Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2004 00:54:54 -0500 (EST) From: Chuck Robey <chuckr@chuckr.org> To: Rob <spamrefuse@yahoo.com> Cc: FreeBSD <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Is this a sign of memory going bad? Message-ID: <20041126004912.A27818@april.chuckr.org> In-Reply-To: <41A6B7CC.90605@yahoo.com> References: <6FC9F9894A9F8C49A722CF9F2132FC220276581D@ms05.mailstreet2003.net> <20041125234948.R27818@april.chuckr.org> <41A6B7CC.90605@yahoo.com>
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On Fri, 26 Nov 2004, Rob wrote: > Chuck Robey wrote: > > On Thu, 25 Nov 2004, Haulmark, Chris wrote: > > > > > >>Someone broke the silence: > >> > >> > >>>On Thu, Nov 25, 2004 at 04:05:53PM -0500, Lowell Gilbert wrote: > >>> > >>>>Jonathon McKitrick <jcm@FreeBSD-uk.eu.org> writes: > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>>This is what I get from make buildworld. I've gotten signal 10, > >>>>>11, and now 5. > >>>>> > >>>>>Is this bad memory? > >>>> > >>>>That's a reasonable guess, but the only way to tell for sure is to > >>>>test it. > >>> > >>>Is there a port to do this, or do I have to take it out and take it > >>>somewhere else to get it tested? > >>> > >>>jm > >> > >>sysutils/memtest in the ports. > > > > > > I don't want to embarrass anyone here, but something needs to be said. > > Note this next sentence carefully: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A WORKING > > MEMORY TEST PROGRAM!!! > > What about the BIOS RAM test? I mean the counter that you can interrupt with > the ESC key, at the beginning of the boot process? Will that reliably indicate > problems with the RAM, or is that test also rubbish? It's total rubbish, the only thing you can say is, it tells you that there is a possiblity that the memory *might* be installed. It's really more helpful in the negative: if it tells you that you DON'T have memory, it's confirming a problem, but that the memory is OK? Utterly worthless. This is a problem mainly because, well, you NEED the function, and it's so convenient just to say "hey, they wrote it to check memory, it wouldn't be there otherwise". Too bad that it's just totally a waste of your time. Experienced hackers already know this sad news, I'm just posting this to FreeBSD-questions, to the newbies who might otherwise be led astray. > > Rob. > > > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chuck Robey | Interests include C & Java programming, FreeBSD, chuckr@chuckr.org | electronics, communications, and SF/Fantasy. New Year's Resolution: I will not sphroxify gullible people into looking up fictitious words in the dictionary (on the wall at my old fraternity, Signa Phi Nothing). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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