Crashes. Awhile back....

Isn't that what you just did? :)

D from BC

The flip answer is linux. The real answer is no. Memory gets accessed in so many different ways that a memory test that is entirely CPU driven is not going to be able to smoke out all of the flaws. For instance, your computer's memory is driven by the CPU, the CPU's cache controller, the video card's DMA, the network card's DMA, the disk controller's DMA, ... . If your memory is running a little too slow, or too fast, one of these memory access methods could exercise the flaw sometimes, and others may never exercise the flaw.

Additionally, the temperature of the computer box varies with load, room temperature, disk activity.... The CPU's temperature varies depending on what you are doing with it (idling, CPU intensive routines, ...).

So, the only real test for a memory card is to use it heavily loaded in the system it is going to be deployed in.

-Chuck

Yep ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Not with any software. Take the module(s) to a local PC repair shop. Some do have the sophisticated memory testers.

Cheers

No.

Memory testing programs don't always test the memory in the all its failing. it could be a specific order of bit values and address location change rate that causes the memory to fail. I've seen a very unique tester module that have an elevation board that plugs into your memory socket. you then plug your original back into this carrier board which has enough memory already on it to accommodate with what your testing. You run the PC for a while to wait for a crash, if an error in memory occurs, an LED on this module lights up with a mini LCD display giving you the address and byte values of the failure.

Basically, as the bus is addressing your memory via the jumper card, the onboard memory is also being written to and then compared with your memory at some point to test for verification of integrity.

this is suppose to be a better test to insure the memory is working correctly in your MB with the settings you have selected. It does not mean the memory is permanently bad. it just may not be able to operate at the speed of your settings.

Boot a Knoppix live DVD disc or even some distros, like Suse Linux or Ubuntu have memory test selections right from their boot menu, without even needing to boot into the OS first.

Also, the MS test feature has many switches that allow one to make it a more comprehensive test. You didn't just select "GO" did you?

You need to look through the set-up menus for it, and make it at least the animal it might be able to be first.

Another way to "test" it is to OC the machine in the BIOS. THEN run the test(s).

A bad stick will show up pretty quickly.

In message , Jim Thompson writes

Right up to the point where you posted that, I would have recommended MemTest86+ to you wholeheartedly, I suppose the only 'real' memory test is a dedicated hardware ram tester but it's far cheaper to swap out for occasional use. FWIW, I've not found a problem with memory that Memtest didn't also find but obviously it's not infallible.

In message , IAmTheSlime writes

But that's Memtest....

What's OC?

Mobos should have some memory test hardware. Some like mine even have TDR's to tell you how long your ethernet cable is, which is useless.

For comparison, here's part of an interview with the devolopers of the Alto at PARC.

The Analytical Engine, Volume 2, Number 1, July 1994 Page 20

CS: They had this neat software that would run every night, called DMT. And we had a dedicated Alto called Peeker, remember? And each machine would be left with a kind of screen saver running, a square that moved around and checked the memory in all these different locations. And if it got an error when it was doing this little test, the Peeker would log it.

HY: It was a memory diagnostic that ran overnight. I'll tell you this. The first Altos had these Intel.... I didn't think it was going to make it. The 4K chips when they came out were really okay, reliable, but the 1K Intel chips -- 1130's -- weren't.

CS: Every morning we would check, and anyone who had a bad chip, we'd go in. The nice thing about it, so many of these software people didn't know they had a bad or a flaky memory chip, and a lot of times we'd say "We have detected a bad chip in your computer and we'd like to change it." And they'd say "Oh, wonderful!"

Orange County? Open Collector? Occasional Carnality? Odd Circuit? Of Course?

;-)

Cheers! Rich

Try cleaning the bad memory module's contacts with a pencil eraser, and also blow a bit of compressed air into the memory slots. Let us know if the memory module is now working.

(Trick I learned from my brother-in-law, who got several computers back to working this way)

Michael

Oh, over-clock.