What's the memory testing utility to use?

[Muse]

I have two sticks of this and have reason to believe they may have been damaged when my mobo went crazy last week. My video card and a PSU were both destroyed and the system's acting crazy with a different mobo, GPU and PSU. I'm getting an early message with a siren that the CPU fan isn't turning (but it is) with a Y/N do I want to stop the machine. Then I get multiple post beeps and now scrambled video in the BIOS.

I want to test the DDR. So, although my other system is only speced for PC1600 or PC2100, I'm told that I can test the PC2700 in it (Epox 8K7A mobo).

I have an old floppy with memtest86 from 2002. Googling I see that there's now a memtest86+, and a memtest. What utility do I want to use? Is it a bootable floppy like before? Thanks for any tips, etc.

 

[Foxery]

I think Memtest is still the most intensive one out there. Looks like it still creates a DOS floppy - I'm sure you could also set it up on a USB flash drive. The latest version is from 12/2007:
http://www.memtest86.com/ --> Free Download on the left side.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

DO THIS 1 STICK AT A TIME:

1. start with 24 hours of Memtest86+ V2.0
2. then boot into windows if u get no errors and run HCI Memtest for 30 minutes - 1 hour
3. then run Prime95 v25.6 Blend for 24 hours.

if all passes and no errors then go ahead and use ur computer, that is the ultimate test. Regular usage. If theres no problems up till now you're good to go on the ram.

 

[Muse]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
DO THIS 1 STICK AT A TIME:

1. start with 24 hours of Memtest86+ V2.0
2. then boot into windows if u get no errors and run HCI Memtest for 30 minutes - 1 hour
3. then run Prime95 v25.6 Blend for 24 hours.

if all passes and no errors then go ahead and use ur computer, that is the ultimate test. Regular usage. If theres no problems up till now you're good to go on the ram.

I downloaded memtest86+ v.2.01, the ISO and burned a CDRW with it. The system wouldn't boot, so I removed one of the DDR and then it booted and I tested it (booted to the CDRW). Memtest+ did a pass and there were no errors, and this took around 50 minutes. I then did the same thing, this time with the other DDR.It continued testing but there was a message on the screen to hit ESC to quit the utility, seeming to imply that since one pass went without error, the RAM is good. Your post suggests not to assume that at all.

Evidently the machine refused to post with both DDR in there initially because of a seating problem. I can think of no other possibility.

I'm going to do more exhaustive testing, maybe just as you indicate. This because the RAM was in my system that had major problems last week, including my video card dieing and a PSU being fried in a second and not posting at all.