Memory Test for PC compatible computers
AleGr MEMTEST
For program updates go to MEMTEST WWW page.
AleGr MEMTEST is a program for testing DRAM (main memory) of PC-compatible computers built on Intel 386 or higher processor. The version 2.0 is now able to run under Windows.
Some of older programs for memory testing were written for cacheless processors and required to disable the cache, when used on modern computers. This program is designed to run on the processors with memory cache, and takes into account how the system bus, cache and main memory of Pentium and Pentium Pro (Pentium II, III, 4) processors work. Test patterns and access sequences used by the program are designed to test burst transfers between CPU and L2 cache and/or memory, because such transfers occur most of the time in real applications. It also tests some special access cycles, such as locked read-modify-write.
Maximum size of memory the program is able to test is 3 gigabytes under DOS and less than 2 gigabytes under Windows. If you have 4 GB or more, you can start several test sessions under Windows, to cover all the memory.
The program can be run under "bare" DOS session, and under Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP. It may work under Windows NT 4.0 as well, but has never been tested.
The program runs differently under DOS and Windows.
The MEMTEST version 2.0 program is free for personal (non-business) use. For business use, send email to alegr@earthlink.net for information about buing a licence and support. Source code can also be purchased.
WARNING: There is no guarantee of any kind. On some low-power systems, the program may cause excessive current consumption, and trigger overcurrent protection or cause permanent damage. When the program is run under Windows, it can cause a marginally stable system to crash with possible loss of data or OS damage.
"Bare" DOS means "real mode" DOS without any memory managers, such as HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE. Version 2.0 can now start if HIMEM.SYS is present.
If you run Windows 95:
To start a bare DOS session, restart the computer and press Shift+F5 when "Starting Windows 95..." message appears. You can also boot from a floppy.
If you run Windows 98:
For Windows 98 bare DOS session, press and hold Ctrl when OS begins booting (just after BIOS detected all disk drives). Windows 98 boot menu will appear. Press Shift+F5 to start DOS. You can also boot from a floppy.
If you run Windows ME:
Windows ME doesn't allow to boot into DOS directly. You can use a boot floppy, but you will need to use /ignorexmm (or /ig) command line option.
If you run Windows 2000 or XP:
Windows 2000 and XP cannot boot into DOS. You will need to boot from a floppy. You can create a boot disk when you format a floppy. You may need to use /ignorexmm command line switch when you start the program.
Command line to start the program is as follows:
MEMTEST <memory size> <base address of area to test> /program switches
Optional memory size and base address of an area to test are specified in megabytes. If they are not specified, all available memory will be tested. Since the program detects actual memory size, it is safe to specify more memory than actually installed.
The program cannot test less than 8 megabytes.
The following command line switches are recognized (they can be abbreviated down to the part shown with underscore):
/row:<size> - specifies size (in kilobytes) of DRAM memory array row. Allowed values are 4 up to 64 (only powers of 2). By default all possible row sizes from 4 to 64 are tested. Specify this option only if you exactly know row size (it depends on memory chip manufacturer and model and is not usually published even in memory data sheets). If specified size does not match real value, the program won't be able to test the memory chips for maximum noise on word lines.
/delay <time1> <time2> - specifies the delay (in seconds) between memory write and read passes. The delay specified by time1 is inserted on every other test pass, default value is 1 second. The delay specified by time2 is inserted on 62th and 63th passes of 64, default is 60 seconds. This allows to test for proper DRAM refresh.
/speed - tells the program to measure CPU clock rate and also L2 cache and main memory read/write speed (including write in write-allocate mode);
/readtwice - tells the program to compare test data twice;
/writethru - disables writeback cache policy;
/nocache - disables cache at all (not recommended).
/noprefetch - doesn't perform cache prefetch.
/nocheck - disables machine check on Pentium (and newer) systems. Machine check interrupt is triggered when bus or cache parity error occurs.
/preheat - the program will try to preheat the memory chips by the special access sequence, before writing each test pattern. Remember, though, that using this option on some notebook computers may trigger overcurrent protection.
/nousblegacy - disables USB legacy emulation interrupt. Use it when the test shows memory errors in the very first kilobyte of physical memory. If this switch doesn't help, run the test starting from megabyte 1, for example: "MEMTEST 512 1".
/fastdetect - use fast memory size detection algorithm (though less thorough).
/ignorexmm - run the program even though XMM (HIMEM.SYS) is detected. Is necessary is you use Windows ME boot floppy.
/nolargepages - do not use 4MB pages. Use regular 4KB pages only.
