On Feb 12, 2010, at 3:46 AM, Alan Mackenzie wrote: > On Fri, Feb 12, 2010 at 10:50:46AM +0200, Alan McKinnon wrote: > > I hope you're not right here. ;-) The hardware is spanking brand new; > so new, in fact, that it's still gleaming. > > Are there any handy utility programs around to test RAM exhaustively? >
I use a kubuntu live disk, one of the boot options is to run memtest. I typically let it run a several hours on a new box. The second issue might be heat (or cooling depending on your point of view). A couple of things, easiest is to install the lm_sensors and your favorite capture utility. I also will use an IR thermometer and DMM with temperature probe to verify cooling. With lm_sensors running, I'll run several stress tests to find the hottest the system will run. If the system gets too hot, I'll increase cooling (more/faster fans). Another thing to check is that the memory is seated properly. I'd remove the modules, inspect the connectors, then very carefully reinstall them. While you are at it, make sure all connectors are seated correctly. HTH, Roy
