Computer usable RAM showing less than total installed RAM

I had my laptop computer ram showing 2.45 gb usable out of total 4gb installed.

I was able to free up those unused memory using the following steps:

There are several additional situations that could cause the usable RAM to be less than expected. These issues and possible solutions are listed here: 

Check the system configuration settings

This problem may occur because the Maximum memory option is selected incorrectly. To fix this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
   
   , type msconfig in the Search programs and files box, and then click msconfig in the Programs list.
2. In the System Configuration window, click Advanced options on the Boot tab.
3. Click to clear the Maximum memory check box, and then click OK.
4. Restart the computer.

The solution was available at: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/978610