Added Memory to Host is not recognized by VBox

[SaYnt]

I'm running the latest iMac with a core i5. I originally purchased when the updated was first announced. The System came with it's standard 4GB of RAM. I've been running Windows Server 2008 R2 in the latest version of virtualbox 3.2.8. My virtual machine only had 1.5GB of RAM allocated to it and with other host running applications, both the host and VM started to struggle.

Today I added another 4GB of ram to the system, OSX registers that there is now 8GB in the host and I get a nice big green pie in Activity monitor. So all 8 gig have been accounted for. The problem is that virtualbox doesn't see the added memory. The Max memory option for my virtual machine is still capped out at 3584MB. I attempted to bump the ram up to 3072 and VBox prevents the VM from booting completely, reporting errors that there is not enough ram left for the host to operate at.

In activity monitor you can see VBox reserve the memory space and doesn't even use half of the 8 gig, and over half the pie is still green/free. How do i get VBox to recognize that the host has more than 4GB of ram now?.. I've uninstalled, and re-installed several times.

[Perryg]

By using a 64 bit guest OS. What you are seeing is a 32-bit restriction of the guest OS.

[SaYnt]

Server 2008 R2 is only 64bit, and had installed it by selecting Windows 7 64bit.

Plus if I try and create a new VM and select any 64bit Windows OS, it still only allows me to allocate the 3.5 gig of ram

[SaYnt]

I just looked in activity monitor, and the virtualbox gui console is not labeled as 64bit like other core OS processes. Virtualbox for OSX is only 32bit?...

[Perryg]

But are you running VBox in 64 bit mode? From what I have read here (I don't have a MAC) you can start it in either 32 or 64 bit.
Maybe someone that actually has a MAC will come by and help.

[SaYnt]

That's kind of what i'm thinking, but i'm unable to find if there is some kind of switch to launch vbox in 64 or 32 bit modes.

[caz]

You need to boot OS 10.6.X in 64 bit mode. Go to

About this mac > More Info > Software, it will say "64-bit Kernela & Extension:" NO
that means you are in 32 bit mode.

Restart your mac holding the 6 and 4 number keys. once booted do the above. it should say YES.

For more details google "how boot snow leopard 64 bit permanent"

more info here too:
http://www.ahatfullofsky.comuv.com/Engl ... S/SMS.html

NOTE some other stuff might not work, example, I use a "bearextender" usb wifi adapter to get better signal. it does not work under 64bit cause the usb driver hasn't been updated.

[SaYnt]

thanks, that did the trick, although I found that same issue before i read your post. I used this util to change my kernel mode instead of the 6 and 4 keys

http://www.ahatfullofsky.comuv.com/Engl ... S/SMS.html