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Ask the Doctor: The Neverending Memtest
Created 07/02/2009 - 4:00pm

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Ask the Doctor: The Neverending Memtest

Posted 07/02/09 at 07:00:03 PM  by The Maximum PC Staff

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Ask the Doctor LogoI 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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TAGS: ask the doctor, memtest, Memtest 86+
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Source URL: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/ask_doctor/neverending_memtest

Links:
[1] http://www.maximumpc.com/user/author1
[2] http://www.memtest.org
[3] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/good_news_lonely_geeks_bad_news_for_vista_how_to_impress_girls_with_browser_memory_protection_bypasses
[4] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/yippeekiyay_module_maker_geil_claims_new_diehard_technology_will_save_memory_from_early_failure
[5] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/firefox_wins_impromptu_memory_contest_what_does_it_mean