Hardware reserved memory is 1.6 gb and i wanna reduce the same.

Paras321 · May 7, 2021

My PC information is as follows:
Windows 10 Pro 32 bit 4 gb ram available on 2.4 gb.... Graphics card intel 5005u

x BlueRobot · May 7, 2021

You can't reduce it unfortunately (or at least easily), if you wish to use more RAM then you'll need to upgrade to a x64 operating system and then purchase additional RAM sticks if your motherboard supports it.

Edit: I've just read your previous threads, and it has already been suggested that you need to switch to x64. Is this still a viable option?

Digerati · May 7, 2021

Paras321 said:
Graphics card intel 5005u

Yes, having a 32-bit OS is your biggest problem. But using integrated graphics is right up there too.

Integrated graphics steals... err... "shares" a big chunk of system RAM for graphics processing. The only way to retrieve that stolen RAM is to add a graphics card. That said, with the 5005u being a mobile processor, that suggest we are talking about a notebook so adding a card may not be possible. And for that matter, upgrading to 64-bit may not either if your motherboard/computer maker has not provided 64-bit drivers (or chipset) to support 64-bit.

The good news is according to Intel, that processor does support 64-bit so at least that will not block your path.

Paras321 · May 8, 2021

After switching to x64.....the non utilised ram 0f 1.6 gb will be same or will reduce to some extent?

Digerati · May 8, 2021

Typically with 4GB of RAM installed with a dedicated graphics card, you usually see ~3.2GB of system RAM when using a 32-bit OS. 64-lets you use the full 4GB because 64-Bit maps hardware differently.

In your case, the integrated graphics solution will still grab a chunk and you might be able to reallocate some of that but I doubt you will see much difference. In fact, since today's computing tasks are so graphics oriented, performance may actually decrease.

As for other options to help improve performance, make sure you have lots of free disk space. This allows Windows and its page file to operate freely. Migrating from a hard drive to a SSD will provide a significant performance boost too. This is probably even more true for you because with such a small amount of RAM, the OS and your CPU surely are using the page file often to temporarily cache high-priority data. Even the slowest SSD can run circles around the fastest hard drive so improve drive access speeds will significantly improve overall performance too.

britechguy · May 8, 2021

It's also a bit of a mistake to call this RAM non-utilized. It is reserved for a specific purpose.

4GB of RAM with Windows 10 will make for a suboptimal experience no matter what. You really should add at least another 4GB (at a minimum) and definitely install the 64-bit version of Windows 10, which you can do if 32-bit is already licensed for the machine. But there is no upgrade path. You must "nuke and pave" (Doing a Completely Clean (Re)install of Windows 10 Using Media Creation Tool to Create Bootable Win10 Install Media on a USB Thumb Drive) using the 64-bit installer and then reconfigure to your liking and reinstall all the 3rd party software you use.

Paras321 · May 9, 2021

Thanks for your support.....i have shifted to 64 bit os from 32 bit by clean install.....and all is working good and ram is 3.9gb available.....but the problem is arising in wifi connectivity through mobile hotspot as i have placed my mobile by side of the pc and the range only shows 1 or 2 lines. I could not able to make use of whole speed as it is reduced by the same margin and less range is there....... when i checked the drivers there are 3 drivers and 1 unknown device showing an exclamatory mark(!).....i am sharing the screenshot of the same below....

britechguy · May 9, 2021

Several points:

1. Signal strength of connection ("the number of bars" or curves on the Windows WiFi icon) and speed are not, in any way, directly related. If you have a weaker, but stable, signal you'll often get far better throughput when you are connected to an access point that can supply higher throughput. I get nearly the same speed at a spot in my house where I have the "one dot" strength that I have where it is showing max strength. There can be some relationship, but it's not direct. Signal stability is way more important than signal strength.

2. Those "other devices" have nothing to do with your WiFi, and I wouldn't worry about them.

3. Look in Device Manager, Network Adapters, at the Properties for your WiFi adapter. Specifically the driver. If it's old, or a generic Microsoft driver, then go to the support page for either your computer manufacturer for your make and model, or the actual WiFi card manufacturer support page for that card, and get the driver dedicated to that device. There are often customizations done for/by specific manufacturers and their drivers are superior in those instances.

