Ask the Doctor: The Neverending Memtest
Posted 07/02/09 at 07:00:03 PM by The Maximum PC Staff
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I downloaded memtest86+ 1.65 (on the recommendation of your magazine) and tried it out on one of my systems. I cannot get past the “auto” running memtest86+ to finish booting to Windows XP Pro. My system is an AMD 2.2GB dual core with 2GB of RAM on a TForce 550 SE mobo. How can I stop memtest86+ from automatically starting every time I boot? I assume there is an autoexec.bat file that is running. Memtest86+ ran for nearly 48 hours non-stop without ever finishing the tests. Is this normal? Should I have let it run to completion?
—Dave
Dave, memtest86+ runs from a boot CD, USB, or floppy drive. Just remove that media before you start your computer, and you should boot normally. The test will actually run forever in the default burn-in mode; if you are seeing 48-hour runs without problems, your memory’s in pretty good shape! The current version of memtest86+, by the way, is version 2.11, which you can get at www.memtest.org.
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Submitted by jmelloni on Fri, 07/03/2009 - 4:57am
What is the difference between Memtest86+ (2.11)and Memtest86 (3.5)? I have seen them both recommended by MPC.
Submitted by foamcup on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 4:04pm
Geez.
Submitted by domih2009 on Thu, 07/02/2009 - 3:55pm
If your memory goes AOK through the 2 or 3 first loops, your memory is fine.
If your memory is not OK, it will probably fail at the 1st loop.
No need to run memtest ad eternam.
Particular cases: I have a mobo with 2 GB of memory. Fine. I upgraded to 4 GB. Not fine. However, replacing the "old" 2 GB with the new ones and running with these only is fine. Conclusion: the 4GB of memory are fine. This is the motherboard that does not behave fine with 4 GB. BIOS update did not fix the issue. I know the PSU is OK. I still have one more test to do: pushing a little bit the voltage.
Submitted by dethdeks on Fri, 07/03/2009 - 11:44am
think it might be possible that that board doesnt support 4 gigs? i know in this day and age just about every board should but alot dont and they max out at like 2-3 gigs
Submitted by domih2009 on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 11:40am
Manual says:
• Four 240-pin, DDR2 1.8 V SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module
(DIMM) sockets
• 800/667 MHz single or dual channel DDR2 SDRAM interface
• Support for up to 8 GB of system memory4 DIMMs 1GB OCZ Platinum rev2 PC2 6400 4-4-4-15
There is a thread on TigerDirect where several people says the issue is that the board is rated for 1.8v memory while the OCZ is rated 1.9v to 2.1v. One person says that downgrading the FSB to 667MHz solved his issue (because obivously on this Intel board, you can't change the voltage).
I'm still checking...
UPDATE: yep, downgrading to 667MHz solved the problem.
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