# memtestx86+ not working [solved]

## alienjon

I emerged vanilla memtest86+ (USE="-floppy -serial").  I reboot and both memtest entries lead the computer to hang until I hard reset.  I looked around the web but can't find the same problem.  Any thoughts on a fix (or how to test/debug)?Last edited by alienjon on Thu Oct 08, 2015 1:42 am; edited 1 time in total

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## TheLexx

Can you run memtest from a CD-rom or other image? Do you only have the problem when you install it from Gentoo?

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## alienjon

 *TheLexx wrote:*   

> Can you run Memtest from a CDROM or other image?

 

Sorry for my delayed reply to this.  I'm honestly not sure.  I downloaded a memtest86 iso (not a + version, but I see that the latest memtest86's should work on my system) and tried creating a bootable USB.  The drive comes up in my UEFI screen, but not as a UEFI device.  Booting from it gives me a blank screen with a blinking curser.  As this is the same behavior I get from Gentoo (sans the blinking cursor, however) I'm going to let it sit for a day and see if it pops up with anything.  I expected some form of graphical or textual interface at least reporting the start of the process, but maybe it "just runs"?  I thought I saw screenshots somewhere, though, so I expect this isn't the case.  In any event, I'm going to look into other methods of making a UEFI bootable iso image.

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## TheLexx

I've only messed with memtest+. Memtest starts the test instantly. It takes only moments to load memtest into the computer, then it starts. If you wish to run a test other than the normal sequence you first have to stop the running test. 

memtest+ is loaded into the computer the similar to the way the old 16-bit versions of Linux kernel is loaded into the machine.  Many live versions of Linux contain memtest on there iso image so that you can boot Linux or boot memtest. I would try one of those first.  If You can boot Linux from the image, but the same image fails when you try to boot memtest I suspect, that version of memtest is not compatible with your hardware.

I assume that you are using grub2 to boot your machine. If you mount the iso image, you should be able to find the memtest "kernel". In the versions I have it is usually called memtest.bin. You can copy the memtest kernel to the same directory that you keep your Linux kernel on and then just boot memtest instead of your kernel.

To boot from the command line grub you will need to know the location of the memtest "kernel" say for example "(ThisLocation)/memtest.bin" you will prepare it with the command "linux16 (ThisLocation)/memtest.bin" then type the command "boot" to boot.

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## alienjon

I am using grub2.  I installed memtest86+ to come up in my boot menu.  As with the USB and memtest86, however, selecting the option brings me to a blank screen (nothing indicating that the test is loaded, running, or progressing in anyway).  The only difference is that the USB has the blinking cursor.  Is this normal behavior?  It seems odd to me to not have any indication that the test at least started.  I may try to install an ubuntu install disk, as I think those include memtest (or knoppix)

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## Roman_Gruber

when you just need memtest, i think sysrescue-cd comes with that too. emerge sysresc... and burn it to a disc. that should be the fastest way.

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## TheLexx

 *alienjon wrote:*   

> I am using grub2.  I installed memtest86+ to come up in my boot menu.  As with the USB and memtest86, however, selecting the option brings me to a blank screen (nothing indicating that the test is loaded, running, or progressing in anyway).  The only difference is that the USB has the blinking cursor.  Is this normal behavior?  It seems odd to me to not have any indication that the test at least started.  I may try to install an ubuntu install disk, as I think those include memtest (or knoppix)

 

Memtest did not start. It crashed! 

Unless you get something that looks like this https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Memtest86-screenshot.png within a few seconds it did not work. I suggest you try memtest86 on a different computer just to get the feel of memtest. 

My only thought is that memtest64 is incompatible with your hardware. Try Googling your motherboard model or laptop model and memtest64 to see what is up.

I was hoping that if you tried to use grub in Command Line Mode, you might have gotten an error message before grub tried to load memtest. If you get an error message that might give me something to work with. If there is no error message then there is not anything I can grab onto. Just Google your mobo with memtest.

PS. whether it is the grub config file or the CLI you have to use linux16 NOT linux to load the memtest "kernel"

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## alienjon

 *tw04l124 wrote:*   

> when you just need memtest, i think sysrescue-cd comes with that too. emerge sysresc... and burn it to a disc. that should be the fastest way.

