How to Test Memory (RAM)

What is Computer Memory?

Memory is one of those critical computer components that can cause all sorts of problems if it's not working properly.
When you first turn on your computer, the boot process runs through a basic memory check, but that's all it is a very basic check.  It's a good idea to run a more thorough memory test when your computer is having those weird unexplainable problems.

How to Use Memory Test Software

The memory testing software that I'm going to demonstrate today is called Mem Test 86. I like Mem Test 86 because it's usable by novices and experts alike. It is somewhat of an industry standard, it's free, and it's a very small download.
To get your copy of Mem Test 86, go to memtest86.com, click the link on the left for free download, and click here: image for creating a bootable CD.
Memory testing runs outside the operating system. We're going to take this image, we're going to burn it to a bootable CD, and if you need to know how to do that, there are some good posts on About.com. After the disk is burned, bring it to the computer that you want to check, insert it into the CD drive and shut the computer down. Power it on again, and take the option to boot from CD. Some computers will do this automatically; other computers will require you to hold one of the function keys while you press the power button.
When you boot from the CD, Mem Test loads automatically and goes right into he memory test. What you're looking at now is the main screen for Mem Test 86. You can see some information about your computer, number of CPUs found, number of CPUs that are actually running. Up here you see the progress of the tests. Mem Test runs multiple tests, the second bar here shows the progress of the individual tests that's running. And the bar above it labeled 'pass' is the overall testing bar, and that shows you how much progress we've made in the complete test of all the memory.  Over here you can see the speed of your CPUs, the cash, and the total memory on your system.
This is what Mem Test is testing. And that's how you test your computer's memory, for more information, visit About.com

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