Laptop is supposed to have 6GB RAM but only reports 2GB

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My laptop is supposed to have 6 GB ram but it only detects 2 GB of it, so I don't know what to do.

I searched the web for answer and what i get that there's 2 possible problem:

1- That 4 GB ram card is broken and not working

2- or the 2 ram card have a different path so the windows chose the path of the smaller ram card which would be the 2 GB ram

I don't know what is the path in first place so I really don't know what to do.

How would I troubleshoot, and work out why the 4 GB stick is not being detected? My laptop's specifications are as follows:

Windows 7 Home premium 64- bit Operating system 

processor : intel (R) core(TM) i7 CPU   Q740 @1.73 GHz 1.73GHz

installed memory(RAM) : 2.00 GB  (but it suppose to be 6 GB -_- )

My laptop is Dell and it's Model N5010

monablo

Posted 2013-06-30T15:24:43.220

Reputation: 11

1What's telling you that you only have 2GB? – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams – 2013-06-30T15:27:56.787

1Personally, I think it's better to match RAM modules in both slots if possible. So 2x 1GB, or 2x 2GB, or (the most this laptop can take) 2x 4GB. It can work if you mix and match, but RAM is so cheap these days that I never risk it. Anyway- why have 6GB when you can have 8GB? – Austin ''Danger'' Powers – 2013-06-30T16:08:11.807

Austin: Matching SoDIMMS is nice if you can do it, but I take 2GiB + 4GiB any day of a matched pair of 2x 2GiB SoDIMMs. (Ofc, a matched pair of 2x 4GIB beats both of those). ---- @OP: II suspect you have a 2GiB and a 4GiB SoDIMM and that the 4GiB SoDIMM is not properly seated. Physically check which SoDIMMs are present and reseat them. (That means remove them and reinsert them). – Hennes – 2013-06-30T16:57:39.090

I’m surprised everybody missed the obvious question: are you sure it’s supposed to have 6GB? How do you know that? Are you sure it didn’t simply say it *supports up to* 6GB as opposed to it comes with 6GB? – Synetech – 2013-12-18T03:15:54.803

Answers

That model only has 2 RAM slots, so my guess is you only have 1x 2GB or 2x 1GB sticks in there:

enter image description here

If you can open it up and report back on what is installed in the RAM slots then it will be easy for us to help.

Austin ''Danger'' Powers

Posted 2013-06-30T15:24:43.220

Reputation: 5 992

1I'd guess he has a 2gb and a 4gb stick inside – Journeyman Geek – 2013-06-30T15:53:32.967

According to that pic, "Scan your system" to view your specific configuration"... may help to get info without opening the laptop. – Carl B – 2013-06-30T15:57:33.453

2That's just Crucial's scanning tool. If a RAM module isn't seated properly or or is faulty in some way, a software utility won't see it. The OP needs to reach for the screwdriver and see what's going on inside. – Austin ''Danger'' Powers – 2013-06-30T16:00:34.167

i have 2 slots (2 GB & 4 GB)/ that 4 Gb i can remove it but 2 GB i can't -_- / i try to remove 4 Gb and reinsert it but nothing happen – monablo – 2013-06-30T23:07:55.933

Maybe the 4GB RAM module or the slot on the motherboard is faulty. If you could find a spare stick of memory to try in your laptop then we would be able to find out pretty quickly. – Austin ''Danger'' Powers – 2013-07-01T02:07:13.717

i don't have a spare stick :(. but is there's anything we could do in the system like install it or something i don't know i'm not expert :(. and i said something about the path of RAMs can u explain what is this. – monablo – 2013-07-01T02:14:38.737

1There are 2 unknowns in the equation- the RAM (might be broken, might be ok) and the memory slot (might be faulty, might be okay). The best thing to do now is to take one of these unknowns out of the equation. That either means putting some known good memory in the laptop, or taking this memory out and trying it in another laptop with a known good memory slot. That's the only advice I can give. If you have a techie, friend ask him if he can help you with this :) – Austin ''Danger'' Powers – 2013-07-01T02:19:43.660