Memory Diagnostics Tool

Memory Diagnostics Tool

Did you know you can check your system physical memory with a tool that comes bundled with Windows Vista? This is one of the many new tools that will be of great use when trying to troubleshoot computing issues. If your computer starts to freeze or reboot unexpectedly, you should try running this.

You can load the tool from within Vista or by using the initial boot DVD and selecting from the recovery options. To load from within windows run ?MdSched.exe? from the command line.

You will then be presented with an option to restart the PC and check for errors immediately, or on the next restart:


Once Vista has restarted you will be presented with the familiar DOS-like blue screen where a progress bar will indicate the percentage of RAM tested for errors. If you wish to alter the test conditions, press F1 and choose from basic, standard or extended test conditions.


Once the testing is complete, your PC will continue to boot into Windows and display the results of the test. If your PC passed, it will simply return a ?No memory errors were detected? message. Should you find an error, try the test using an extended run overnight to confirm and then proceed with replacing the memory.