RAM Diagnostic Software for Your Computer – Memtest86 Guide

Memtest86 is a really good program to use to check for bad memory. It is easy to setup and use, and best of all it is free.

01. The first thing you need to do is get a copy of Memtest86 so you can Test your Memory. This can be done by going to the Memtest86 homepage located here.

http://www.memtest86.com/

On the site, click on the “Free Download” tab on the left hand side of the page. This will take you to a new page with several links. You will want to click on the link at the top labeled:

ISO image for creating bootable CD (Windows – zip)

This will open a Save dialog box asking where you would like to save the file:

memtest86-3.5.iso.zip

I recommend saving this file to your desktop so it is easy to find.

02. Once the file has downloaded double click on the file to open it and un-extract the contents. This is a “ZIP” file so you will need WinZip to open it. (Windows XP should be able to open the file without WinZip) If you do need to get WinZip to handle the file it can be found here:

http://www.winzip.com/index.htm

Once you have downloaded and installed WinZip double click the “memtest86-3.5.iso.zip” file to open it. Once the window opens, grab the file named “Memtest86_3.5.iso” to your desktop.

03. Once this file is on your desktop we will burn it to CD using Nero Burning ROM. (Or any other CD burning software you have that handles ISO files.) If you do not have Nero you can download a trial here:

http://www.nero.com/enu/index.html

The trial will allow you to burn the ISO so we can create out Memtest86 Memory Diagnostic CD.

Once you have downloaded and installed Nero we need to “right click” on the Memtest86_3.5.iso file.

This will open a menu with several options. You will need to select the “option with” option in the new menu you should have an option for “Nero”, “Image Files” or something along those lines. (Depending on the versions of your software.) Select this option and the Memtest86 ISO file should open into Nero.

04. This will open a “Burn Compilation” dialog. All you need to do here is click “Next” or “Burn” until the system starts burning the ISO file to CD. All the options needed should be set by default within the ISO file.

Memtest86 is a relatively small program so it should not take long to burn the CD. Once the CD has finished burning remove it from your CD-Rom and close Nero.

You now have a bootable Memtest86 Memory Diagnostic CD

You can now use the bootable CD we have created in any computer you want to check for Memory problems.

05. Simply place the CD into the CD-Rom of the system and boot up the system. The computer should automatically read the CD and go into the Memory Diagnostic. If it does not automatically do this you may need to check your Boot Order in the BIOS to ensure your CD-ROM is read before the hard drive.

If it does not start the program and boots back into Windows you need to check in your BIOS to make sure your “boot order” is set so the CD-Rom boots up before the hard drive/s.

• How to Set the Boot Order in the BIOS

06. Once the system is set to boot from the CD-Rom Memtest86 should startup automatically and start testing your system memory for errors.

If the program detects any memory errors it will report them in the “ERRORS” and/or “ECC ERR” section of the program located on the right hand side of the screen.

From here you will be able to determine if there are any problems with your system memory after running the Memtest86 memory diagnostic.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below.

How to Use MS Memory Diagnostic – MS Memory Diagnostic Tutorial

Ok, so you have downloaded MS Memory Diagnostic but now don’t know what to do with program. Follow along and I will have you setup in under 5 minutes.

You should have already downloaded MS Memory Diagnostic (mtinst.exe). If you have not downloaded it, click on the link below to download the program.

MS Memory Diagnostic

01. Save the file to your desktop. One you have downloaded the file double click on it.

02. It will give you an open file prompt. Click “Run” to start the program.

03. This will open the Windows Memory Diagnostic window. You need to click “Accept” to proceed.

04. You will now be given two options.

• Create Startup Disk…
• Save CD Image to Disk…

05. Click “Save CD Image to Disk” and save the file somewhere you can easily find it. I recommend saving it to the desktop. Once you have browsed to the desktop click the “Save” button.

06. It will tell you “file saved successfully”. Click “OK”. You can now press “Cancel” to close the MS Memory Diagnostic setup window.

07. Now find the “windiag.iso” file on your desktop. This file is in ISO format because it will create a “bootable” CD you can use to diagnose your memory. We will need to burn this file to CD now.

