RAM Memory Bad Memory Diagnostic Softwares – A Review

Are you facing sudden system crash problems including ugly blue screens without showing any error message. If this is the case then you may have the problem with your RAM or DIMM memory.

Although, Memory chips are tested by manufacturers but memory chips are very sensitive and can be crashed by touching it by hand. There are many reason for memory to be faulty:

• Electrostatic charges or ESD shock from improper handling
• Frequent AC power surges
• Dirty and Dusty PC Box internally
• Operating in very humid and tropical environment
• Metal contacts between the memory module and the motherboard DIMM memory slot
• Heat dissipation from other components may cause gradual thermal damage.

Bad memory indication

This are the frequent indicators of faulty memory:

• Failure to boot and accompanied by repeated long beeps.
• Random system crashes or blue screens during the running of NT,2000 or XP.
• Blue screens during the install procedure of Windows NT,2000 and XP.
• Crashes during usage of memory intensive software such as Photoshop,3D Games,Benchmarking utilities .. etc.
• Distorted Video graphics on the monitor screen

How to check bad memory

There are three software that i have checked are available in the market to check faulty memory.

DocMemory – Bad Memory Diagnostic Software

DocMemory is a user friendly self-bootable PC Memory Diagnostic Software software designed to check all possible memory failures in PC.

The memory can be tested by installing software without removing RAM slot from PC.

Pros & Cons

• Software run from floopy diskette. You need to have floppy drive to work this program.
• Installation process automatically create self-booting floppy disk to check critical errors at boot time.
• Software claiming that Burnt-In mode” can detect 95% of PC System soft memory failures. check yourself.
• Software does not change any configuration in your PC

Download
http://www.simmtester.com/page/products/doc/docMemSignIn.asp

Price: Free

GoldMemory – Bad Memory Diagnostic Software

GoldMemory is a diagnostic utility enabling thoroughly testing mistakeless functions of memory subsystem of PC on process architecture x86 basis. Special algorithms are used, which are very effective and do not directly
depend on actual type of memories or chipset used. These algorithms simulate very complicated operations connected with intensive use of the whole memory subsystem.

Pros & Cons

• Floppy and CDROM image available for installation.
• Program can not determine the wrong part of memory subsystem.
• Parts of memory subsystem are tested as an unit not separately.
• Works with 32-bit pattern only.
• Testing available in three mode QUICK MODE, NORMAL MODE, THOROUGH MODE through command line switches.

Download
http://www.goldmemory.cz/gm692.zip

Price: Shareware $ 29.00

Memtest86 – Bad Memory Diagnostic Software

Memtest86 is stand alone memory test for x86 architecture computers. Many features has been planned for this software inlcluding memory testing using multiple CPUs and native 64 bit support

Pros & Cons

• Open source GPL License
• Available in Linux and Windows platform
• Easy to install and use
• Support many additional chip-sets

Download:

Windows: http://www.memtest86.com/memtest33.zip
Linux: http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.3.tar.gz

ISO: http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.3.iso.zip
ISO http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.3.iso.gz

Price: $9.95 USD for CD Shipping. Download is free.