Windows 7 Ultimate x64 - Installed memory 4GB (3GB usable)

Your hole is just that ....A HOLE! No work around no matter what anyone says here. I have the same specs and same OS. That is the way it was designed to work with legacy boards and crappy chipsets that our MOBOs have.

Regarding your blue screen.

Use OPTIMIZED defaults in the bios. Then make any necessary settings that are critical BUT THAT YOU KNOW will not cause a problem. if unsure what the setting does....DONT MESS WITH IT. Your not going to get any performance gain, do not over clock. I did this and had to jump my cmos because it kept killing my video driver when

Then when in windows...SET THE SYSTEM SETTINGS for WIN 7 to "Optimize for performance" You can live with out the flamboyant buttons etc.

This is what was causing the blue screen for me. Do not load a bunch of fonts either. If you needs scary barb wired fonts etc, then you need a mac cuz your a decorator soon to be designer.

K, I found a solution... weird though...

I was using MSCONFIG to make sure windows started with all four cpu cores (i.e. msconfig / Boot / Advanced Options / number of processors).

I guess I also selected use max memory option as well.

In windows Resource Monitor 1026 MB was set aside for "Hardware Reserved"

I unselected the "use max memory" and now Win7 reports the full memory and the Hardware Reserved dropped to zero.

Hope it helps someone else.

To Reply to some of these posts.

Andre - why would the via chipset have any influence on the amount of memory addressable as the memory controller is on the processor? I would agree that with the graphics card and other devices the board/processor is trying to address more than 4Gb of addressable devices (RAM + graphices + PCI-e + PCI), however the motherboard does supports 4GB RAM and I can access the full 4 GB in safe mode, just not in normal mode. Therefore in safe mode the computer is able to address 4 Gb of RAM + PCI-e + PCI devices (i.e more than the equivalent 4Gb of addresses), but toss the graphics card into the mix and it all falls over, why? 

Muster - nothing on the board is overclocked, or ever has beeen, I'm not after all out performance. setting Windows 7 settings to optimize for performance has no effect on preventing the bluescreen.

Lbjgh - I found this original approach helpful, but this got me to the position listed in my post - i.e. where use max memory set bellow 4096 results in the system working with less memory available then with then without mapping around the memory hole. Setting it back to a higher setting results in the dreaded BSOD.

I now have the results of the debug I did from the memory dump at the bluescreen. I append them here in case this provides any additional helpful information.

Thanks for all your comments and help.

Chewwit

Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version 6.11.0001.404 AMD64Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Loading Dump File [C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP]Kernel Summary Dump File: Only kernel address space is available

Symbol search path is: SRV*c:\websymbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbolsExecutable search path is: Windows 7 Kernel Version 7600 MP (2 procs) Free x64Product: WinNt, suite: TerminalServer SingleUserTS PersonalBuilt by: 7600.16385.amd64fre.win7_rtm.090713-1255Machine Name:Kernel base = 0xfffff80002802000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0xfffff80002a3fe50Debug session time: Sat Jan 16 19:36:41.093 2010 (GMT+0)System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:27.500Loading Kernel Symbols.............................................................................................................................Loading User Symbols

Loading unloaded module list....********************************************************************************                                                                             **                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    **                                                                             ********************************************************************************

Use !analyze -v to get detailed debugging information.

BugCheck 116, {fffffa80040b7010, fffff88004856ef0, 0, 2}

*** ERROR: Module load completed but symbols could not be loaded for atikmdag.sysProbably caused by : atikmdag.sys ( atikmdag+12ef0 )

Followup: MachineOwner---------

0: kd> !analyze -v********************************************************************************                                                                             **                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    **                                                                             ********************************************************************************

VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (116)Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from timeout failed.Arguments:Arg1: fffffa80040b7010, Optional pointer to internal TDR recovery context (TDR_RECOVERY_CONTEXT).Arg2: fffff88004856ef0, The pointer into responsible device driver module (e.g. owner tag).Arg3: 0000000000000000, Optional error code (NTSTATUS) of the last failed operation.Arg4: 0000000000000002, Optional internal context dependent data.

Debugging Details:------------------

FAULTING_IP: atikmdag+12ef0fffff880`04856ef0 48895c2408      mov     qword ptr [rsp+8],rbx

