Troubleshooting Hardware, Driver, and Disk Issues : How to Use Built-In Diagnostics (part 5)

5.3 How to Start Windows Memory Diagnostics When Windows Vista is Installed

If Windows Vista is already installed, you can start Windows Memory Diagnostics from the Windows Boot Manager menu. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Remove all floppy disks and CDs from your computer, and then restart your computer.
2.	If the Windows Boot Manager menu does not normally appear, press the space bar repeatedly as the computer starts up. If you are successful, the Windows Boot Manager menu will appear. If the Windows Vista progress bar appears, restart your computer, and try again to interrupt the startup process by pressing the space bar.
3.	On the Windows Boot Manager menu, press the Tab button on your keyboard to select Windows Memory Diagnostics, as shown in Figure 6, and then press Enter. Figure 6. You can start Windows Memory Diagnostics from the Windows Boot Manager menu.

Windows Memory Diagnostics will start and automatically begin testing your computer’s memory.

5.4 How to Start Windows Memory Diagnostics from the Windows Vista DVD

If Windows Vista is not installed, you can run Windows Memory Diagnostics from the Windows Vista DVD by following these steps:

Note

Some computers have System Recovery Tools pre-installed by the computer manufacturer. On these computers, you can start System Recovery Tools faster by pressing F8 before the Windows logo appears, and then choosing Repair Your Computer from the Advanced Boot Options screen.

1.	Insert the Windows Vista DVD into your computer.
2.	Restart your computer. When prompted to boot from the DVD, press any key. If you are not prompted to boot from the DVD, you may have to configure your computer’s startup sequence.
3.	Windows Vista setup loads. When prompted, select your regional preferences, and then click Next.
4.	Click Repair Your Computer.
5.	Select your keyboard layout, and then click Next.
6.	System Recovery scans your hard disks for Windows Vista installations. If the standard Windows Vista drivers do not detect a hard disk because the drivers were not included with Windows Vista, click the Load Drivers button to load the driver. Select an operating system to repair, and then click Next.
7.	The Choose A Recovery Tool page appears. Click Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool.

Windows Memory Diagnostics will start and automatically begin testing your computer’s memory. For information on how to configure the automated tests, read the next section.

5.5 How to Configure Windows Memory Diagnostics

As shown in Figure 7, you can configure different options for Windows Memory Diagnostics. You can use these options to configure more thorough (and more time-consuming) diagnostics.

Figure 7. You can configure Windows Memory Diagnostics to use more thorough testing procedures.

To view Windows Memory Diagnostic options, start Windows Memory Diagnostics, and then press F1. You can configure three different settings, which you select by pressing the Tab key:

• Test Mix The default set of tests, Standard, provides efficient testing while catching most common types of memory failures. To reduce testing time (and the types of failures that might be caught), choose Basic. To increase the types of failures that might be caught (as well as testing time), choose Extended.

• Cache Some tests use the cache, while others disable the cache. Tests are specifically designed to use or disable the cache to identify problems with different memory components. Therefore, you should typically leave this as the default setting.

• Pass Count This defines the number of iterations. Increase this number to provide more thorough testing, and to increase the likelihood that you will identify any existing problems. The higher the Pass Count, the more likely you are to find problems.

After you have configured settings, press F10 to apply your changes. Windows Memory Diagnostics will then restart the tests.