i'd recommended a full wipe of the drive the windows sits on with a clean windows installation ( NO restore ).
  

[jdfrench3]

I don't have a G75VX but I do have a couple G75VW-3D laptops. Both work much better with Windows 10 than they ever did with Windows 8.1.

I agree with Gps3dx, check possible hardware issues with your memory and/or memory controller then move on to possible software issues. A clean Windows 10 installation would go a long way to improving this old laptop.

Good Luck

[TexSa]

Thank you a lot mates. Both of you.
It seems a full disassembly is required to get to the installed RAM modules.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/ASUS+ROG+G75VX-BHI7N11+RAM+Modules+Replacement/78562
I am not sure if I can pull it off myself (or "put it together" afterwards). But I'll try it when I have the time.
Thank you for answering my question.

[TexSa]

Hello all. I wanted to make an update.

I have bought two of 8 GB Kingston SDRAMS (shown below) I have just inserted them in the two slots back, started the laptop and.... wonderously I know seem to have all the 32 GB of RAMS available ? 🙂
So my lost 8GB of ram has somehow returned to me after putting two extra rams in the back with same amount.
Well a surprise certainly, but a very pleasant one.
Thanks to all who helped me.
Respects ! And have a great day ! 😉