Missing RAM - Help!!!

[sirius]

As some of you know, Im getting geared up to do my dads laptop - it was getting slower and slower so I wanted to do format and clean install of windowsXP home.

Anywayz, Ive finally got ready for doing it, however I looked at the control panel 'system' tab and it says its got 112mb RAM, AMD athlonM 1800+, 450mhz 40GB HDD.
Now, it should be about 384 RAM, thats what he ordered and Im sure thats what it was when he got it. Its got 'shared' graphics memory of about 8mb graphics card.

I cant see a RAM chip/card in the 'devices' tree or anything.

Please advise what I can do to check the computer for RAM, if theres any explanation on how its lost it, and any steps I can do to get it back. Will a format or fresh install sort it out? or is it not linked?.

Its nothing to do with Virtual memory or anything like that is it?

I really would like to sort it all out asap so I can redo it all before sunday night, if anyone can reply here.

Cheers,

Sirius.

[Myk]

Possibly has the shared memory set to 128mb ?

[johns_ar]

myk gave me a link to check ram, it was a proggie to download but i deleted it mate

im sure he will still have it....

[Myk]

Sure its here :
http://hcidesign.com/memtest/download.html

[sirius]

Cheers Guys, Ive just downloaded the tester, Ill stick on floppy and give it a whirl.

Perhaps Im being a bit thick here (I know I am! lol), but whats the 'shared memory' and hows it reset itself to a higher ratio?

With the spec of laptop he baught (above), he should be pissing applications away - and not sat there a few minutes whilst a dialog box comes up or whatever .
Whats going wrong?


ta

Sirius.