[Discuss] memtest86+ oddities

[Jerry Natowitz]

I'm actually partial to the "old" memtest86: http://www.memtest86.com/
The 4.0 version will run most tests multi-threaded on multi-CPU/core 
systems.  I have found that some older systems will not boot 4.0, so 3.5 
is also in the iso file.



	Jerry Natowitz
===>    j.natowitz (at) gmail.com

On 12/27/12 21:50, Tom Metro wrote:
> While fixing up a Windows installation on some laptop hardware I was
> attempting to use the Widows installer, which consistently crashed with
> an error message that the Internet says is indicative of a memory error.
>
> So I grabbed an Ubuntu CD I had handy, which happened to be the 12.10 CD
> from the last BLU meeting, looked up how to get into memtest (you need
> to hit ESC when the splash screen first appears), and kicked off a test.
>
> Around the 130 M mark on test #7 it started spewing out thousands of
> errors. I swapped the order of the two 1 GB modules. Same result. Tried
> each module by itself. Ditto. Different slots. Same. And then I tried a
> 512 MB module I had. Same result.
>
> It was looking like the motherboard had a fault, but I happened to try
> an Ubuntu 12.04 CD I had handy. Magically that fixed it. It ran
> overnight testing the original 2 modules without error.
>
> Both CDs uses the same version of memtest86+, 4.20.
>
> I wonder what the difference is? Corrupt CD? (Both are official, mass
> produced Canonical CDs.)
>
> (The crashing installer was apparently due to the installer not
> recognizing the SATA controller, rather than a memory problem.)
>
>   -Tom
>