Memtest

Crabman

Just wondering, it seems memtest can only be run from a boot CD, is there an option to install it in windows and set it to run at boot-up when the laptop (Dell Inspiron 6000) restarts?

There's a USB exe file for a USB key (though I couldn't find USB as an option under BIOS setup): http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

fwor

If the BIOS has no USB boot option - many don't - had you considered making a bootable Memtest floppy? But perhaps you laptop has no floppy drive?

Maybe the next thing to investigate is installing a boot loader, as memtest is essentially running as an alternative OS.

By default within Ubuntu the GRUB boot loader has Memtest as one of the options, and you can choose which GRUB menu entry loads by default, so you can make it behave exactly as you describe - and it includes a countdown timer so that you can select another OS before Memtest starts.

However, I've never installed GRUB without also installing a Linux distro, which is probably a bit more effort than you want...

SJames_3

What's wrong with a boot CD?

ssjx

Does your dell have a diagnostic partition? Most dells do and, unless its been deleted, that would probably have a memory tester.

DatabaseError

the point of memtest is to run without the overheads and instability of an OS

John_Gray

The point of memtest is to run without the overheads and instability of an OS

You can't hope to test memory properly unless you are the only program running on the PC. Hence the impossibility of running a memory test under Windows, etc.

There's also the Microsoft Memory Diagnostic (no 's'), which also has to run from a bootable CD (or diskette). It is particularly thorough, so if your memory passes this (extended tests, overnight, say) you can be pretty certain the problems you are experiencing are not due to flaky memory.