Shane J Pearson wrote:
I have a faulty DDR2 SODIMM in my laptop which memtest86 shows to fail in the same place every single time. This machine has 2 SODIMMS. If I swap their positions in the memory slots in my laptop, memtest86 shows the errors follow the module to the other slot, while showing the original potentially faulty slot to be fine. Same deal if I swap the memory between my laptop and my girlfriends. Problem follows module.
Yeah, sure, in some cases when memtest86 reports a memory error it is an indication of faulty memory. But there are many situations where memtest86 detects a memory error which is related to a faulty CPU, mainboard, or power supply, or where a memory module is not compatible with the mainboard but is otherwise fine, or where there is an issue with heat buildup. An error in memtest86 does not specify which part is giving you problems, only that the problem is memory related!
At best, you can only expect memtest86 to identify a memory read or write error. It is up to the thinking being to eliminate the possible reasons for the memory error. If you blindly believe that your memory is bad when memtest86 detects an error then you are setting yourself up for a lot of pain and sorrow if in fact the problem is related to your northbridge overheating, as an example.
You've basically stated this above. You found an error with memtest86 which alerted you to a problem (or more likely your laptop misbehaving alerted you to a problem and memtest86 narrowed the scope of the problem). You then took action and tested your memory in different configurations and then on a different machine, and by using your brain you were able to narrow down the problem to the memory stick itself. You identified the stick, memtest86 only started you on the right path by pointing out that there was a memory error. If it hadn't been the stick, then you would have had to consider something else.
Did you actually read and then understand my original post? The difference between a memory error and a faulty stick of RAM may be subtle, but there is a difference none the less. Telling someone new to memtest86 that it detects bad memory sticks is misleading and could give them a nice headache if their problem is not the stick.
Breeno
