Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!ames!elroy!ucla-cs!wales
From: wales@valeria.cs.ucla.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: RAM testing -- how to do it?
Message-ID: <24930@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 15 Jun 89 21:32:03 GMT
Sender: news@CS.UCLA.EDU
Reply-To: wales@CS.UCLA.EDU (Rich Wales)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 25

I would appreciate any information about *how* to do a thorough job of
checking RAM in a PC, XT, and/or AT -- including at least the following
aspects:

    ==> Localizing parity errors.
    ==> Determining refresh time for individual chips.
    ==> Detecting address translation problems (i.e., writing in one
	address and having the data pop up at another address).

I have picked up a few RAM testing programs from various sources, but:

    (1) none of them come with source; and
    (2) I have a 286 motherboard (with XT bus) that has a special
	way of accessing the top 384K of its 1 meg worth of on-board
	RAM, and I want to be able to test this extra RAM (something
	the "stock" RAM testing software obviously won't do).

I'm reasonably comfortable with C and assembler, and am not averse to
writing my own RAM tester.  Who knows, I may even end up with something
worth posting.

-- Rich Wales // UCLA Computer Science Department // +1 (213) 825-5683
   3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, California 90024-1596 // USA
   wales@CS.UCLA.EDU      ...!(uunet,ucbvax,rutgers)!cs.ucla.edu!wales
"This is yet another example of how our actions have random results."