RAM chips have become as cheap as a bag of Doritos Chips. They’re so cheap, that I see people sporting laptops and
desktops with 4GB to 8GB of RAM even though their 32 bit system can’t even recognize it. And now with Windows 7 coming out, it appears that people will be making 4GB the minimum standard.
More RAM is always good. That’s especially true when your system, such as Windows 7 -64bit can use all of it. But did you know that not all chips sold to you, even branded ones, are in perfect condition? Some chips have factory flaws that lead to erratic performance. Your PC may crash occasionally or slow down like a turtle on a winter and the reason could be your RAM. Imagine all the horrors you’d face when hours of data entered into your spreadsheet gets corrupted and you unwittingly submit it to the tax people. That’s evil!
For computer memory to operate optimally and consistently, physical errors or issues on the memory chip should be absent, or else raw data processed may corrupt, programs may hang, and the laptop may perform unpredictably, and erroneously. it’s a good thing you can pinpoint nasty RAM without having to visit the technicians, especially if you have Windows 7.
Windows 7 offers built-in diagnostics tool that allows scanning for problem, rising from bad RAM in the computer. The diagnostic tool, Windows Memory Diagnostic runs the gauntlet on physical memory installed on the computer, and regurgitate any errors that are found for troubleshooting. Here’s how to run the rather arcane Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool in Windows 7:
* Click on the Start button, then go to Control Panel –> System and Security -> Administrative Tools.
* Run Windows Memory Diagnostics tool.
Alternatively, click on the Start button, key in Memory Diagnostic in Start Search box, and then click on Windows Memory Diagnostic on the search listing.
* The “Windows Memory Diagnostics” window will be displayed.
* Select on Restart now and check for problems (recommended) option.
* The computer will restart, and the tool will execute.
* You can select F1 to configure various Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool options such as the type of Test Mix: Basic, Standard and Extended and pass count, which is the number of times the tests will run. they run. Press F10 after finished configuration to start Windows Memory Diagnostic again to scan and check for possible RAM issues or memory problems. Expect at least 10 minutes to 30 minutes for rigorous testing.
You’ll then be treated to a comprehensive report!
Before one had to pay $39 to $99 for such tools. Tuff Test pro and Norton System Works did the job, but at a cost. Now you can weed out problems for free. Well done Microsoft!
