MakeMyDay
2005-09-10, 06:05 PM CDT
I'm curious about your experience with memtest86 http://www.memtest86.com/. If it finds errors in the memory is it wise to replace the memory, even if no adverse effect on the system performance has been observed? In other words, does it test the memory beyond what it will ever see in the real world, or is it just a matter of luck until a certain bad bit pattern happens?
I try to hit the "New Posts" link at least once a week to answer questions if I can or to learn new aspects of FC. I saw a few posts recently that suggested running memtest86. Out of curiosity I tested my laptop using the latest version 3.2 and found about 100 errors. The errors are very repeatable. By moving around my two 256MB sticks I was able to isolate to a single stick.
I've been running FC3 for almost a year with no issues (other than those caused by user error :)).
I did search this forum (primarily suggestions to run memtest86 after unusual system behavior), and I did read through the memtest86 website above. The author states:
I am often asked about the reliability of errors reported by Mestest86. In the vast majority of cases errors reported by the test are valid. There are some systems that cause Memtest86 to be confused about the size of memory and it will try to test non-existent memory. This will cause a large number of consecutive addresses to be reported as bad and generally there will be many bits in error. If you have a relatively small number of failing addresses and only one or two bits in error you can be certain that the errors are valid. Also intermittent errors are without exception valid. Frequently memory vendors question if Memtest86 supports their particular memory type or a chipset. Memtest86 is designed to work with all memory types and all chipsets. Only support for ECC requires knowledge of the chipset.
All valid memory errors should be corrected. It is possible that a particular error will never show up in normal operation. However, operating with marginal memory is risky and can result in data loss and even disk corruption. Even if there is no overt indication of problems you cannot assume that your system is unaffected. Sometimes intermittent errors can cause problems that do not show up for a long time. You can be sure that Murphy will get you if you know about a memory error and ignore it.
It looks like I can get a new stick on eBay for under $50, so I may go ahead and replace it, but still curious about your experience.
I try to hit the "New Posts" link at least once a week to answer questions if I can or to learn new aspects of FC. I saw a few posts recently that suggested running memtest86. Out of curiosity I tested my laptop using the latest version 3.2 and found about 100 errors. The errors are very repeatable. By moving around my two 256MB sticks I was able to isolate to a single stick.
I've been running FC3 for almost a year with no issues (other than those caused by user error :)).
I did search this forum (primarily suggestions to run memtest86 after unusual system behavior), and I did read through the memtest86 website above. The author states:
I am often asked about the reliability of errors reported by Mestest86. In the vast majority of cases errors reported by the test are valid. There are some systems that cause Memtest86 to be confused about the size of memory and it will try to test non-existent memory. This will cause a large number of consecutive addresses to be reported as bad and generally there will be many bits in error. If you have a relatively small number of failing addresses and only one or two bits in error you can be certain that the errors are valid. Also intermittent errors are without exception valid. Frequently memory vendors question if Memtest86 supports their particular memory type or a chipset. Memtest86 is designed to work with all memory types and all chipsets. Only support for ECC requires knowledge of the chipset.
All valid memory errors should be corrected. It is possible that a particular error will never show up in normal operation. However, operating with marginal memory is risky and can result in data loss and even disk corruption. Even if there is no overt indication of problems you cannot assume that your system is unaffected. Sometimes intermittent errors can cause problems that do not show up for a long time. You can be sure that Murphy will get you if you know about a memory error and ignore it.
It looks like I can get a new stick on eBay for under $50, so I may go ahead and replace it, but still curious about your experience.