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  GRAPHICS_DRIVER_TDR_FAULT

BUGCHECK_STR:  0x116

PROCESS_NAME:  System

CURRENT_IRQL:  0

STACK_TEXT:  fffff88003d939c8 fffff88004ed6ef8 : 0000000000000116 fffffa80040b7010 fffff88004856ef0 0000000000000000 : nt!KeBugCheckExfffff88003d939d0 fffff88004ed6c02 : fffff88004856ef0 fffffa80040b7010 fffffa80057c3950 fffffa8005975410 : dxgkrnl!TdrBugcheckOnTimeout+0xecfffff88003d93a10 fffff88004f7df07 : fffffa80040b7010 0000000000000000 fffffa80057c3950 fffffa8005975410 : dxgkrnl!TdrIsRecoveryRequired+0x1a2fffff88003d93a40 fffff88004fa7b75 : 00000000ffffffff 0000000000000413 0000000000000000 0000000000000002 : dxgmms1!VidSchiReportHwHang+0x40bfffff88003d93b20 fffff88004fa62bb : 0000000000000102 0000000000000000 0000000000000413 0000000000000000 : dxgmms1!VidSchiCheckHwProgress+0x71fffff88003d93b50 fffff88004f792c6 : ffffffffff676980 fffffa8005975410 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWaitForSchedulerEvents+0x1fbfffff88003d93bf0 fffff88004fa5e7a : 0000000000000000 000000000000000f 0000000000000080 fffffa80052e1888 : dxgmms1!VidSchiScheduleCommandToRun+0x1dafffff88003d93d00 fffff80002b17166 : 0000000002afd0f3 fffffa80057c9b60 fffffa800403b040 fffffa80057c9b60 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWorkerThread+0xbafffff88003d93d40 fffff80002852486 : fffff800029ece80 fffffa80057c9b60 fffff800029fac40 fffff8800124a534 : nt!PspSystemThreadStartup+0x5afffff88003d93d80 0000000000000000 : fffff88003d94000 fffff88003d8e000 fffff88003c3ab60 0000000000000000 : nt!KxStartSystemThread+0x16

STACK_COMMAND:  .bugcheck ; kb

FOLLOWUP_IP: atikmdag+12ef0fffff880`04856ef0 48895c2408      mov     qword ptr [rsp+8],rbx

SYMBOL_NAME:  atikmdag+12ef0

FOLLOWUP_NAME:  MachineOwner

MODULE_NAME: atikmdag

IMAGE_NAME:  atikmdag.sys

DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP:  4b0ca832

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x116_IMAGE_atikmdag.sys

BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x116_IMAGE_atikmdag.sys

Followup: MachineOwner---------

0: kd> !analyze -v********************************************************************************                                                                             **                        Bugcheck Analysis                                    **                                                                             ********************************************************************************

VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (116)Attempt to reset the display driver and recover from timeout failed.Arguments:Arg1: fffffa80040b7010, Optional pointer to internal TDR recovery context (TDR_RECOVERY_CONTEXT).Arg2: fffff88004856ef0, The pointer into responsible device driver module (e.g. owner tag).Arg3: 0000000000000000, Optional error code (NTSTATUS) of the last failed operation.Arg4: 0000000000000002, Optional internal context dependent data.

Debugging Details:------------------

FAULTING_IP: atikmdag+12ef0fffff880`04856ef0 48895c2408      mov     qword ptr [rsp+8],rbx

DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID:  GRAPHICS_DRIVER_TDR_FAULT

BUGCHECK_STR:  0x116

PROCESS_NAME:  System

CURRENT_IRQL:  0

STACK_TEXT:  fffff88003d939c8 fffff88004ed6ef8 : 0000000000000116 fffffa80040b7010 fffff88004856ef0 0000000000000000 : nt!KeBugCheckExfffff88003d939d0 fffff88004ed6c02 : fffff88004856ef0 fffffa80040b7010 fffffa80057c3950 fffffa8005975410 : dxgkrnl!TdrBugcheckOnTimeout+0xecfffff88003d93a10 fffff88004f7df07 : fffffa80040b7010 0000000000000000 fffffa80057c3950 fffffa8005975410 : dxgkrnl!TdrIsRecoveryRequired+0x1a2fffff88003d93a40 fffff88004fa7b75 : 00000000ffffffff 0000000000000413 0000000000000000 0000000000000002 : dxgmms1!VidSchiReportHwHang+0x40bfffff88003d93b20 fffff88004fa62bb : 0000000000000102 0000000000000000 0000000000000413 0000000000000000 : dxgmms1!VidSchiCheckHwProgress+0x71fffff88003d93b50 fffff88004f792c6 : ffffffffff676980 fffffa8005975410 0000000000000000 0000000000000000 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWaitForSchedulerEvents+0x1fbfffff88003d93bf0 fffff88004fa5e7a : 0000000000000000 000000000000000f 0000000000000080 fffffa80052e1888 : dxgmms1!VidSchiScheduleCommandToRun+0x1dafffff88003d93d00 fffff80002b17166 : 0000000002afd0f3 fffffa80057c9b60 fffffa800403b040 fffffa80057c9b60 : dxgmms1!VidSchiWorkerThread+0xbafffff88003d93d40 fffff80002852486 : fffff800029ece80 fffffa80057c9b60 fffff800029fac40 fffff8800124a534 : nt!PspSystemThreadStartup+0x5afffff88003d93d80 0000000000000000 : fffff88003d94000 fffff88003d8e000 fffff88003c3ab60 0000000000000000 : nt!KxStartSystemThread+0x16

STACK_COMMAND:  .bugcheck ; kb

FOLLOWUP_IP: atikmdag+12ef0fffff880`04856ef0 48895c2408      mov     qword ptr [rsp+8],rbx

SYMBOL_NAME:  atikmdag+12ef0

FOLLOWUP_NAME:  MachineOwner

MODULE_NAME: atikmdag

IMAGE_NAME:  atikmdag.sys

DEBUG_FLR_IMAGE_TIMESTAMP:  4b0ca832

FAILURE_BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x116_IMAGE_atikmdag.sys

BUCKET_ID:  X64_0x116_IMAGE_atikmdag.sys

Followup: MachineOwner---------

Just wanted to chime in that I had the exact same problem, and turning on the Remapping feature in BIOS worked for me. Thanks! ^_^