08. I recommend using Nero to burn the file to CD since Nero works great with ISO files. If you do not have Nero you can download a trial version of the program from the Nero homepage that will work for burning this ISO file to disk.

Click Here to Download a Trial Version of Nero

09. Once you have Nero on your PC “right” click on the “windiag.iso” file. It will open a new menu.

10. Select the “Open With” option and then choose “Nero“.

11. This should open up Nero and will automatically load the windiag.iso file into the program to be burned. You should be at a “final burn settings” window.

12. Make sure you have a blank CD in your CD-Burner and click the “Burn” button to create the MS Memory Diagnostic Disk.

13. Once the program is done burning the CD it will eject the disk. You now have your bootable MS Memory Diagnostic CD.

14. You can now restart your computer with the CD in the drive, and it should automatically boot into the diagnostic program and start testing your memory.

If it does not start the program and boots back into Windows you need to check in your BIOS to make sure your “boot order” is set so the CD-Rom boots up before the hard drive/s.

How to Set the Boot Order in the BIOS (Coming Soon)

15. Once MS Memory Diagnostic loads it will perform 6 passes on your memory to complete one cycle of the test. It is recommend to let the program perform several test cycles but from my experience bad memory will usually be caught during the first six passes of the test.

MS Memory Diagnostic uses handy colors during the test indicate the program status.

Blue – Indicates a test is in progress.

Green – Indicates one of six passes during the test has been completed.

Red – Indicates a test pass has failed and confirms that you have bad memory.

Congratulations, you are now a pro at memory troubleshooting using MS Memory Diagnostic to test for faulty RAM.

Troubleshooting and Diagnosing Bad Memory in a PC

Symptoms of Bad Memory:

• No POST (System will not Power On)
• Blue Screen Errors
• Blue Screen Errors During Software or OS Installations
• Random Reboots
• Random Lock-ups
• Corrupted Data

Checking for Faulty Memory – Diagnosing Bad RAM

Testing with Multiple Sticks of Memory

If there are multiple sticks of memory in the system remove each one and boot the system with them one at a time to see if you can recreate the symptoms you were experiencing. This can sometimes take hours to test each stick depending on how faulty the memory is. If you are experiencing a “No POST” situation this should go relatively quick because the system should Power On once the bad stick of memory has been removed.

Testing with One Stick of Memory

If you only have one stick of memory in the affected system but you have another working computer in the house that uses the same type of memory, try taking the working memory from other system and running it in the affected system. If the system is still having issues once you put in the known good stick of memory you are probably looking at a problem other than bad memory.

Perform a Memory Diagnostic using Free Online Software

If neither of the above methods resolve the computer problems, try running a memory diagnostic with free software available online. The first two methods listed are pretty much the non techie way to test for bad memory. If you are more technically inclind or need a more detailed memory analysis then a memory diagnostic is the way to go. I always recommend doing a memory diagnostic over the first two methods above because it is more reliable and can yeild results much quicker.

Below are two great programs for testing your system memory. They are both free to use, and just need to be burned to CD. When booting the system with a diagnostic CD always make sure that your boot order is set with the CD-Rom first in the BIOS, or else the system will just boot into Windows.

MS Memory Diagnostic (Download Page)

- How to use MS Memory Diagnostic Guide -

Memtest86 (Download Page)

- How to use Memtest86 Guide -

The Problem Does Not Seem to be the Result of Bad Memory?

If none of the above methods have helped you diagnose the bad memory you may be running into something other than bad memory. Check some of the guides listed below for ideas on other issues that may be affecting the system.

Older systems that suddenly stop working are usually the result of a bad part. Although if it is a brand new system that you built yourself it may be a configuration issue that is keeping it from working. Check the following guides for more ideas on issues that may be affecting your system.

01. How to POST Test a Motherboard.

02. Troubleshooting a NO POST Motherboard Combo.

03. Diagnose Grounding (Shorting) Issues in a Computer System.

04. Diagnosing and Troubleshooting a Bad Power Supply Unit (PSU)

05. Blue Screen Error as a Result of Software Problems (Coming Soon)