Weird memory fail?

I am using a Pi2B (ARMv7). It’s the machine in the living room.

I wanted to make a large memory allocation, but it failed.
Because for some reason the thing is being seen as only having 128MB onboard.

I updated to the latest firmware (bootcode.bin and start.elf) and the most recent RISC OS, but this didn’t change anything.

I then decided that maybe there is something going on with the FAT partition, I know the boot loader does some weird stuff with Noobs.
So I popped the card into my phone, it said the FAT partition was 56MB. Chopped the files off and reformatted it.
It then said the partition was 15GB. Bastard!

Thankfully, there’s an option in DiscKnight that will let it search for the root directory, so it found it but wasn’t able to fully repair the drive (it’s v1.54, I’ve requested the update but nothing received as yet). Anyway, all files copied off, reformatted, and mini FAT partition recreated.

I have managed to get everything back to how it was, but this stupid thing is resolutely stuck at 128MB.

Does anybody know why?

Followup from the Pi (not my phone).

!Boot.Loader:

• bootcode/bin
• cmdline/txt
• CMOS
• config/txt
• riscos/img
• start/elf

No other files.

cmdline:

disable_mode_changes

config:

hdmi_force_hotplug=1
hdmi_drive=1
hdmi_group=2
hdmi_mode=87
hdmi_cvt 1024 600 60 6 0 0 0
hdmi_ignore_edid_audio=1
arm_freq_min=400
fake_vsync_isr=1
disable_overscan=1
framebuffer_swap=0
framebuffer_ignore_alpha=1
framebuffer_align=0x100000
init_emmc_clock=100000000
gpu_mem=32
ramfsfile=CMOS
ramfsaddr=0x508000
kernel=RISCOS.IMG

The HDMI lines at the top are for the odd little 7" display panel. Removing them makes no difference.

I don’t have a spare µSD card to try Linux or whatever.

You have not got another Loader partition on the drive somewhere have you that is picking up something else.

There is a discussion here
on the Pi forums but not sure it is relevent given what you say:

Turns out that bootcode.bin performs some secret settings at the hardware level that set the RAM controller to only expose up to 128MB or 256MB of RAM if it is running a NOOBS recovery image. I’m not sure exactly which cases cause it to choose the 128 vs 256, but it is one hell of a surprise to see only 128 available on a Pi 2.

Not sure this covers your issue?

How did you install the image initially and can you recover everything off the SD card on the RISC OS side and then reflash the sd card and start again?

This could also be caused by the start.elf file, according to this post – https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=10601

You have not got another Loader partition on the drive somewhere

I don’t imagine so. In recreating the device, I told HForm to perform a full format, and not just initialise the media. I then used SystemDisc to put the Loader partition in place.

So there shouldn’t be anything lingering.

Turns out that bootcode.bin performs some secret settings

Yes, I saw that, but not really relevant as it’s a FileCore device with a bodged in FAT partition, and nothing to do with Noobs or what have you.

one hell of a surprise to see only 128 available on a Pi 2.

You’re telling me!

This could also be caused by the start.elf file

Given the date (2012) and the reference to multiple start.elf files, I think this is talking about doing things with the 256MB Pi1 before the config system was in place.

everything off the SD card on the RISC OS side and then reflash the sd card and start again?

Given that my phone took “format the FAT media” a little too literally, I had no choice.
Thankfully, as I said, DiscKnight was able to locate the root directory so I could copy everything off and start again.

Sorted.

Over on the Pi org forums, cleverca22 said that the fixup.dat file causes some sort of patching of the start.elf file for the amount of memory in the machine.

I didn’t have any fixup.dat file (oops, forgot!), so I downloaded one and rebooted and… 960516K free. ;)

So if anybody ever finds their Pi misreporting the memory, it might be that.