How to Test RAM on a Computer

It may be necessary to check the working capacity of the RAM in cases where there are suspicions that the blue screens of Windows death, the strangeness in the operation of the computer and Windows are caused precisely by problems with RAM. See also: How to increase laptop RAM

This guide will look at the main symptoms that the memory is crashing, and the steps will describe how to check the RAM in order to find out exactly if it is using the built-in memory check utility Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7, as well as using third-party freeware memtest86.

Symptoms of RAM Errors

There are a significant number of indicators of RAM failures, among the most common signs we can distinguish the following

• Frequent appearance of BSOD, the blue screen of death for Windows. It is not always associated with RAM (more often. With the operation of device drivers), but its errors can be one of the reasons.
• Departures during the intensive use of RAM. In games, 3D applications, editing and working with graphics, archiving and unpacking archives (for example, the unarc.Dll error is often due to bad memory).
• A distorted image on the monitor is often a sign of a card problem, but in some cases is caused by RAM errors.
• The computer does not boot and beeps endlessly. You can find tables of sound signals for your motherboard and find out if the audible squeaking corresponds to a memory malfunction, see The computer beeps when it is turned on.

Once again, I note: the presence of any of these symptoms does not mean that the matter is precisely in the RAM of the computer, but it is worth checking. An unwritten standard for this task is the small memtest86 utility for checking RAM, but there is also a built-in Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool that allows you to check RAM without third-party programs. Next, both options will be considered.

Windows 10, 8, and Windows 7 Memory Diagnostic Tool

The tool for checking (diagnosing) memory is a built-in Windows utility that allows you to check RAM for errors. To start it, you can press the WinR keys on the keyboard, type mdsched and press Enter (or use the search for Windows 10 and 8, starting to enter the word “check”).

After starting the utility, you will be prompted to restart the computer to check the memory for errors.

We agree and wait until after the reboot (which in this case takes longer than usual), the scanning will begin.

During the scanning process, you can press the F1 key to change the scan parameters, in particular, you can change the following settings:

• Type of verification. Basic, regular or wide.
• Cache Usage (on, off)
• The number of passes of the test

Upon completion of the verification process, the computer will reboot, and after logging in, it will display the results of the verification.

However, there is one caveat. In my test (Windows 10), the result appeared a few minutes later in the form of a short notification, it is also reported that sometimes it may not appear at all. In this situation, you can use the Windows “Event Viewer” utility (use the search to launch it).

In the Event Viewer, select “Windows Logs”. “System” and find information about the results of the memory check. MemoryDiagnostics-Results (in the double-click information window or at the bottom of the window you will see the result, for example, “Computer memory was checked using the Windows memory checker; no errors were found. “

RAM test in memtest86

You can download memtest for free from the official website http://www.Memtest.Org/ (download links are at the bottom of the main page). It is best to download the ISO file in a ZIP archive. This option will be used here.

Note: on the Internet at the request of memtest there are two sites. With the program memtest86 and Passmark Memtest86. In fact, this is one and the same thing (except that on the second site there is a paid product in addition to the free program), but I recommend using memtest.Org as source.

Memtest86 Download Options

• The next step is to write the ISO image with memtest (previously unpacking it from the ZIP archive) to disk (see How to make a boot disk). If you want to make a bootable flash drive with memtest, then the site has a kit for automatically creating such a flash drive.
• Best of all, if you check the memory you will be one module. That is, we open the computer, we remove all the RAM modules, except for one, we check it. After graduation. The next and so on. Thus, it will be possible to accurately identify the failed module.
• After the boot drive is ready, insert it into the drive to read the disks in the BIOS, install the boot from the disk (flash drive) and, after saving the settings, the memtest utility will load.
• Some actions on your part will not be required, the verification will begin automatically.
• After the memory check completes, you can see which RAM memory errors were found. If necessary, write them down to later find on the Internet what it is and what to do about it. You can interrupt the check at any time by pressing the Esc key.

Checking RAM in memtest

In case errors were found, it will look like in the picture below.

RAM errors detected by the test

What to do if memtest detects RAM errors? If crashes seriously interfere with the work, then the cheapest way is to replace the problematic RAM module, besides, the price today is not so high. Although sometimes it helps to simply clean the memory contacts (described in the article The computer does not turn on), and sometimes a problem in the operation of the RAM can be caused by malfunctions of the connector or components of the motherboard.

How reliable is this test? It is reliable enough to test RAM on most computers, however, as with any other test, you cannot be 100% sure that the result is correct.

And suddenly it will be interesting:

• Windows 10
• Router setup
• All about Windows
• Boot flash drive
• Virus treatment
• Data recovery
• Installation from a flash drive
• In contact with
• Classmates
• Android

Why not subscribe?

Distribution of new, sometimes interesting and useful materials from remontka.Pro. No ads and free computer assistance to subscribers from the author. Other methods of subscription (VK, Odnoklassniki, Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Yandex.Zen)

04/11/2015 at 17:10

He checks for a very long time. I waited only 2 hours and turned it off.
For users of 7 there is a built-in utility mdsched.Exe. Checking two brackets simultaneously for 2 and 4 GB took only 8 minutes.

10/17/2017 at 05:53

Memtest86 tests the memory cyclically until you interrupt, it is convenient if you need to check the memory under hours of load, if the memory lasts without failures for more than 4 hours, then the modules are quite high quality

04/26/2016 at 10:53

When checking both bars, red graphs simultaneously wondered. When checking in turn, there are no defects. What nonsense and how to deal with it?

04/27/2016 at 08:42

Perhaps you somehow placed them in slots in the wrong way (if there are 4 slots, then place them “through one”). What generally reports errors?

10/10/2016 at 17:16

Each memory operates at different frequencies. Replace with the same type

07/19/2016 at 17:29

10s also have a built-in utility. In the Windows search, enter mds, the Windows memory checker will appear. After the reboot, the check will begin!

08/10/2018 at 00:03

But here it is written on the example of Windows 10.

09/03/2016 at 17:08

There were problems with Windows on the laptop, it was normal to install in any way (from a disk, from flash drives recorded by different programs) not a single OS (Win 7, 8, XP) turned out: various errors appeared during installation, or after installation on the screw. I decided to drive away the RAM (there is one bar for 2GB) with a memt test. I ran it several times, each time a different number of errors, but the number is large (then 2000, then 2000 and above). Could Memtest be wrong or is it still a problem with the bar?

09/04/2016 at 08:54

In such cases, I usually get another, guaranteed working bar, and try it. And, before that, I just clean the contacts of the current bar and try on it.
Those. Guaranteed to say only by memt is impossible, of course.

09/12/2016 at 10:40

Friends, I used the standard Windows 10 functionality. But the trouble is, on the console screen, what arises after reboot instead of Russian characters. Questions. Either the font, or the problem with the driver and character generator. Can someone tell me where to dig?

09/12/2016 at 10:54

Sasha, I can’t answer right away. Using c: \ Windows \ system32 \ mdsched.Exe checked? Perhaps the problem is really with fonts, especially if the “assembly” is based on an English-language image. But to correct the situation, something doesn’t come to the operational head. Maybe starting from a recovery environment launched from a Windows distribution (second screen, system recovery, bottom left)?
Actually, I need to update this article. I don’t like something (like most of my articles 3 years ago).

09/12/2016 at 11:14

Yes, we are talking about mdsched.Exe Windows 10 was obtained through an official upgrade from Russian Windows 7
I would like to deal with this console. There must be a solution! It’s my fault that the question is not on this topic.

10/08/2016 at 23:10

10/09/2016 at 05:12

Perhaps it will be enough just to reset the BIOS (Reset Bios to Defaults). But not sure what the matter is. Although, if the memory sees. A strange situation anyway.
Is the memory correctly installed (in slots of the same color?)

10/09/2016 at 10:22

There were only 2 slots, they had 8 GB (4 GB in 2 slots). Here is one bar removed and this happens.

10/10/2016 at 11:18

Did you try to reset the BIOS parameters? Give it a try.

10/10/2016 at 01:19

The meaning is. Play the bars, i.E.

If you have the same labeling, etc., then skip the combinatorics (change of place).
In BIOS, for starters, put everything on auto-detection. You, very possibly, have not correctly set the voltage, frequency, etc. It helps a lot in this case. A magnifier, glasses, look at the whole bar. Oooh, go to a friend in BIOS and watch. Yes, and returning, a tester, a testing program, Aida or some other, more convenient than Portable.
Even if you are a complete Zero. Look at everything that the tester gives out in Memory. And try to duplicate it in BIOS.
But if the levels are different, using the information of the tester, set the weak, And, plays a role, I don’t remember what place you put the weakest in speed. If there are different manufacturers, play in places, If memory allows. Put one test. Etc., in place.
P.S.
Most conveniently, if you have an additional lesson. Tea, coffee, etc., a disk with MemTest in Sidyushnik (loading from it). Put. Checked. Rearranged (if it didn’t). Checked. It’s a dreary thing, but worth it. Mamtest should go to zero any errors. On my, in 3 connectors, three different levels, either in volume or in manufacturer. First, find a place for one (if they are placed one at a time), finish it off. But the impression is that you have either a voltage or a factor, maybe for the processor. Try it calmly, and maybe even reset the BIOS to “default” and already look for it. Put everything at a minimum speed. Are you at all

10/10/2016 at 01:29

Yes, and MemTest86 fulfills everything without “fools”, but it also depends on the processor frequency, if possible, reset it a bit. If yours is fine, then you should sing.

01/26/2017 at 10:46

Good afternoon! One evening, I wanted to check my RAM for errors. Using a standard program in Windows, I began to check. Then I clicked on f1 to see what tests are still there. After 5 minutes of clicking, only the name of the test suite was displayed, and then the Windows logo was displayed and that was it. I thought that something was wrong and ran the test again, and at the same time did not press anything. The test showed that no errors were found. Question: why the first time pressing F1 was so long? The memory is not much 4 GB.

03.03.2017 at 07:40

Standard check goes very long. Left for the night. Only 2% of the first pass. What can be wrong?

08/22/2017 at 17:39

I install the guys on the flash drive a memtest from the site, it does not boot from it when it reboots, I set the download correctly from the flash drive, it is formatted in fat32, win 10. Help what the problem is. And on the site it says that the installation for the boot flush there is no win 10, but only 9x \ 2k \ xp \ 7, but what about the 10-ki? I also tried to write the iso file via UltraISO, anyway the same

08/23/2017 at 11:20

Boot may not work due to secure boot enabled.
Well, as for no Win 10. Usually what works in 7-ke will work on 10-ke.

09/05/2017 at 17:13

I launched the memtest from another source, passed one bar 7 hours, the second 10 hours. Errors 0. But before that I had blue screens. How accurate is this test and is it worth arguing that the RAM is really not broken?

09/06/2017 at 08:38

There would still know what kind of blue screens (you did not write about it) and at what point. Maybe the drivers are to blame there or the curve assembly (if during installation).

09/05/2017 at 22:08

There was no such question when checking with the memtest on two dies, but after the test in multithread (when starting the memtest you need to press F2) on the 4th pass there were errors, why so? And exactly the RAM or percent is to blame for this?

09/06/2017 at 08:35

Maybe nothing is to blame: there are bugs in memtest on some motherboards and with some procs, something like yours. A relatively new percentage, a multithreaded test, on a certain pass, either freezes or errors, usually this does not mean anything. True, I did not find such information on 7700, but it is likely.
Those. Here depending on what other symptoms there are and whether they exist in principle.

09/29/2017 at 16:04

Hello, yesterday when playing an overwatch, BSOD flew out, it was written SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION without any references (if I take off again I’ll take a picture) the fact is that this is not the first time, before the blue death screen also flashed once a month and a half, but I didn’t take it seriously, I thought which drivers are in conflict, and there wasn’t any particular desire to bathe. So, climbing on Google, I found out that this error is again either a driver conflict or RAM. I went here, found out how to do a test of RAM, and Windows returned hardware errors, but everything was fine, after that I played and there were no problems, no FPS drawdowns. The RAM is new, bought six months ago, crucial for 8GB, there is hardly a problem in it, otherwise I would have had serious problems in games. Is there a way to more accurately check RAM?

09/30/2017 at 09:18

It’s better to start by looking at what exactly the error is there (which file / driver is causing the problem). Even if there are no references on the BSoD itself, use BlueScreenView or WhoCrashed, there will be information. Not the fact that memory is to blame.

01/19/2018 at 13:55

I am engaged in a systematic. It is known that he has a great chance of having a problem in RAM. 4 absolutely identical 512 MB strips are installed. I individually checked each bar and each slot with a wide test of the system utility, there are no errors. But when I put all 4 bars at once for a broad test, the utility finds problems by about 92%. Is it possible to somehow identify in which particular slats / slots the problem is, checking them all at the same time?

01/20/2018 at 09:49

I don’t know the ways. But I have an assumption. Given the amount of memory, I assume that the motherboard is old, and it was often “not so simple” on them when installing 4 memory slots at once: somewhere, the conditions for the volume, somewhere, only one-sided memory was supported with this configuration. Over, sometimes it worked, but from time to time it fell.
Those. To begin, I recommend that you look at the manual for the motherboard in terms of installing RAM (well, update the BIOS at the same time).

01/25/2018 at 21:10

Because of what there may be problems:
Motherboard. Asus H81M-C
Memory. 2 slats exceleram e30143a
When testing each bar, everything is fine. Just put both. “Hardware Error”.

01/26/2018 at 10:24

And at what point is the mistake? Any additional information being reported?

02/19/2018 at 15:47

Hello, the problem is that when I turn on the PC it displays a blue screen after “welcome”, but it loads after a while, and everything is fine, but when I start to turn on games or check the antivirus for viruses (marque) it slows down and gets up a stake even errors cannot be deduced, but they are in the task manager. On the blue screen, it always writes one error 0x0000007E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000006, 0xFFFFF80005561A1A, etc.) and it all started after the pc was moved from one room to another. On Google that the error was in firewood or RAM but the firewood of norms I did not install them with sd for the first time.
PS: moving the PC back to no avail)

02/20/2018 at 12:04

Hello. I can’t tell you here. In theory, if you somehow clumsily dragged SATA / drive power cables or some cards began to sit loose, this could affect. But this is only in theory.

04/20/2018 at 04:13

I have such a situation, I start installing games, an error pops up that unarc.Dll returned an error code, but not on all games, some are installed and some are not, drove through a memtest, issued 361 errors in 7 sectors, this must be changed 100% the bar (I have one for 8 GB)
If a blue screen gets out, it describes various errors, bought a computer literally in March, drove to the CSN, where he took it, they said that everything worked fine

04/20/2018 at 09:24

No, not 100%.
Unarc.Dll errors are also caused by Russian letters in the path to the installer folder (for example, if you have a username in Russian, the installer may be in C: \ Users \ Username \ Downloads and antiviruses.

11/20/2018 at 19:38

Hello, very often the blue screen of death began to fly out, on the Internet I read that it is connected with the drivers, reinstalled Windows 10 pro, but it continues and I think with what it can be beaten due to the hard drive or frame. There used to be a problem with the hard drive, but we got it replaced under warranty. And so I don’t understand what to do frame check freezes by 21% and I have one for 8 GB

11/21/2018 at 13:33

Are there any messages on this blue screen? In particular, the mention of any files?

12/18/2018 at 14:13

The question of RAM, more precisely, to determine its volume. I used to write to you that I have 2 systems installed on the laptop (on different disks), both 10s, but one is “gray” on ssd, and the second is an official (honest) last one with all updates on hdd. There are two memory strips of 4 gigabytes each, total 8. When loading into the “gray” memory, 8, and when loading into the official, memory 8 (2.74 available). That’s right. In brackets. Checks of memory by means of win from this branch. Do not reveal errors. Where to dig, tell me, pzhl. Thank

06/18/2019 at 06:36

Perhaps the official 86 or 32 bit as they do not support more than 4GB of RAM

12/18/2018 at 18:16

I remove my previous question on determining the amount of memory. I found a solution.

02.02.2019 at 23:18

Checked windows internally. I used the usual type of check so as not to wait long. There are no errors. Operative use almost 4 years. By the way, regarding the information after verification. Personally, I had information in the tray for a few seconds about the absence of errors and I did not have to dig into the magazine.

03/25/2019 at 08:54

Always shows ram error any

04/22/2019 at 21:06

Guys! Tell me, when installing wines 10 it gives an error 0x80070570, the hardware is normal, laptop pavilion g6, before that there were wines 7! I can’t figure it out, thanks in advance!

04/23/2019 at 09:44

Hello.
For starters, try overwriting another image with another flash drive. Ideally. Generally do the official Microsoft utility.

04/23/2019 at 10:41

There is one fully working flash, the other corresponded five times with different programs, including the official Microsoft! Zero emotions!

05/05/2019 at 20:02

Hello. Please tell me why the memtest shows the volume of one four-gigabyte memory bar = 3518MB?

05/06/2019 at 09:06

Hello.
This happens with memtest86 on some not the newest motherboards / old BIOS. I can’t identify any clear reasons for this behavior, I just know that it’s not uncommon.

05/17/2019 at 09:40

It is necessary to get into the BIOS settings and look for something like “memory transfer when connecting RAM more than 4 GB”. The manual usually signs separately.
Information can be found in the articles on how 32-bit Windows can see 4 GB of RAM.

05/17/2019 at 12:05

Hello. I started to get an error in CS GO. One of the reasons could be RAM. I decided to check. As a result, my laptop refuses to check the RAM. Instead of checking with the standard mdsched program, it just reboots. In viewing events about this, too, there is nothing. Then I decided to check using the Memtest86 program. I wrote it to a USB flash drive, with which I reinstalled Windows more than once, I configured the USB flash drive through the BIOS, and the result is the same. He did not start the test, he just booted and that’s it. In general, there is RAM, a task manager and the system sees it. Help me please.

05/17/2019 at 19:15

Hello. I assume that the flash drive with memtest is not loaded for one of the reasons:
1. In BIOS, only UEFI is loaded (enable Legacy)
2. The BIOS includes Secure Boot (disable).
But why the standard tool for checking memory crashes I will not say.

12/29/2019 at 21:53

Tell me what is the reason, maybe a little off topic. I replaced 4GB with 8 but the task manager shows the old value of how much is reserved, how much memory is used and how much is left. The memory was carefully selected, and already tested with two different tests.

01/15/2020 at 11:15

Windows bits may be to blame

02/01/2020 at 00:32

In recent months, blue screens have been steaming on 10-ke, every 10-25 days.
Last dump log: (log)
I drove the memory for more than 5 hours with a memtest, to clear my conscience, there are no errors, most likely, it’s not about the RAM. Can you tell me what, at least where to dig?
Dump file, if necessary
Nevertheless, I hope that the problem is not in the nvidia drivers, otherwise the manufacturer has already written off my card for 2 years, as it was written off in b / y, and it no longer produces drivers.
Thank.

02/01/2020 at 08:46

Hello.
Unfortunately, anything can be on this log. If you are confident in the equipment and drivers, then look in the direction of antiviruses (try to remove), various optimizer-accelerators.

02/01/2020 at 16:36

Of the antiviruses, nod32 stands, I do not use optimizers, they have only problems, I checked for viruses with several scans. Cleanly. From the equipment I sin only on the dead screw, which remained in the motherboard socket. I called the master, a boom to think, but thanks anyway 🙂

03/13/2020 at 11:44

Good afternoon! Tell me, please, the motherboard log gives an error when downloading “Memory size different”, the Asrock Z390 motherboard (for the first time in my life I contacted a moody mother). Planks 2 are exactly the same. At boot, “Boot_dev_led” is on. I wrote to the developers, they say such bars on the mother are not provided. I drove with tests both individually and together, there are no errors. I removed all the parameters related to the Asrock boot optimization in the BIOS so that the RAM works like a dull hardware, which you just need to load the system into when loading. 1-2 days it works stably, then it starts again. What do you think should be thrown away: mother or slats? I tend to throw my mother away.
I miss the motherboards of old generations.
Thank!
Addition: I forgot to ask: can it be a conflict of modules, if everything works properly and stably, 1-2 days even the BIOS does not stutter?
Thank!

03/13/2020 at 12:16

Hello.
I can’t guess, but I’m more inclined to problems with one of the slats or a slot.

03/13/2020 at 12:42

Sorted through all the slots, one work, I insert 2 immediately into one channel. Work, in 2 channels. The vagaries begin. Apparently, all the same, there are inconsistencies with the levels.

03/22/2020 at 11:43

People! Please help me figure it out.
Memory check by means of Windows did not reveal errors.
RAM on my PC = 16GB
Free disk space = 350 GB
When creating a 7-Zip archive, it gives an error:

7-zip
Not enough free memory
OK

03/22/2020 at 11:47

The page file was not disconnected accidentally? In theory, this can influence.

03/23/2020 at 02:11

I bought 2 Kingston HyperX Fury strips of 16GB, put one and used it without problems for six months. I decided to put the second crashes and a blue screen appeared. I checked it with the built-in test and did not find any errors. I put the first bar in any slot and no problem, put another in any slot and hangs and a blue screen (in games, just using the browser is fine). Is there anything else I can check to find out if the strap is malfunctioning while it is under warranty?

03/23/2020 at 15:21

According to your description, it still turns out that it is clearly the case in the second bar and its malfunction. Why memtest doesn’t find anything. I won’t say, maybe he just can’t catch the problem, but maybe a combination of factors works (for example, you still need to get the temperature higher). So I would go to the extent possible, once the warranty.

03/23/2020 at 16:05

I understand what needs to be changed, but my colleague had a similar situation, I identified a faulty bar for him, but he couldn’t prove it to the seller, they also proved to him that they pass the tests, although it was revealed there. Therefore, I ask, maybe there are some other programs with which you can clearly identify a malfunction so that I can prove it to the seller all the same when I bought it, it cost quite a lot, not like now.

03/24/2020 at 14:03

Then something that allows you to arrange just a stress test of memory, for example Prime95 (in testing, select Torture test. Blend), well, at the same time try MemTest64 instead of the one discussed in article 86

03.24.2020 at 18:42

Thank. Today I handed over to the seller outlined the situation, they will send the supplier for testing, they say they have nothing but a memtest, and he will not help to find the malfunction. So now wait a month, but we’ll see.

RAM crashes much more often than other components of a computer. Therefore, if you encounter problems in the PC, the first thing to do is to test it. Over, the process of checking RAM is quite simple, does not require any special technical means and special skills.

From the article, the reader will receive information about the signs of a possible failure of the RAM, the procedure for its full verification, as well as what to do if errors were detected during the memory check.

Signs of a possible failure of RAM:

The computer “falls out” into the so-called “blue screen of death” with error code 0X00000050, when the computer suddenly stops working, a blue splash screen appears with white English text, and the code 0X00000050 is displayed in it in the paragraph “Technical Information” (see image below). Error code 0X00000050 indicates precisely the presence of memory problems;

The computer is slow, periodically freezes or reboots;

Programs or computer games “voluntarily” stop working (with the subsequent appearance of a message about the occurrence of a critical error or without it);

Copying or saving files on a computer occurs with errors (when you try to open a file, a message appears stating that it is damaged, even if its copying or saving was completed without problems);

The computer does not start. After switching on, coolers begin to rotate inside the system unit (the hum of fans is heard), but this does not go further than this (nothing is displayed on the screen). In this case, it will not be possible to test the memory using the methods described below. Try the steps outlined in the last paragraph of this article. If the problem persists, bring the computer to the workshop.

The failure of RAM may cause other consequences, which are manifested by the unstable operation of the computer.

Memtest86 memory test procedure

To download the program Memtest86 follow the link below. The downloaded archive contains 2 files. A virtual ISO image of the Memtest86 boot disk and a program for creating the Memtest86 boot flash drive.

How to use Memtest86:

1. Unzip the archive downloaded on the program page (see link above), create a boot disk or a bootable flash drive using the resulting files:

If you have a flash drive. Connect it to the computer, clean it from the files on it, run the program to create the flash drive and then, following the instructions of the wizard, complete the creation process.

If your computer has an optical drive, insert a blank CD or DVD into this drive and burn a virtual Memtest86 disk image to it.

2. Boot the computer using the created boot disk or bootable Memtest86 flash drive. You can do this in one of the following ways:

Connect the USB flash drive or disk to the computer and reboot it. During the computer boot, go to the boot device selection menu. As a rule, this menu is activated by holding down the F8 key during startup (press and hold the F8 key immediately after start-up or often). In laptops, instead of F8, some other key can be used (F10, F2 or others. Depending on the model). The boot menu most often is a list of devices on a blue background (see image on the right). To select among them the device from which you want to boot the computer, you need to select it in the list (move the selection to it using the “Up” or “Down” keys) and press the Enter key;

Connect the USB flash drive or disk to the computer and reboot it. During startup, go to the BIOS settings of the computer. To do this, immediately after starting the computer, press and hold the Del (Delete) key. On some computers, instead of Del, some other key may be used (F2, F4, F5, F10, etc.).

The BIOS settings menu is a list of various options grouped into sections. In one of these sections, you need to find an item called “First Boot”, “First Boot Device”, “1st Boot Device” or somehow differently with the word Boot (see screenshot). At this point, select the value of the CD / DVD drive or USB device (depending on what type of media was selected in the previous step), then press F10 and then Enter.

To navigate and change BIOS items, use the Right, Left, Up, Down arrows (to move the selection and move from one section to another), and the Enter and Esc keys (to activate and cancel activation) points).

3. The result of loading the computer from a disk or flash drive will be the start of the Memtest86 program, which will immediately begin checking the RAM (see screenshot below). Testing takes place before it is stopped by the user (that is, the test can last as long as necessary). To stop the test, just press the Esc button.

For a quality check, the memory should be scanned from 30-40 minutes to several hours (depending on the amount of memory). It is recommended to make at least 3-4 passes (the number of passes is displayed in the program window). Found errors are immediately highlighted in red.

Checking memory using regular Windows tools

The composition of new versions of Windows, starting with Vista (Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10), includes a utility that allows you to qualitatively test the computer’s RAM.

You can run this utility in one of the following ways:

1. Turn on (restart) the computer and during the start of Windows constantly (with a frequency of 2-3 times per second) press the Tab button. Windows Boot Manager will start (see image below). In it, using the Tab key, you need to transfer the selection to the “Memory Checker” item, and then press the “Enter” key.

2. Turn on the computer (wait for Windows to boot), go to the “Start” menu (button in the lower left corner of the screen) and there follow the path: Control Panel. System and Security. Administration. In the list that opens, double-click the shortcut “Windows Memory Checker” with the left mouse button.

3. Turn on the computer (wait for Windows to load), press the Win button on the keyboard (the button is located in the near left corner of the keyboard, between the Ctrl and Alt buttons, it is indicated by the Windows logo) and, without releasing it, press the R button once (Russian K). The keyboard layout language does not matter. A window will appear in which you need to print or copy the word mdsched from this page (see the image on the right), and then press Enter.

The result of points 2 or 3 will be the appearance of a window (see the image on the right), in which you can choose one of two options for starting a memory check. If you select the first option, the computer will immediately restart and the memory check will begin (do not forget to save the changes in the open files first), when you select the second. The memory check will start the next time the computer starts.

What does the computer screen look like when testing RAM with the standard Windows utility, see below.

The verification process can be quite lengthy (the larger the amount of RAM installed on the computer, the longer it will take to wait for the verification to complete).

Errors detected during verification will be immediately displayed on the screen and highlighted in red. What to do in this case, see the last paragraph of this article.

After verification is complete, Windows will start automatically. Upon entering the system, the computer will “show” the user a report on the results of the scan.

What to do if memory errors are detected

This paragraph gives recommendations, the implementation of which in many cases allows you to eliminate errors in the memory or, at least, more accurately determine their causes:

1. The cause of problems with the computer’s memory may be the deterioration of the contacts in the connectors by which the RAM modules are connected to the computer’s motherboard. To exclude the influence of this factor, it is necessary to disconnect the computer from the power supply, open the system unit cover, disconnect all RAM modules from the motherboard (see the image on the right), gently vacuum the board connectors with a vacuum cleaner without a brush, or clean them with a soft brush and clean with a regular stationery eraser the contacts of the RAM modules and connect them back to the motherboard. After that, repeat the test using one of the above methods.

2. If several RAM modules are installed on the computer, then if at least one of them fails, problems will arise in the computer. If the first paragraph does not solve the problem, try to test each RAM module one by one of the above methods, disconnecting the remaining modules from the motherboard for the duration of the test.

Do not forget that when disconnecting and connecting RAM modules from the motherboard, the computer must be switched off.

The failed module (or modules) found in this way should be replaced with another one that is similar in characteristics, or even continue to work with the computer without it (only if at least one working RAM module remains in the computer). The total amount of computer RAM after this, of course, will become less, but it is quite possible that in practice this will not affect the efficiency of its work.

3. There are times when each individual RAM module of a computer works without failures, at the same time, all together on the same computer they “refuse” to work stably. The reason for this, as a rule, is that these modules have different characteristics (bus frequency, latency). Read more about the characteristics of RAM modules here.

What to do in this case:

Get information about the bus frequency and delays of each RAM module of the computer using any program suitable for this (for example, HWiNFO32);

Leave only RAM modules with the same characteristics in the computer.

Alternatively, you can try to get different RAM modules to work together. Most likely, you will need to increase the supply voltage of the RAM modules and change some other BIOS settings of the computer with all the risks involved. Only users with a sufficient level of training can do this on their own. It is better for novice users to seek the help of experienced friends or a specialized workshop.

You will also have to bring the computer to the workshop if the implementation of the above recommendations does not solve the problem with the computer’s memory.