 

Not in the portage tree.  Is it in an overlay?

 *TheLexx wrote:*   

> Memtest did not start. It crashed!
> 
> Unless you get something that looks like this https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Memtest86-screenshot.png within a few seconds it did not work. I suggest you try memtest86 on a different computer just to get the feel of memtest.
> 
> My only thought is that memtest64 is incompatible with your hardware. Try Googling your motherboard model or laptop model and memtest64 to see what is up.

 

Definitely doesn't look like that.  I've now tried reinstalling the img on the flash drive (and tried both memtest86 and memtest86+) with the same results.  I'll try on my laptop when I have the chance (though the laptop has Kubuntu and memtest is already on it).

 *TheLexx wrote:*   

> I was hoping that if you tried to use grub in Command Line Mode, you might have gotten an error message before grub tried to load memtest. If you get an error message that might give me something to work with. If there is no error message then there is not anything I can grab onto. Just Google your mobo with memtest.
> 
> PS. whether it is the grub config file or the CLI you have to use linux16 NOT linux to load the memtest "kernel"

 

My grub.cfg uses linux16 and not linux (I did double check) for both the memtest86 and memtest86+ entries.  Interestingly, when I try to boot from the CLI I get an actual crash followed by a reboot.  No message is displayed, only a moment of black screen before the monitor flickers (as though the monitor goes from no signal to receiving a signal - I expect this is exactly what's happening) and then the computer restarts.

My motherboard is an Asus P8P67 PRO.  Funny enough the search I've done so far has shown people with implicit success in running memtest86 (other RAM problems and people reporting the memtest results).  I suspect that isn't the problem.

I have noticed in my bios that the USB drive doesn't come up as a UEFI device.  Could this be related to what's going on?  Could my making the USB drive not me UEFI compatible and could the portage Memtest86/Memtest86+ not be UEFI compatible either?

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## alienjon

 *Quote:*   

> Could my making the USB drive not me UEFI compatible and could the portage Memtest86/Memtest86+ not be UEFI compatible either?

 

This was it.  I did a search for UEFI memtest86 and found a different download (on the main memtest86 site, not memtest86+).  I installed this image to the USB disk and can now boot from it.  The gentoo ebuild and the downloads I had grabbed are NOT UEFI compatible.  Not sure how to get the ebuild to work in this manner, but I'm thinking of just using the downloaded .bin and setting it up in grub.

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## TheLexx

 *alienjon wrote:*   

> ...but I'm thinking of just using the downloaded .bin and setting it up in grub.

 

That is what I did, I just copied it over from a live cd to my HD. I use a compleately custom grub2 config file, so I'm not sure how you would do it with a standard grub2 script.

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## Roman_Gruber

same as downloading from the homepage the iso.

the iso is in the distfiles and in /usr/share/systemrescue....

```
[I] app-admin/systemrescuecd-x86

     Available versions:  

     (4.4.1) (~)4.4.1^m

     (4.5.0) (~)4.5.0^m

     (4.5.1) (~)4.5.1^m

     (4.5.2) (~)4.5.2^m

     (4.5.3) (~)4.5.3^m

     (4.5.4) (~)4.5.4^m

     (4.6.0) (~)4.6.0^m

     Installed versions:  4.6.0(4.6.0)^m(14:45:55 03.10.2015)

     Homepage:            http://www.sysresccd.org/

     Description:         The .iso image of SystemRescueCD rescue disk, x86 (+ amd64) variant

```

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## alienjon

tw04|124: Ahh, I took your prior post literally and searched for sysrescue and nt systemrescue.

TheLexx: I may try an ebuild of this and file a bug.  I imagine this must come up for others as well and it'd be nice to have a working UEFI install.

I'm going to consider this thread [solved].  Memtest86 is now running seemingly well.  According to the output - as of this writing - I'm 91% into pass 3/4 and minutes shy of 23 hours into the full test (32gb of RAM, so I expected it to take a while).  Thanks everyone!

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## alienjon

Test complete a little shy of 40 hours.  It passed all 48 tests run, but 4 of those warnings (notes) did pop up.  I'll try rerunning the test after swapping out the D stick.

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