Paras321 · May 9, 2021

Okay....thanks for your support....i really appreciate your consistent replies and being playing the major role in enhancing my pc to 64 bit and as the result the hardware reserved memory has reduced the significant extent...thanks once again

Digerati · May 9, 2021

FTR, your wifi connectivity issues are not due to some fault or limitation with the 64-bit version of W10.

You are not clear as to whether or not you had this problem before migrating from 32-bit to 64-bit. If it worked fine before and now does not, some other change occurred at about the same time. Could be drivers, or something else - but not the OS itself.

Did you run Windows Update after upgrading to the 64-bit version? The default setting is to update new drivers when available. And drivers are the responsibility of the HW makers, not Microsoft.

britechguy · May 9, 2021

Digerati said:
And drivers are the responsibility of the HW makers, not Microsoft.

Yup, and far too few are supplying them to Microsoft in a timely manner (my suspicion) or Microsoft is not adding updated ones to The Great Windows Driver Library in the Cloud in a timely manner.

Intel, in particular, has been endlessly churning out updates to drivers almost since the day that Windows 10 hit the streets yet you almost never see those updates come through in Windows Update. There are often updates on the computer manufacturer site that can be months old that never seem to make it to Microsoft, either.

That's why, for vendors that have these utilities, I now encourage people to use their computer manufacturer's driver updater software or the device manufacturer's updater software (but only that from either one of those manufacturers). I use HP Support Assistant and Intel Driver Support Assistant on this machine because neither HP nor Microsoft seem to be getting any of the Intel updates and HP has issued driver or firmware updates that don't seem to make it to MS, either.

You'd think in the age of UEFI and the ability to make all of this updating into a "seamless stream" for the end user that the actual stream of software behind it would have made its way into place by now. But no.

Digerati · May 9, 2021

britechguy said:
up, and far too few are supplying them to Microsoft in a timely manner (my suspicion) or Microsoft is not adding updated ones to The Great Windows Driver Library in the Cloud in a timely manner.

I suspect Microsoft rolls them out about as quick as they can. If they don't they know the hardware makers will blame MS. But at the same time, I hope Microsoft runs them through a small battery of tests to make sure they are compatible with the standards, and Windows. That said, there are 1000s of different manufacturers making many 1000s of components. It would take some considerable resources and MS surely doesn't make any profit from that testing - other than not getting blamed.

britechguy said:
There are often updates on the computer manufacturer site that can be months old that never seem to make it to Microsoft, either.

I have seen this too - but frequently those updates are beta, or for unique scenarios that only affect a few people. For everyone else, the existing drivers still work and [hopefully] they (and MS) are going by the philosophy of, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" I for one, never update a driver just because a new one is out there - with the sole exception (maybe) of graphics drivers.

My main problem with letting the individual hardware updaters check for updates is, if not careful, you can end up with several, or even many updaters all running in real-time with Windows, hogging resources.

axe0 · May 9, 2021

Digerati said:
I suspect Microsoft rolls them out about as quick as they can. If they don't they know the hardware makers will blame MS. But at the same time, I hope Microsoft runs them through a small battery of tests to make sure they are compatible with the standards, and Windows. That said, there are 1000s of different manufacturers making many 1000s of components. It would take some considerable resources and MS surely doesn't make any profit from that testing - other than not getting blamed.

One way that I know of Microsoft rolls drivers out is when they're digitally signed by WHQL. This WHQL signature, Windows Hardware Quality Lab spelled out, is part of Windows Hardware Lab kit which is a test framework companies can use to ensure their products are compatible with Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019. Once drivers are signed by WHQL they can be distributed through Windows Update.

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Hardware reserved memory is 1.6 gb and i wanna reduce the same.

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Hardware reserved memory is 1.6 gb and i wanna reduce the same.

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Moderator
Hardware Expert
Microsoft MVP (Ret.)

Moderator
Hardware Expert
Microsoft MVP (Ret.)

Moderator
Hardware Expert
Microsoft MVP (Ret.)

Moderator
Hardware Expert
Microsoft MVP (Ret.)

Administrator,
BSOD Academy Instructor,
Security Analyst