/pattern:<pattern1>:<pattern2> - sets a pair of special 32-bit patterns. <pattern1> and <pattern2> are specified in hexadecimal notation, for example: /pat:01234567:FEDCBA98. Each value is duplicated to form a 64-bit quad-word, so the memory will be written with the following data pattern:
0123456701234567
FEDCBA98FEDCBA98
0123456701234567
FEDCBA98FEDCBA98
After testing the complete memory, the pattern is rotated, and it is repeated until the pattern returns to the original value.
Once MEMTEST is started, it is not possible to return back to DOS, because the program switches the CPU to 32-bit protected mode. Testing can only be stopped by the system restart - either by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del or by pressing Reset (it can be found on the system case, not on the keyboard), or by turning the power off then off (recommended only for the systems without Reset button).
If the program detects less memory than you know is installed, it probably means that a piece of very unstable memory is detected and the program decided to stop scanning for more.
When memory errors messages fill all the screen, the program pauses screen output to prevent error messages loss. To resume the output, press Enter.
While the program is working, it displays the test pass number. Full test consists of 64 passes. Required time depends on CPU and memory size. Keep in mind that every other test pass includes 36 seconds of delay and two passes of 64 both include 36 minutes of delay. After the program completed all 64 passes, it will continue to run the test from the beginning. To stop the test, you need to restart the computer, by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del.
This capability was added to provide more realistic testing of the overall system stability.
Under Windows, the program starts a few threads running in parallel, each testing its own region of virtual addresses. It can also run disk read/write test, to check if disk DMA operations could cause the memory corruption.
Disk I/O test has been added because:
Command line to start the program is as follows:
MEMTEST <program switches>
The following command line switches are recognized:
/time:<time limit> - sets test time in minutes;
/memory:<n> - specifies the test area size in megabytes, from 4 to 1024. Up to 4 /memory command line switches allowed, each of them causes the program to start a separate test thread. /pattern option that goes after /memory specifies a test pattern for this thread. Max total allowed memory size is about 2000 MB. If you need to test more memory, you can start more test sessions.
/file:<directory> <n> - specifies the test file location and size in megabytes (from 4 up to 64000). Up to 4 /file command line switches allowed, each of them causes the program to start a separate test thread. /pattern option that goes after /file specifies a test pattern for this thread. If the directory name contains spaces, surround it with double quote characters. The directory should exist before the program is run.
/maxerrors:<n> - maximum number of errors before the test stops. The test runs until time specified by /time switch elapses, or maximum number of errors found;
/readtwice - tells the program to compare test data twice;
/nocache - disables cache at all (not recommended).
/preheat - the program will try to preheat the memory chips by the special access sequence, before writing each test pattern. Remember, though, that using this option on some notebook computers may trigger overcurrent protection.
/logfile:<file name> - writes a test log to the file. If the '+' character precedes the file name, test log will be appended to the file. The log file is always opened with write-through option, which prevents loss of the messages if the system crashes.
/pattern:<pattern1>:<pattern2> - sets a pair of 32-bit test patterns. <pattern1> and <pattern2> are specified in hexadecimal notation, for example: /pat:01234567:FEDCBA98. Each value is duplicated to form a 64-bit quad-word, so the memory will be written with the following data pattern:
0123456701234567
FEDCBA98FEDCBA98
0123456701234567
FEDCBA98FEDCBA98
After writing/reading the complete test area, the pattern is rotated (right shift by one bit), and the test repeats. The pass is completed when the pattern returns to the original value.
Each memory or file test thread can have its own test pattern. For example:
MEMTEST /mem:64 /pat:01234567:FEDCBA98 /mem:64 /pat:80008000:7FFF7FFF
/file:c:\ 256 /pat:80007FFF:7FFF8000 /file:d:\ 256
/pat:0080FF7F:0080FF7F
For file test, it makes sense to use patterns which are inverted every 16 bits, like 80007FFF. It is because the IDE data bus is 16 bits wide. For SCSI disk, different test pattern may be better, for example inverted every 8 bits for 8-bit SCSI bus.
It is recommended that different test threads use different test patterns.
To avoid disk thrashing, use one file test per physical drive. If you're running a RAID disk array, use one thread per controller channel, although the disks will experience continuous thrashing.
Check if you're specified not too much memory to test. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and on the Performance tab see if the CPU is fully loaded. If it is not, then there is memory paging (see also the hard drive light), and you need to reduce test area size.
The test can be stopped by pressing either Ctrl+Break or Ctrl+C. It may not stop immediately, though.
Memory test sequence
First test performs pseudorandom data read/write. The data consists of "all ones"/"all zeros" patterns produced by pseudorandom sequence generator. The test checks for address errors.
