Test RAM with Windows MEMORY DIAGNOSTIC tool

[xilolee]

Preamble

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The following options, procedures, paths, windows sentences, were tested/verified on Win10 Home x64 v1607 Build 14393.1066 (Anniversary update).
When I tried the windows memory diagnostic tool, with test mix extended, cache on, pass count 5, it took about 2H38min.
Therefore I could estimate the total amount of hours could be about 8 (hours), if I had chosen 15 passes.
CPU is Intel Pentium G645 and Memory is Nanya 6GB RAM, two sticks; from piriform speccy:

• Nanya Technology NT4GC64B8HG0NF-CG DDR3 4096MB PC3-10700 (667 MHz)
• Nanya Technology NT2GC64B88G0NF-CG DDR3 2048MB PC3-10700 (667 MHz)

And sorry for my bad English. :tongue10:

Test RAM with windows memory diagnostic tool in windows 10
(although this could be valid also for previous windows versions, from windows vista onwards)​

1. You can reach it with one of the following ways:
   • Click windows start, windows administrative tools, double-click windows memory diagnostic. Or:
   • Click windows start, type directly memory.
     The windows memory diagnostic app should be the first hit: double click it. Or:
   • Go to C:\WINDOWS\system32, find and double click mdsched.exe. Or:
   • Right-click windows start, click run, copy/paste (or type) mdsched.exe in the run window and press enter
2. (If you didn't disable UAC) Click yes to the UAC window that should appear.
   
   
3. The windows memory diagnostic tool will ask you either to:
   "Restart now and check for problems (recommended).
   Save your work and close any open programs before restarting."​
   Or to:
   "Check for problems the next time I start my computer."​
   
   
4. After you restart/reboot your machine, the windows memory diagnostic tool will be directly loaded.
   You can change the options of the tool pressing F1 (key on your keyboard).
   You can go to the other options pressing TAB (key on your keyboard).
   To ensure the test is accurate enough, you should use the maximum values, i.e. test mix extended, cache on, 15 pass counts.
   If you are still unsure, you could try the test on each stick at once (i.e., if you have got 4 sticks/slots, one stick at a time, then another stick, then another stick, then the last stick... Always in the first slot advised by the motherboard manufacturer: it's usually the second slot, starting from the CPU).
   
   
5. The first option you can change is the test mix.
   Possible states: basic, standard, extended.
   • basic --> MATS+, INVC, SCHCKR (cache enabled)
   • standard --> like above and LRAND, STRIDE6 (cache enabled), CHCKR3, WMATS+, WINVC
     Complete list: MATS+, INVC, SCHCKR (cache enabled), LRAND, STRIDE6 (cache enabled), CHCKR3, WMATS+, WINVC
   • extended --> like above and WINVC, MATS+ (cache disabled), STRIDE38, WCHCKR3, ERAND, STRIDE6 (cache disabled), CHCKR8
     Complete list: MATS+, INVC, SCHCKR (cache enabled), LRAND, STRIDE6 (cache enabled), CHCKR3, WMATS+, WINVC, MATS+ (cache disabled), STRIDE38, WCHCKR3, ERAND, STRIDE6 (cache disabled), CHCKR
6. The second option you can change is the cache.
   Possible states: default, on, off.
   
   
7. The third option you can change is the pass count: from 0 (zero, nought) to 15.
   0 (nought) means 15.
   
   
8. Once done, press F10 (key on your keyboard) to apply the changes.
   The test will start automatically after the changes.
   It could easily take some half hours or hours.
   Wait until it finishes, then restart/reboot your machine and launch windows.
   
