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Dealing with Bad Memory (RAM)

Intended For
Windows Vista
Windows XP
Windows 2003
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Windows 98
Windows 95
Bad memory can manifest itself in anything from frequent error messages to your system simply not starting. Errors in your RAM aren't always steady or reliable, either - they can be intermittent, occuring at completely random intervals. The first thing you should do is pull out each SIMM, and make sure there isn't any dust or other obstruction between the pins and your motherboard (don't use a wet rag to clean this, however). Make sure all your SIMMs (or DIMMs) are seated properly; they should snap into place, and should be level and firm (don't break them testing their firmness, however). If all that is in order, there are two ways to determine if your RAM is actually faulty.
  • The first way is to use a software testing program (CheckIt and Windsor Technologies' PC Diagnostics, both commercial packages, are the only programs we know of that do this) to run a continual test of your RAM (have it repeat the test many times, perhaps overnight).
  • The second way is to go to your local computer store any buy more RAM. Replace your SIMMs one-by-one until the problem subsides - if this doesn't work, there's nothing wrong with your memory. If you find a bad SIMM, toss it.


Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Wednesday, February 7, 2007

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