Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[lee]

Peter Humphrey  writes:

> Hello list,
>
> I have a nearly new machine which is already showing signs of hardware 
> failure. I'd like to check its memory, for which memtest86+ seems suitable. 
> But I can't install it via portage because this is a UEFI machine and so its 
> boot partition is vfat; the install phase fails because symbolic links can't 
> be done.
>
> I downloaded an ISO image from http://www.memtest.org/#downiso and used 
> unetbootin to write it to the USB. It won't boot. I then tried dd but got 
> the same result.
>
> What's the recommended way to put a bootable memtest86+ image, or 
> equivalent, on a USB stick?

dd if=image.iso of=/dev/sdX

... where /dev/sdX is the USB stick.  Make sure the stick isn't mounted,
and write to the stick itself, not to any partition that may be on it.

In some cases, the stick won't boot:  Use another stick, or try writing
the ISO again.


-- 
"Didn't work" is an error.

Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Dale]

Peter Humphrey wrote:
> On Sunday 30 Apr 2017 15:05:41 Mick wrote:
>> On Sunday 30 Apr 2017 01:33:29 Peter Humphrey wrote:
>>> Here's a picture of the BIOS screen. This hardware is kaput.
>> It may not be.
> You're right - it wasn't.
>
>> Try re-seating the HDMI/DVI/VGA? cable between the PC and the monitor with
>> the PC off.  Then boot up and see it if persists.
> It was the USB stick. I should have tried that before bleating here.
>
> Sorry about the noise.
>


I wouldn't view it as noise.  If someone else posts later about a
problem like this, someone here will likely remember this and be able to
share what you discovered.  So, while it wasn't what you expected it to
be, that doesn't mean others won't learn a little something from it. 

For me, I find it odd that a broken USB stick would cause that.  I would
have expected it to not boot at all or something.  Weird.

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Peter Humphrey]

On Sunday 30 Apr 2017 15:05:41 Mick wrote:
> On Sunday 30 Apr 2017 01:33:29 Peter Humphrey wrote:
> > Here's a picture of the BIOS screen. This hardware is kaput.
> 
> It may not be.

You're right - it wasn't.

> Try re-seating the HDMI/DVI/VGA? cable between the PC and the monitor with
> the PC off.  Then boot up and see it if persists.

It was the USB stick. I should have tried that before bleating here.

Sorry about the noise.

-- 
Regards
Peter

Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Daniel Frey]

On 04/29/2017 05:33 PM, Peter Humphrey wrote:
> On Saturday 29 Apr 2017 08:57:35 Rasmus Thomsen wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> actually had that screen happening to me too, but my hardware was fine.
>> Could you try emerging the latest (unstable) memtest86+ package?
>> Symlinking should work with that one.
>  
>> Regards,
>> Rasmus
> 
> Nope. No can do, since the /boot partition is vfat, which can't handle soft 
> links.
> 
> Here's a picture of the BIOS screen. This hardware is kaput.
> 

Recently had a problem at work where this display corruption occurred,
and it turned out to be a bad DVI cable.

Dan

Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Mick]

On Sunday 30 Apr 2017 01:33:29 Peter Humphrey wrote:
> On Saturday 29 Apr 2017 08:57:35 Rasmus Thomsen wrote:
> > Hello,
> > 
> > actually had that screen happening to me too, but my hardware was fine.
> > Could you try emerging the latest (unstable) memtest86+ package?
> > Symlinking should work with that one.
> > 
> > Regards,
> > Rasmus
> 
> Nope. No can do, since the /boot partition is vfat, which can't handle soft
> links.
> 
> Here's a picture of the BIOS screen. This hardware is kaput.

It may not be.

Try re-seating the HDMI/DVI/VGA? cable between the PC and the monitor with the 
PC off.  Then boot up and see it if persists.

-- 
Regards,
Mick

signature.asc
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Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Rasmus Thomsen]

Hello,

actually had that screen happening to me too, but my hardware was fine. Could 
you try emerging the latest (unstable) memtest86+ package? Symlinking should 
work with that one.

