Help! My Linux Mint Can't Use More Than 4GB of RAM
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TechWhizzy123
I've got Linux Mint 22.1 x86_64 installed on my machine, and I'm facing a frustrating issue: although I have 16 GB of RAM, the OS only recognizes 4 GB. I've tried a bunch of things to fix this, including checking for 32-bit files (since I heard they could be causing the issue), using ulimit, and looking through htop for clues, but no luck. I'm not looking for generic advice like 'just google it' or 'check your RAM installation' because I've already done all that. If anyone has suggestions that could actually help, I'd really appreciate it!
Answers
Consider trying EndeavourOS on an external drive to boot your NUC. If it works fine there, you might be looking at a specific issue with your Mint install. I've noticed quite a few posts about Mint having quirky issues lately, so it might be a broader problem. Let us know what you find out!
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If you have the means, installing a fresh 64-bit distro on a spare drive could really help narrow this down. I experienced a similar problem where part of my RAM was marked as 'hardware reserved' due to a hardware fault. It’s worth checking if the same happens with another operating system. Have you tried running Mint from a live USB? Sometimes that lets you troubleshoot easier.
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It sounds like you might be dealing with a hardware issue or possibly a flawed installation. Can you share if you had a previous OS and whether this is a fresh install? Sometimes installations can get messed up, even if it’s rare. Maybe reinstalling could help, but keep that as a last resort for now. Let’s see if we can figure this out first!
RAMRanger456: I've had Linux for about half a year now, so I don't think it's a fresh install issue.
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TechWhizzy123: Yeah, I actually see similar behavior! When I run RAM tests, it won’t go over 2 GB because it claims it’s reserved for the kernel.