I'd suggest you contact VIA support, and also track down a discussion forum specific to your board and check around for anyone else who may've experienced this problem.

It could be that the drivers for the on-board sound have a bug which only manifests on systems with 4 GB of memory (maybe their code isn't properly addressing memory somehow; on board sound can be like on board video, if I'm not mistaken, in that it grabs and reserves some of your system memory for its own use; if somehow it errors out in response to seeing the 4 GB installed, that part of the process might fail, causing sound to be disabled).

Someone either with VIA or in the forums might be able to link you to a possible fix, or a newer driver in beta testing by VIA. If a suggestion isn't readily apparent, I'd suggest you disable the on board sound and buy a separate sound card instead.
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The additional memory that Windows cannot use is messing around with the motherboard's ability to address memory across its various components. The reason the 3GB worked is that it is still within the 32-bit threshold. This is obviously a hardware problem that should be correctable with a BIOS flash. Check the available BIOS updates for your board and try a flash.
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Its a software recognition problem.1gb your using for a long time the memory is compatible with your os and all configuration.when you insert new memory it will try to match with all os and other configuration of sound drivers at that time recognition will not properly happen due to that sound did not work. the new update of sound card drivers has the capability to recognise propely the new
memory.

It is due to sound driver problem (old driver caused the problem)
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I had the same problem with my asus board with on board via sound running vista 32 bit. The problem is caused by how windows handles the extra gig of memory. The easy fix if your running Vista is

1] download the latest service pack from(fixes the problem but still do not use all the memory)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=874a414b-32b2-41cc-bd8b-d71eda5ec07c&displaylang=en

2] get the 64 bit version which you can get from Microsoft free and use your current license key from
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/1033/ordermedia/default.mspx

3] download a copy of vista 64 from torrent site and your license key will still work.(tried it myself it work if you have a legal copy of windows)
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The reason you only see 3 gigs in windows is that you are running a 32 bit OS. It has to do with memory addressing, but the short version is that any 32 bit OS can only see around 3.2 gigs of memory or in some cases as much as 3.5. To use all the memory you have installed you need to use a 64 bit OS (XP X64, VistaX64, or a Linux 64 bit if there is one).

The same cause results in your sound cards not performing, so upgrade to a 64 bit 0S


The problem has been widely reported in various forums. here are some of them, all advice the same solution--



http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?referrerid=32220&t=680269

http://forums.opensuse.org/archives/sls-archives/archives-suse-linux/archives-hardware-support/378735-sles-10-4-gb-ram-showing-up-like-3gb.html

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/279791-4gb-ram-only-showing-up-3-gb.html

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/279791-4gb-ram-only-showing-up-3-gb.html

http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/other-hardware-support/307548-4gb-installed-but-only-3gb-shows-up-os-bios.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/238891-30-upgrade-showing

http://www.pchelpforum.com/memory/41200-4gb-random-access-memory-showing-only-3gb.html

http://www.computerforum.com/138742-i-have-4gb-ram-but-only-3gb-shows-up.html


http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/3588/xpprosp2x641sy5.jpg
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