Why is Linux only recognizing 2GB of my 16GB RAM?

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Asked By TechWanderer42 On

I've been experiencing a frustrating issue where my Linux system can only detect 2GB of RAM, even though my laptop has 16GB installed. I'm running Linux in a dual-boot setup on an HP ZBook Studio G5 alongside Windows, which recognizes all 16GB without problem. I've tried reinstalling Linux, which initially allowed it to see 15GB, but after a few days, it reverted back to only showing 2GB again. I checked the memory with the command 'free -h' and it confirms just 2GB total memory, including swap. I've also noted a significant number of ACPI errors during my research, and I'm considering downgrading my BIOS version to resolve the issue. Before I do that, I'd love to hear any thoughts on what might be causing the problem. I've tried a few potential fixes already including using GRUB with a memory map override and ensuring that I'm booting in UEFI mode, not Legacy. Plus, I've disabled secure boot in the BIOS, so I'm running out of options here!

3 Answers

Answered By RAMMaster88 On

Could you share which Linux distribution you're using? That might help us narrow down the issue. Also, how are you checking the RAM? Try running `watch free -m` in the terminal at startup and see what the output is then.

Answered By MemoryGuru101 On

Make sure to run `free -h` in the console to double-check your RAM. Often, the system might be misreading how much RAM is available, potentially confusing it with swap space which could default to showing only 2GB.

Answered By UserTechSavvy On

So, when you run 'free' in the terminal, you only see 2GB of RAM being reported? If that’s the case, where else are you observing the 2GB limitation? Is it just in that command?

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