Memtest86
Developer(s) | PassMark Software |
---|---|
Initial release | 1994[1] |
Stable release | 10.7 (Build 1000)[2]
/ 8 February 2024 |
Written in | C and assembly |
Type | Utility |
License | freeware, proprietary license |
Website | www |
Developer(s) | Martin Whitaker, Sam Demeulemeester |
---|---|
Initial release | early 2004[3] |
Stable release | 7.00[4]
/ 7 January 2024 |
Repository | github |
Written in | C and assembly |
Type | Utility |
License | GNU General Public License, version 2.0 |
Website | https://www.memtest.org/ |
MemTest86 and Memtest86+ are
MemTest86
History
MemTest86 was developed by Chris Brady in 1994.[1] It was written in C and x86 assembly, and for all BIOS versions, was released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The bootloading code was originally derived from Linux 1.2.1.[6] The program is compiled as position-independent code so as to be able to move itself around and test all the memory regions.[7] The proprietary PassMark version does not have this ability.[8]
BadRAM patch
Starting from MemTest86 2.3, the program can output a list of bad RAM regions in the format expected by the BadRAM patch for the
PassMark purchase
In February 2013, the original MemTest86 was sold to PassMark. The BIOS version was updated under GPL until version 4.3.7.
MemTest86 Version 5.0 (3 December 2013) was rewritten for
Memtest86+
History
After MemTest86 remained at version 3.0 (2002 release) for two years, Samuel Demeulemeester created the Memtest86+ fork to add support for newer CPUs and chipsets.
From version 1.60, the program can output a list of bad RAM regions in the format expected by the BadRAM patch for the Linux kernel[13] (similar to MemTest86 2.3).
The BIOS-based line of Memtest86+ entered a stall after the release of version 5.01 (September 2013). In April 2020, the final BIOS-based version, 5.31 beta, was released with a short changelog claiming "many fixes".[14]
In May 2020, Martin Whitaker forked Memtest86+ 5.31 into PCMemTest, rewriting it for UEFI support, DDR4 and DDR5 RAM, and supporting all current AMD and Intel chipsets and CPUs. In October 2022, this branch merged back, becoming Memtest86+ 6.0.[15][16]
Adoption
Memtest86+ is included, optionally or by default, in many
Common features
There are two development streams of MemTest86(+). The original is simply known as MemTest86. The other, known as Memtest86+, is a development fork of the original MemTest86. Their on-screen appearance and functionality were almost identical up until, respectively, MemTest86 4.3 and Memtest86+ 5.0.[1]
Version 5.0 of MemTest86 added a mouse-driven graphical user interface (GUI) and UEFI support; the latter was added by Memtest86+ from version 6.0.
These programs work with nearly all PC-compatible computers from 80386- and 80486-based systems to the latest systems with 64-bit processors. Each new release adds support for newer processors and chipsets.[9][13]
MemTest86(+) is designed to run as a stand-alone, self-contained program from a bootable USB flash drive, CD-ROM, floppy disk, or from a suitable boot manager without an operating system present.[23] This is because the program must directly control the hardware being tested and leave as much of the RAM space as possible for examination.
MemTest86(+)'s testing is very comprehensive, so it can find otherwise hidden problems on machines that appear to work normally.
Some errors manifest intermittently or depend on the precise bits being stored, and do not occur on each pass; such errors may be revealed by running many passes over an extended period. Some tests use different data each pass to reveal data-dependent errors.[25]
Both versions now support current multi-core processors, the corresponding chipsets, and UEFI.[26][3]
References
- ^ a b c d "MemTest86 History". MemTest86.com. Archived from the original on 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
- ^ Error: Unable to display the reference properly. See the documentation for details.
- ^ a b "Memtest86+ History". Memtest.org.
- ^ "v7.00". 7 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "MemTest86 Technical Information". MemTest86.com. PassMark Software. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
- ^ "bootsect.S - chromiumos/third_party/memtest - Git at Google". ChromiumOS Source.
Copyright (C) 1991, 1992 Linus Torvalds 1-Jan-96 Modified by Chris Brady
- ^ "README.build-process - chromiumos/third_party/memtest - Git at Google". chromium.googlesource.com.
- ^ "MemTest86 - Known Issues". www.memtest86.com. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
MemTest86 cannot remap itself to different portions of memory in order to run tests in the section of memory it was occupying.
- ^ a b c "PassMark MemTest86 - Version History".
- ^ "GNU GRUB Manual 1.99 § Badram".
- ^ "How to block out or map out bad RAM in Windows..." thecomputerperson. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ^ Kim, Yoongu; Daly, Ross; Kim, Jeremie; Fallin, Chris; Lee, Ji Hye; Lee, Donghyuk; Wilkerson, Chris; Lai, Konrad; Mutlu, Onur (2014-07-08). "Flipping Bits in Memory Without Accessing Them: An Experimental Study of DRAM Disturbance Errors" (PDF). Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved 2015-04-07.
- ^ a b "Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool".
- ^ "Memtest86+ Archives". Memtest86+.; "728766 – sys-apps/memtest86+-5.31b version bump". bugs.gentoo.org.
- ^ Klotz, Aaron (2022-10-24). "Memtest86+ Is Back! New Version Released After 9 Years". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
- ^ "memtest86+ v6.0 Released As Rewritten Open-Source RAM Tester". www.phoronix.com. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
- ^ "Package: memtest86+". Debian Packages. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Arch Linux - memtest86+ 5.01-3 (any)". Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ "MemoryTest". Ubuntu Help Wiki. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
Hold down Shift to bring up the GRUB menu. Use the arrow keys to move to the entry labeled Ubuntu, memtest86+
- ^ "Memtest86+ 6.10-4 (amd64 binary) in Ubuntu Lunar". Ubuntu Launchpad. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "Patch tracker: memtest86+". Debian Sources. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Patch tracker: memtest86+". Debian Sources. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ Dotdash. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
- ^ "MemTest86 Technical Information: Algorithms". MemTest86.com. PassMark Software. Retrieved 2014-11-01.
- ^ "MemTest86 Technical Information: Detailed Descriptions". MemTest86.com. PassMark Software. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
- ^ "MemTest86 Support". MemTest86.com.