The second test uses a pair of 32-bit patterns. Each pattern is duplicated to form a 64-bit quadword. These quadwords are written each after other:
01111111111111110111111111111111
01111111111111110111111111111111
10000000000000001000000000000000 10000000000000001000000000000000
01111111111111110111111111111111 01111111111111110111111111111111
10000000000000001000000000000000 10000000000000001000000000000000
The test patterns can be specified in the program command line. The default pattern is running zero/running one pair, like shown above. This test sequence allows also to check the system bus in maximum noise conditions.
After all the memory being tested is filled with the pattern, it is read in ascenting direction (from address 0 to the highest address) and compared with reference data. As the memory is read, the data is replaced with inverted test pattern. After all the memory is read and replaced with inverted pattern, it is read in descenting direction and compared with new reference data. As the memory is read, the data is replaced with next test pattern, which is like first one cyclically shifted (rotated) to right:
1011111111111111 1011111111111111 1011111111111111
1011111111111111
0100000000000000 0100000000000000 0100000000000000 0100000000000000
1011111111111111 1011111111111111 1011111111111111 1011111111111111
0100000000000000 0100000000000000 0100000000000000 0100000000000000
Pattern replacement on the descenting pass is done with uncacheable 64-bit exchange operation: CMPEXCH8B. This allows to test locked read-modify-write memory cycle.
Such tests are performed for all bit positions (total 16).
Next tests work with "all ones"/"all zeros" patterns, with pattern inverted on every other memory array row. This test exploits the dynamic RAM structure.
Dynamic RAM array is crossed by word (or row) lines (that go from row address decoder) and column lines. Each pair of column lines is connected to differential inputs of read detector. Even rows are connected to even column lines, and odd rows are connected to odd lines. Column lines are connected also to reference cells that are charged to half voltage of a regular cell. When, for instance, even row is selected, memory cells are read to even column lines and reference cells are read to odd column lines. Voltage difference (tens of millivolts) is detected by read detectors and converted to logical 0 or 1. Then read cells are charged back to full voltage (refreshed) and row is deselected. After that, all column lines should be discharged to fixed voltage level, it is called "RAS precharge".
Maximum noise to column lines occures when all cells are charged to same "low" or "high" state, this means that adjacent rows should be written with inverted data. To achieve this, test pattern is inverted every 4 to 64 KB (step is doubled on every test pass), and data is read from interlaced rows - 32 bytes from one row, 32 bytes from adjacent one. "All zeros" and "all ones" patterns allow also to induce maxium noise on adjacent column lines.
When running in a standalone mode, the program relocates itself in the physical memory after every test pass, to test the area it just occupied.
In a standalone mode, every other pass includes 1 second delay between memory writing and reading. During the delay there are no accesses to the DRAM, because all instructions are fetched from the L1 cache. This allows to check how reliable is memory refresh. On two passes from 64 the delay is increased to 60 seconds. These delays can be specified in the command line at the program start.
When running under Windows, the program decommits the memory area after every pass, it means releases the physical pages. It allows to test different pages every time.
To test transfers from L2 cache to the processor, some of test passes are performed with data prefetched from the memory to L2 cache. Without such prefetch, the data goes directly from memory to the processor. To test transfers from processor to L2 cache, some of the test passes are performed with data prefetched to L2 cache during test pattern write.
To test file transfers, a temporary file (named TstXX.tmp) is created. Test file location and size (in megabytes from 4 to 640000) is specified in /file command line option. The program can run simultaneous read/write up to four files. The files are opened with file cache disabled.
The file is first written with the specified pattern. The default initial pattern pair is 7FFF8000/80007FFF. The file is then read and compared with the pattern. In case of a mismatch, an error message is logged.
The pattern is then cyclically shifted (rotated), each 16-bit word individually. For example 7FFF8000 becomes DFFF4000. This pattern is also written and verified. It repeats until the pattern returns to the original value.
2.00 (August 1, 2002). Fixed a bug in memory speed test. Added capability to work under Windows. Removed default memory size limit in 512 megabytes.
1.04 (August 10, 2000). Fixed a bug in the test relocation, which caused it to reboot on machines with more than 960 MB of memory. Added /nousblegacy and /fastdetect command line options.
1.03 (March 28, 1999). Fixed a bug in timer function in V1.02, which was caused by compiler upgrade to MSVC 5.0. Added /preheat command line option.
1.02 (Feb 25, 1999). Fixed i386 and i486 processor detection. Fixed problem with Intel P-II motherboards, which caused the test to reboot a computer. Added /nocheck command line option to disable machine check interrupt on P5 and P6 processors.
1.01 (Jan 22, 1998). Changed way to reset CPU for reboot. Instead of putting the CPU to shutdown mode (did not work on Pentium Pro+FX440) reset by keyboard controller is used. Added reset of floppy drives' motors before going to protected mode.
1.0 (Dec 30, 1997). First released.
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Last changed 08/01/02.