Several ways to check your computer’s RAM

The system unit has many complex nodes, which together enable its user to perform complex computing tasks, view graphic files and much more. If your system unit started to run slower, then it is likely that something is wrong. Let's see how to check the computer's RAM . This is easy to do, but you need to pay attention to important details.

A few common points

To begin with, it should be noted that everyone can have problems with RAM. But this is not a reason to run for a new one to the store. First you need to perform testing and find out what exactly is not in order. To do this, you can either use special programs, or get by with what is available in the system. But first, try to open the system unit, remove the RAM from the slot, clean the slot from dust, and then insert it back. If you are the owner of the Windows 7 or 8 operating system, then you do not need to download anything, as there are special built-in utilities that can be used to check. It should be noted that the RAM test is quite fast, but a lot depends on the type of RAM, for example, it will be DDR1 or DDR3. In the second case, the check will be carried out an order of magnitude faster.

How to check computer RAM

Consider how to do everything without downloading third-party programs from the Internet. To do this, go to the "start" menu, and then "search". In the line you need to write "memory". At the end of the process, you should see a positive result, that is, the line "diagnosis of problems in the RAM of the computer, laptop." Since you can’t immediately check the RAM for problems, you will be asked to do this the next time you turn on the computer or simply restart the device and automatically start the diagnostics. When the computer is turned on, the check will begin by itself. You will be able to monitor the process and find out if there are any malfunctions. This will be written on the screen. In principle, it will take no more than a few minutes. Since you can check the computer’s RAM directly at the start of the OS, you can use this method as well. To do this, press Tab in the task manager.

How to check RAM for errors using software

The most popular and simplest program is memtest86 or 86+. Its peculiarity is that the utility is completely free and does not require configuration. First you need to download the stable version from the official site. Then create an ISO image. The next step is writing to disk, it will be bootable. Now we reboot the computer and go into the BIOS, where we need to choose the drive to boot during the launch of Windows. We insert the disk, and wait until the corresponding verification window appears. Then the check will start automatically, you only need to wait for the end of the process. At the bottom of the screen, in the center, the number of errors detected is displayed. The duration is affected by the frequency of RAM, the smaller it is, the longer the diagnosis will last. This process can take several minutes or about one hour.

What else do you need to know

Most users do not pay due attention to the state of their RAM and do so in vain. Dust, for example, causes the RAM to overheat during heavy work and can simply burn out. Please note that if you receive one error during the memtest86 utility verification, this indicates the instability of a specific address. In principle, this is not critical and work can continue with such a board. However, when the RAM is completely broken, a replacement is needed. You also need to understand that due to a malfunctioning operating memory, both the video card, the processor, and the motherboard suffer. Based on this, we can draw simple conclusions about the fact that you need to check not only RAM, but also other important elements of the system unit. It will be useful to test the RAM on another computer, of course, if there is such a possibility.

Conclusion

If you identify problems, you can try to fix them yourself, and not carry the bar to the service center. Although if there is a guarantee on RAM, it is better to use the help of professionals. To begin, swap the slats between each other and wipe them with an elastic band. It is possible that during subsequent testing the error will disappear. You can use a USB flash drive as a boot disk, which is also very convenient. In this case, a lot depends on the speed of reading from the memory card, for this very reason the process can be significantly delayed. We looked at several ways to check the computer’s RAM . You probably noticed that there are no particular difficulties, you just need to take a few minutes of your time and figure it out. If the state of RAM is critical, then it makes no sense to repair it, it’s easier to buy a new one, it will be cheaper.