How to Conduct Computer Memory Test?

By: James Madison

The memory of the computer is constantly used and test of computer memory is very important as it helps to detect problems that could affect the RAM. If computer memory test is not conducted in regular basis you may face various problems such as problems while booting, error messages popping up, lock-ups, files being deleted, etc. Once the problem crops up, you need to take your PC to computer services shop to sort the problem out. But isn't it better to conduct computer memory test in regular interval and keep such problems at bay?

What is Computer Memory?

Before going deep into how to conduct computer memory test, let's have a look what exactly Computer memory is. This is the part where all data and programs of the computer are stored. It could be in two ways temporarily or permanently. But the most interesting thing is that, all data are stored in binary digits. Computer memory is of two types – volatile and non volatile. Now what are volatile and non volatile memories? Volatile memory requires electric supply to function and maintain information. Once the electricity is off, it loses data stored on it. Random access memory (RAM) is one kind of volatile memory. Volatile memory also determines the performance of the computer. Non volatile memory can store data even if the electricity is off. Hard Disk is an example of non volatile memory.

Problems Due to Faulty Computer Memory

If there is some problem in computer memory, you will experience a variety of problems on your computer. Let's have a look at some of the possible shortcomings that you will face for faulty memory.

•    The PC keeps rebooting itself every now and then.

•    Computer crashes quite often.

•    The PC refuses to boot properly.

•    The PC is not booting and you get a beeping sound when it tries to boot.

•    It is not possible to install Windows or any other program file.

How to Test Computer Memory?

You can test computer memory in two ways – using software and using hardware. In Windows 7 and Windows Vista, there is an application namely Windows Memory Diagnostics. This will help you in memory testing. You need to type 'memory' in the space provided in the 'start' menu. You will get the option of testing the memory right away.  You can conduct a thorough memory test based on the options you select. In case of Windows XP or other earlier versions of Windows, you can test computer memory with software such as Memtest86 and DocMemory. These softwares are free and can be downloaded from internet.

You can also collect an additional memory from a different computer and for the moment use it for memory testing on your computer. Replace the existing memory with a working one and you can easily verify whether the memory of your computer is defective or not. If you find the memory is working fine in other computer then there could be a motherboard problem. You can talk to a computer repair shop for getting tech support.

About the Author

Memory is a very important part of computer. For computer memory test or any other computer help or Windows XP support you can talk to an expert.

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