"Windows NT has found only 495K of low memory. Error

[bobert3222]

Hi I have been trying to figure this problem out to no avail. I believe I've made headway but there is an uncertainty in the mix that leaves me a little hesitant to follow through.

Quick details:
8gb RAM
Core i3-3220
Windows 7 Pro 64bit


I am currently working a project where a computer produces the error ""Windows NT has found only 495K of low memory. 512K of low memory is required to run Windows NT" at the start up. It is for an office computer so there is also encryption on the hard drive. I am clear to get rid of the encryption and have been given the admin codes for it, but I cannot get into the windows system,

Upon powering up, I can cycle through the bios screen, then I hit the encryption software login -- this is just a login to the machine, nothing more at this point -- and then it produces the error.

What I've done up to this point was test the RAM units (DDR2) in the computer and they all passed. I thought possible it was the motherboard that was the issue, also not the case. I know this because I popped the drive out and installed it into another computer. The same error message occurred when I set the "low memory" drive as primary. So the next bit of research I did led me to believe that there was a problem with the boot sector on the hard disk itself. I had downloaded hirens boot cd to try to do the repair as well as my windows disk for a repair and both failed, coming to the conclusion that windows sees to not be found period, which is bad news.

I booted back up into the functional drive with the other attached and was prompted for a format because the file system is not correct. Looking in the Computer Management > Disk Manager section, I see it is formatted as RAW, no longer NFTS. I don't know how that exactly happened, but I also had scanned the disc for errors and came back empty-handed.

I am tempted to simply do the format and then attempt recovery of all the files but I don't know if it will be possible at all being that the drive is still encrypted. Any thoughts on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

-Bob

 

[rgd1101]

if the disk is encrypted, you will need to decrypted first for anything to see it as a windows ntfs disk.

 

[bobert3222]

Well, I cant get to the decrypting part because that is done through the OS not at the initial lock screen. I have to login first before windows will even try to load. Which it can't.

 

[rgd1101]

It the old pc(that office pc) still work? I would put it back into that, and see if you can find some memory settings in the bios to monkeying around to get it to boot.

 

[rgd1101]

it is windows xp? can you boot into command prompt?
like http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/boot_no_windows.mspx?mfr=true

 

[bobert3222]

With the boot utility disc I made I can def boot into the command promp or even a winxp lite type of OS. I have no problem booting from the hard drive of the other computer when it is the way it was. For simplicity sake I'll go with the good hard drive as "A" and the problematic hard drive as "B". They were each also respectively in computers "1" and "2". That might make referencing easier.

So computer 2 does still function, but the hard drive B does the exact same thing regardless of the pc it is installed into. The only way I can see anything about it at this point is by having it as a secondary drive in computer 1 using A as the boot drive and then going into the Disk Manager. This is how I know it is now being read as RAW with a 3.47GM OEM Partition which I don't know what that is.

I actually thought it was Win7, but thinking back it might be XP actually.

Also, I thought BIOs might have been ruled out because I can still boot from a different drive with no changes, simply changing the SATA cables around.

 

[rgd1101]

My guess is B is raw because it is encrypted.
and if it xp, it might not like the new hardware(cpu/motherboard/chipset).

boot disk is not helpful because you will need to encryption software login to B first to access the HDD data.

Have you try the encryption software support to see if it can be decrypted from another pc

 

[bobert3222]

Actually I have not tried the support, that is a great idea. However, as far as hardware changes go, it does the exact same thing on the previous computer as well. right down to the same amount of ram it says it has and how much it needs. Leads me to think something is messed up on the boot sector but I honestly can't tell.

 

[rgd1101]

Yeah, try the software support, they might have some tool that can decrypted non-os drive.