Regards,
Rasmus

Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Peter Humphrey]

On Saturday 29 Apr 2017 02:50:53 Dale wrote:
> Peter Humphrey wrote:
> > On Friday 28 Apr 2017 17:11:47 Dale wrote:
> >> This is different but I found this that says it works with your setup.
> >> I don't have one like yours, just googled for a possible solution.
> >> 
> >> http://www.memtest86.com/technical.htm#usage
> >> 
> >> If you think that will work, may want to try that memtest.  If not,
> >> please ignore me.  ;-)
> > 
> > Thanks Dale, but I think the problem may be worse than just RAM. The
> > attached screen shot shows what I saw when I did boot an image.  :-(
> 
> Yep.  I think you have a problem that goes beyond what memtest will
> reveal.  It looks bad.  Bummer.  May need to gut that rig and put in
> some new gear.

No, it's only a few weeks old, so it's going back for repair or replacement.

-- 
Regards
Peter

Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Dale]

Peter Humphrey wrote:
> On Friday 28 Apr 2017 17:11:47 Dale wrote:
>
>> This is different but I found this that says it works with your setup.
>> I don't have one like yours, just googled for a possible solution.
>>
>> http://www.memtest86.com/technical.htm#usage
>>
>> If you think that will work, may want to try that memtest.  If not,
>> please ignore me.  ;-)
> Thanks Dale, but I think the problem may be worse than just RAM. The 
> attached screen shot shows what I saw when I did boot an image.  :-(
>


Yep.  I think you have a problem that goes beyond what memtest will
reveal.  It looks bad.  Bummer.  May need to gut that rig and put in
some new gear. 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Dale]

Peter Humphrey wrote:
> Hello list,
>
> I have a nearly new machine which is already showing signs of hardware 
> failure. I'd like to check its memory, for which memtest86+ seems suitable. 
> But I can't install it via portage because this is a UEFI machine and so its 
> boot partition is vfat; the install phase fails because symbolic links can't 
> be done.
>
> I downloaded an ISO image from http://www.memtest.org/#downiso and used 
> unetbootin to write it to the USB. It won't boot. I then tried dd but got 
> the same result.
>
> What's the recommended way to put a bootable memtest86+ image, or 
> equivalent, on a USB stick?
>


This is different but I found this that says it works with your setup. 
I don't have one like yours, just googled for a possible solution. 

http://www.memtest86.com/technical.htm#usage 

If you think that will work, may want to try that memtest.  If not,
please ignore me.  ;-)

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Peter Humphrey]

On Friday 28 Apr 2017 22:33:35 Peter Humphrey wrote:
> Hello list,
> 
> I have a nearly new machine which is already showing signs of hardware
> failure. I'd like to check its memory, for which memtest86+ seems
> suitable. But I can't install it via portage because this is a UEFI
> machine and so its boot partition is vfat; the install phase fails
> because symbolic links can't be done.
> 
> I downloaded an ISO image from http://www.memtest.org/#downiso and used
> unetbootin to write it to the USB. It won't boot. I then tried dd but got
> the same result.
> 
> What's the recommended way to put a bootable memtest86+ image, or
> equivalent, on a USB stick?

Never mind. I dd'd the .bin file instead of the .iso and it did try to boot. 
Got nowhere though because the damn thing's jiggered.

Sorry about the noise.

-- 
Regards
Peter

[gentoo-user] How to get memtest onto a USB drive

[Peter Humphrey]

Hello list,

I have a nearly new machine which is already showing signs of hardware 
failure. I'd like to check its memory, for which memtest86+ seems suitable. 
But I can't install it via portage because this is a UEFI machine and so its 
boot partition is vfat; the install phase fails because symbolic links can't 
be done.

I downloaded an ISO image from http://www.memtest.org/#downiso and used 
unetbootin to write it to the USB. It won't boot. I then tried dd but got 
the same result.

What's the recommended way to put a bootable memtest86+ image, or 
equivalent, on a USB stick?

-- 
Regards
Peter