Check RAM (Memory) Problem with MemTest Utility
MemTest is a RAM reliability checking utility that runs on Windows. By running MemTest you can ensure that your computer’s RAM is correctly functioning. It is wise to test this when you buy a new computer, install new RAM, or change the configuration of your machine (for instance, to overclock it). Are you the sort of user who likes to push the performance of your machine to the edge? Relying upon whether your machine will boot after your new BIOS tweaks is a poor way to determine the safety of your new settings. Use MemTest as a true test of stability.
MemTest evaluates the ability of your computer’s memory to store and retrieve data accurately. A correctly functioning computer should be able to do both these tasks with 100% accuracy day in and day out. A computer that fails these tests, perhaps because of old hardware, damaged hardware, or poorly configured hardware, will be less stable and crash more often. Even worse, it will become even less stable over time as corrupted data is written to your hard disk.
To check your RAM follow these steps and stat MemTest :
1. Quit every program running on your computer.
2. Click [OK] to close this window, and then click [Start Testing].
3. Let MemTest run for at lest 20 minutes.
If MemTest finds any problems it will stop and let you know. The longer you run MemTest, the better the test. If you have multiple cores/CPUs, run multiple copies of MemTest and split the amount of RAM tested between them.
How much RAM to test: To keep the test running smoothly and quickly, you should only test the amount of RAM that is unused, rather than the total amount of RAM in your system - otherwise your computer will spend 90% of the test reading and writing to your hard drive, rather than testing RAM. By default MemTest will check all RAM that is not in use by other applications. If you want more control, you can use the Windows Task Manager to determine how much RAM is free for checking.
How long to test: Unlike other memory checking software, MemTest is designed to find all types of memory errors, including intermittent problems. To catch intermittent errors, however, you need to run it for several hours. You can also run MemTest Pro while you use your computer for other tasks, which will help identify memory errors which only show up while the computer is under load.
100% coverage represents one full pass of testing your memory. In general it is better to run multiple passes. Here are three typical lengths of testing you might use:
1. Test until 100% coverage (a quick test to make sure your RAM is functioning reasonably)
2. Test for 1 hour (this will catch everything except intermittent of errors)
3. Test overnight (recommended; your computer is not doing anything else at night anyway, why not be absolutely sure your RAM is good?)
If MemTest finds an RAM Error
In all cases if MemTest finds an error it will stop and report it to you. If you do get an error, you should consider replacing you RAM or at the very least verifying that your machine is correctly configured. Note that even ONE error is a sign of a serious problem - a correctly functioning computer can run MemTest for weeks with no errors.
If you do get an error, the next question is to determine how to fix it. The most common cause of memory errors is a faulty memory card. Unfortunately, due to variations in motherboards and chipsets, it is impossible to reliably locate the physical chip that is failing purely via software. It is still possible, however, to determine which DIMM is failing if you have more than one, by elimination: Run the machine with one memory board installed at a time; when errors are found the installed board is at fault.
This is also a good diagnostic for another reason: sometimes the problem is really with the motherboard, and it will disappear if you have less RAM installed, or if the DIMMs are installed in different slots. If you have access to multiple computers, you can also try testing the "faulty" RAM in both to isolate whether the problem is the memory or some other component.
Download free MemTest for Windows.
MemTest file size 13KB.
MemTest Website
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