Windows Memory Diagnostic Case Analisys

* Windows Memory Diagnostic user interface is currently available only in English. However, you can still use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool on computers configured to use languages other than English.

* To use Windows Memory Diagnostic, your computer must have either a 3.5-inch floppy drive or CD-ROM drive.

* We recommend that you print this users' guide, so that you have it available as a reference when running Windows Memory Diagnostic. While Windows Memory Diagnostic is running, you will be unable to access this file.

* Microsoft would like your feedback on Windows Memory Diagnostic. Once you have used Windows Memory Diagnostic, please let us know what you think by completing the short survey at the Microsoft Web site.(http://www.hwdev.org/memory/survey.aspx)

Windows Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. If you are experiencing problems while running Windows, you can use Windows Memory Diagnostic to determine whether the problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of your motherboard. If Windows Memory Diagnostic reports any errors, then one or more memory components is failing.

To run Windows Memory Diagnostic, you must first set up Windows Memory Diagnostic on a 3.5-inch floppy disk or CD-ROM.

1. Go to the directory where you saved the Windows Memory Diagnostic executable file, mtinst.exe.

2. Double-click mtinst.exe to start Windows Memory Diagnostic Setup. Depending on your security settings, the File Download dialog box might appear when you run mtinst.exe. If it appears, click Open to start Windows Memory Diagnostic Setup. Other security dialog boxes might also appear. This can happen, for example, if you try to install Windows Memory Diagnostic from a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) shared folder. These dialog boxes are related to your security settings and not to Windows Memory Diagnostic. If you experience problems when you are trying to install Windows Memory Diagnostic, either be sure to run Mtinst.exe from your local computer, or review your security settings and the documentation included in your version of Windows.

3. Do either of the following:

o Click Create Startup Disk to install Windows Memory Diagnostic on a floppy disk.

1. Select the floppy disk drive that you want to use from the list provided.

2. Insert a formatted floppy disk into this drive and then click Create. When the installation is complete, the Success dialog box will appear.

o Or, click Save CD Image to Disk if you want to create a CD-ROM that you can use to start your computer.

1. Select a location where you want to save the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9660 image and then click Save. When the file has been saved, the Success dialog box will appear.

2. For more information about creating a CD-ROM that you can boot from, see the Note at the end of this section.

4. Restart your computer with the disk on which you installed Windows Memory Diagnostic (either the floppy or CD-ROM drive).

Important

o In the boot sequence, the drive with the Windows Memory Diagnostic disk must precede any other devices on which there is a bootable program, such as a hard disk on which Windows is installed. You can configure the boot sequence in the BIOS settings. On most computers, the default boot sequence includes the floppy drive. For more information about configuring the boot sequence, see the documentation for your motherboard.

Note

* If you want to create a CD-ROM that you can start your computer from, you must use additional software to create this CD-ROM from the ISO 9660 image, which is named Windiag.iso. To create this CD-ROM from the image, you can use the Cdburn.exe utility, which is provided as part of the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools. Instructions for downloading and installing these tools are available at the Microsoft Web site(http://www.microsoft.com/). Instructions for using Cdburn.exe are included in the download package. In addition, you must have a CD-ROM drive that can write to CD-ROMs. These drives are typically called CD-R or CD-RW drives. Your CD-ROM drive must also support CD-ROMs that you can boot from. Consult the documentation for your CD-ROM drive for more information.

Running Windows Memory Diagnostic

Important

* Be sure to remove the floppy disk or CD-ROM on which you installed Windows Memory Diagnostic when you finish using it. Otherwise, Windows Memory Diagnostic, and not Windows, will start again after your computer is rebooted.

After creating the floppy disk or CD-ROM, you must restart your computer with the disk or CD-ROM on which you installed Windows Memory Diagnostic in the disk drive. After you restart your computer, Windows Memory Diagnostic loads and its interface appears. After loading, the first test pass begins and continues until complete, unless you pause or exit Windows Memory Diagnostic. Once the first test pass is complete, Windows Memory Diagnostic begins a second test pass using the same settings as before. Windows Memory Diagnostic continues to run test passes until you exit it.

Understanding Windows Memory Diagnostic results

If Windows Memory Diagnostic completes the first pass and reports no errors, then your RAM is probably working correctly. It is unlikely that Windows Memory Diagnostic will find any errors with your RAM on subsequent passes using the same settings. If you want to test your RAM more completely, you can run the extended test suite by pressing T while Windows Memory Diagnostic is running. You should then let Windows Memory Diagnostic run overnight. If you change the test suite or any of Windows Memory Diagnostic settings, the test pass will restart from the beginning.

If Windows Memory Diagnostic detects any errors with your RAM, the screen is updated with information about the error. A result of Failed for a test indicates that particular test detected an error. If any tests fail, then your computer has failing hardware.

If Windows Memory Diagnostic detects errors in your hardware, you should correct the errors and run Windows Memory Diagnostic again until you get a report of no errors before you attempt to run Windows again. If you do not, Windows may not work correctly. You can attempt to identify the specific