   
9. You can find two events (results) about the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool in event viewer - windows logs - system.
   See these examples:
   Read More:

   Log Name:      System
   Source:        Microsoft-Windows-MemoryDiagnostics-Results
   Date:          04/03/2017 23.59.15
   Event ID:      1101
   Task Category: None
   Level:         Information
   Keywords:      
   User:          SYSTEM
   Computer:      XILOLEE
   Description:
   The Windows Memory Diagnostic tested the computer's memory and detected no errors
   Event Xml:
   <Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
     <System>
       <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-MemoryDiagnostics-Results" Guid="{5F92BC59-248F-4111-86A9-E393E12C6139}" />
       <EventID>1101</EventID>
       <Version>0</Version>
       <Level>4</Level>
       <Task>0</Task>
       <Opcode>0</Opcode>
       <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
       <TimeCreated SystemTime="2017-03-04T22:59:15.426130600Z" />
       <EventRecordID>37020</EventRecordID>
       <Correlation />
       <Execution ProcessID="3188" ThreadID="3192" />
       <Channel>System</Channel>
       <Computer>XILOLEE</Computer>
       <Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
     </System>
     <UserData>
       <Results xmlns="http://manifests.microsoft.com/win/2005/08/windows/Reliability/Postboot/Events">
         <LaunchType>Manual</LaunchType>
         <CompletionType>Pass</CompletionType>
         <MemorySize>5902</MemorySize>
         <TestType>12</TestType>
         <TestDuration>9390</TestDuration>
         <TestCount>55</TestCount>
         <NumPagesTested>1458166</NumPagesTested>
         <NumPagesUnTested>2281</NumPagesUnTested>
         <NumBadPages>0</NumBadPages>
         <T1NumBadPages>0</T1NumBadPages>
         <T2NumBadPages>0</T2NumBadPages>
         <T3NumBadPages>0</T3NumBadPages>
         <T4NumBadPages>0</T4NumBadPages>
         <T5NumBadPages>0</T5NumBadPages>
         <T6NumBadPages>0</T6NumBadPages>
         <T7NumBadPages>0</T7NumBadPages>
         <T8NumBadPages>0</T8NumBadPages>
         <T9NumBadPages>0</T9NumBadPages>
         <T10NumBadPages>0</T10NumBadPages>
         <T11NumBadPages>0</T11NumBadPages>
         <T12NumBadPages>0</T12NumBadPages>
         <T13NumBadPages>0</T13NumBadPages>
         <T14NumBadPages>0</T14NumBadPages>
         <T15NumBadPages>0</T15NumBadPages>
         <T16NumBadPages>0</T16NumBadPages>
       </Results>
     </UserData>
   </Event>

   Log Name:      System
   Source:        Microsoft-Windows-MemoryDiagnostics-Results
   Date:          04/03/2017 23.59.15
   Event ID:      1201
   Task Category: None
   Level:         Information
   Keywords:      
   User:          SYSTEM
   Computer:      XILOLEE
   Description:
   The Windows Memory Diagnostic tested the computer's memory and detected no errors
   Event Xml:
   <Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
     <System>
       <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-MemoryDiagnostics-Results" Guid="{5F92BC59-248F-4111-86A9-E393E12C6139}" />
       <EventID>1201</EventID>
       <Version>0</Version>
       <Level>4</Level>
       <Task>0</Task>
       <Opcode>0</Opcode>
       <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>
       <TimeCreated SystemTime="2017-03-04T22:59:15.426132400Z" />
       <EventRecordID>37021</EventRecordID>
       <Correlation />
       <Execution ProcessID="3188" ThreadID="3192" />
       <Channel>System</Channel>
       <Computer>XILOLEE</Computer>
       <Security UserID="S-1-5-18" />
     </System>
     <UserData>
       <Results xmlns="http://manifests.microsoft.com/win/2005/08/windows/Reliability/Postboot/Events">
         <CompletionType>Pass</CompletionType>
       </Results>
     </UserData>
   </Event>

   
   
10. Added by Philc43: when errors are found with a single stick, it is also worth testing that stick in other slots to check that the errors are not due to a MB slot problem.
    Check the lines after the warning in this tutorial for more details (click) (and obviously, read also the warning).