topbarfade

User Reviews

Memtest86
Memtest86

Memtest86 is a standalone memory diagnostic tool that runs from a CD on system boot. It executes a series of numbered test sections to check for errors. These test sections consist of a combination o ...

Average of 3 user ratings: 4


  • Dec 03, 2006
  • For version:
  • 3.1a

quote  Memtest86+  quote

  • Interface: 4
  • Features: 4
  • Ease of use: 4
  • Value: 4
  • Overall: 4

I recently bought 2 new sticks of ram for a home pc that I wanted to run a test on. I tried unsuccessfully to use memtest86 as I was unable to burn iso image to disk. After researching I found another version, memtest86+, based on the original mtest86, and was able to use the guide to burn a bootable disk and run the program. I let it run for a couple of hours in which it stringently ran 10 different tests, gave diagnostics and thankfully found no errors with the ram.


  • May 15, 2006
  • For version:
  • 3.1a

quote  Good diagnostic for memory  quote

  • Interface: 4
  • Features: 4
  • Ease of use: 4
  • Value: 4
  • Overall: 4

I had built a new high-end gaming/development PC and everything was running fine. Two weeks later I was having all sorts of issues booting up and running applications. It wasn't until I used this utility to check the 2 GB of RAM I had placed in the box that I found the issue. A bad memory module from a cheap supplier I had chosen. You get what you pay for, right. It's the best memory diagnostic I've come across so far.


  • Dec 21, 2004
  • For version:
  • 3.1a

quote  Convincing  quote

  • Interface: 3
  • Features: 5
  • Ease of use: 3
  • Value: 5
  • Overall: 4

As a computer hobyist, I don't have thousands of spare dollars available to buy a hardware memory tester. But I do have money for a spare floppy disk or CDR. With Memtest86 on it, and a bit of time, you get the same effect: the two most recent computer I bought both came with faulty memory, Memtest86 found both (and allowed me to reproduce the problem at the vendor's site). Be carefull though to run a complete test; by default not all tests are selected, and in my case it was twice in the more 'severe', non-default tests that the problem showed up. And for the Linux fans: in the past there was a tool which allowed you to recompile your kernel such that it does not uses the faulty memory adresses, in that way allow you to run a rock-solid system on top of faulty memory modules.

user Review by: Waldorf
First post