Memory Diagnostics - Memtest86+

To help with troubleshooting an instability problem that you suspect may be caused by your computers memory subsystem, we recommend using a free utility called Memtest86+ to test your computers memory rather than Windows based tools.

Unlike Windows based diagnostic tools like Norton Systemworks, Memtest86+ runs on its own Operating System so you can be sure that any miscellaneous Operating System problems aren't the cause of any problems. Windows based hardware diagnostic utilities like Norton Systemworks often falsely reports or misidentifies problematic hardware. We've received false memory complaints from customers that had Windows based hardware diagnostic utilities that reported memory errors. Yet they test fine when we test them with Memtest86+ or our $25,000 hardware based memory tester. As an independent technician I would loathe the times when I had to work on computers that were loaded with Windows based diagnostic software. They always caused more problems than they fixed! Windows based diagnostic programs are a very very bad idea. You've got too many drivers, and other software programs running at the same time to allow for an accurate diagnoses of computer hardware problems.

Please be aware that not all errors reported by Memtest86+ are due to bad memory. The test implicitly tests the CPU, L1 and L2 caches as well as the motherboard. So if the memory diagnostic software reports errors, keep in mind that this doesn't mean that there is definitely a problem with the memory module as other computer problems can cause a memory module to fail testing. It's possible that there is an incorrectly set BIOS setting, other hardware problems that are causing the memory test to fail, or the computer is accidentally overclocked higher than you thought. There is of course the possibility that a memory module is bad but you can only be sure of that if the BIOS settings are checked and other hardware problems are ruled out.

If Memtest86+ reports errors, the best way to avoid incorrectly diagnosing the problem as being caused by a bad memory module is to swap in a different memory module. If you don't have a different memory module to troubleshoot with, or if swapping out the memory doesn't help, remove all unnecessary devices from the computer (all you need to run the test is a motherboard, CPU, floppy drive, power supply, video card, and only test one memory module at a time). If that troubleshooting step doesn't help then try swapping the power supply, video card, memory module, and CPU if possible. If removing or swapping devices did help, re-install them one at a time to find the culprit. If removing or swapping components doesn't help, then the memory module should be replaced.