Windows not making use of RAM.

Question

So, I had an older laptop where the RAM inside would use a lot of battery. To remedy this, I changed a setting that would reduce the amount of RAM available when the laptop was on a battery. Eventually, due to SSD corruption, the computer wouldn't boot, so I transferred all of the files from it to a new laptop I received, bringing over that old setting. In Windows 10, if my laptop unplugged, I could plug it back in and resolve the issue, but now, I've upgraded to Windows 11, and apparently, it doesn't recognize the setting anymore, even though I'm positive it's still in effect. What's more is that plugging it back in does nothing to change anything. Opening resource monitor, the "In Use" portion of RAM seldom reaches 40%, even when using a more intensive program, like Minecraft. I swear I changed a setting in the "Power Options" part of the Control Panel, but I open it, and there is no such setting. I have no idea where I'm supposed to look, since I changed that setting 2 or 3 years ago.

Answer 1

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out here in the Microsoft Answers Community.

Since we are unable to know how you made the setting and migrated the system, and considering that you have changed devices, I recommend performing a clean reinstallation, which removes everything and starts from scratch. Please copy all your personal data to offline storage (like USB sticks, external hard drives, and memory cards) beforehand to prevent data loss.

To perform a clean reinstallation, please prepare a USB stick that is at least 8 GB in size (do not use the one with your backups, since it will be erased), then download and run the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool on another computer. Follow the instructions, and when selecting the media type, please select "USB stick", and then select the drive letter the USB stick is in.

After creating the installation media, please plug it into your computer, and boot from it in UEFI mode. The exact procedure differs among motherboard manufacturers, so please refer to the user manual for details.

Disclaimer: Microsoft provides no assurances and/or warranties, implied or otherwise, and is not responsible for the information you receive from the third-party linked sites or any support related to technology.

If you are going to modify BIOS Settings, please back up all your personal files first to ensure you do not lose data.

After booting, please select "Install now". Follow the instructions, and when selecting the installation type, select "Custom: Install Windows only". On the next installation screen, please delete all the partitions (including EFI, reserved, and recovery ones) in your system disk. Select the unallocated space and select "Next". The installer will partition your system disk automatically.

Please refer to the "Clean install of Windows 11 using installation media" section of this support article for further details.

Disclaimer: At this point, we have exhausted all troubleshooting and I recommend that we try to perform a clean install to get your computer back into a working condition. Please ensure that you backup any important data, including Documents, Pictures, Videos, and more.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Best Regards,

Johann - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist