Diagonose Faulty RAM

RAM is an important component of a PC and its failure can result in computer lockups, BSODs,data loss and even file system corruption. So it is important to diagnose faulty computer memory to prevent any of the above mentioned damages to your PC. Also at times it becomes hard to tell whether the problems are occurring due to a faulty RAM or some other component, so testing your RAM helps you eliminate a possibility.

If you have multiple RAM modules, it is advisable to test single module at a time as it becomes easier to find the faulty one. Also put the module in an empty slot or any other except the one it is currently in as there could be a possibility of faulty RAM slot also.

There are quite a few methods to test for faulty RAM, but I will discuss only the easiest and best ones.

Method 1: Use Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

Microsoft providers Windows users with a powerful tool to help you check for faulty RAM. You can download the utility from the Microsoft Online Crash Analysis Website. After downloading the software, install it. When you run it, it gives you two options of either creating a startup disk or to save CD image to disk. The first one creates a bootable floppy disk while the latter a bootable CD, any of them would do the job just fine.

After that reboot your computer and boot from the created bootable media and it will automatically scan your RAM for errors and faults.

A good way to test for faulty RAM slots with this method is to check if all modules of RAM give errors on a port indicating a faulty port.

Method 2: Using memtest86+ utility

This is another too similar to the Windows Memory Diagnostic Utility and it very reliable. It has become a standard way to test for faulty RAMs. It also offers a similar procedure for execution. First you have to create a bootable media and then boot from it. After booting, you can select either of basic and advanced testing modes with latter taking a lot of time but giving accurate results.

All the errors on your RAM are listed at the bottom. You can switch between testing modes using the ‘c’ key.

Method 3: Using Simmtester’s Docmem program

This program utility has also been around for a long time and preferred by many. The downside of this utility is that it can only be installed in a floppy drive which is slowly vanishing from all modern PCs.

The procedure for testing is similar to the above described methods with the program first being installed on a floppy disk and then booting from it.

These three are the most commonly used tools to check for RAMs errors. It is advised you run them if you get frequent BSODs or computer hangs often as RAM could be at fault here.