No it’s not a Windows x32 / x64 / 64bit thing. The BIOS reports 4Gb and Windows reports 4Gb but there’s only 3Gb avalible for use !

See the free RAM up there … 2.9Gb on a clean Windows 2003 R2 x64 bit server with only MS Virtual Server installed. It’s happening on both boxes and IBM claim there are no hardware faults and have closed both calls we’ve logged with them. They say it’s Windows. Microsoft say it’s kernel level driver and point us at the server manufacture.

Now when building the box we used IBM’s Server Guide CD to assist in the driver install. So we’re assuming that something from there is causing the problem. We’ve tried installing all maner of new drivers, removed ones we think it could be and searched the web for anyone else on this planet that may be having this problem. But we’re drawing blanks everywhere we look !

We’re now about to install Windows in different flavours and a few different Linux’s to see if we can pin it down. Any suggestions greatly recieved.

!! Got to be said that there’s getting fewer and fewer reasons to bother buying IBM servers now !!