64

I'm running memtest now for over 60 hours and don't really understand when it stops. As per the web it runs 12 tests. But are these tests run per memory slot? I have 6 slots and currently passed 21, but it is still going. To get a pass, the 12 tests are run. So I'm a bit confused when this will end.

Improve this question

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
102

It stops when you press Esc, I mean it loops until you stop it.

The number N of completed passes is indicated as Pass: N (it was Pass: 0 when the very first pass was running). I guess after 60 hours your N is relatively huge.

The message Pass complete, no errors, pres Esc to exit appears when the very first pass finishes without errors. If consecutive passes finish without errors, the message stays.

If there were errors, the program would also loop. Either way it's your job to stop it. In case of errors there's almost no point of running additional passes. If there are no errors, running multiple passes is advised because there's non-zero probability that a faulty memory module successfully passes all tests. The more passes without errors, the more certain you may be your RAM is fine. In this case you stop the program when you think it's enough.

Improve this answer
2
  • 10
    Thx for your answer. It passed 21 with no errors, so think thats more than fine
    – user8
    Sep 2, 2018 at 21:19
  • 2
    @user8: yes, 2 or 3 passes is usually fine for memtest86+. If you're looking for errors like data corruption while transferring, do Prime95 stress tests with large block sizes to stress cache and the interconnect between CPU and DRAM (at high temperature), rather than looking for a specific DRAM cell or address/data line that's bad.
    – Peter Cordes
    Sep 3, 2018 at 23:47
5

Also be aware that there is MemTest86 (the original version) and the MemTest86+ fork (which is not being maintained at the moment). They aren't the same software.

The current MemTest86 V7 release auto-terminates after 4 passes. It is a good idea to do at least 2 passes, as the first pass is a quicker less intense pass. This was a design choice done with the goal of picking up gross errors faster.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .