I have been advised to run memtest86 to test my RAM

Although in /boot I have the files memtest86+.bin, memtest86+.elf, and memtest86+_multiboot.bin, I cannot find a way of running memtest86 in my linux mint system

Just to clarify, are these files earlier than version 8, which is meant for UEFI, are they unusable in a UEFI system?, and so do I have to download v8 from somewhere?

I can see the grub menu, memtest definitely is not there, I remember on my older systems where it used to be and have used it.

I understand this is because I have a UEFI system

Can I boot it in BIOS mode? I found an web page that seems to say that once your OS is set to boot in UEFI you cannot change it back, you have to reinstall.



Linux Mint 19.2 Cinnamon

System
AMD Ryzen 2200 cpu with onboard Radeon graphics
Gigabyte mobo B450 Aorus M
1. Realtek® ALC892 codec
2. High Definition Audio
3. 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
4. Support for S/PDIF Out

benawhile,

Welcome to LQ forums.

You need to first download and install it from:
https://www.memtest86.com/download.htm

Instructions:
https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=306613

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks
OK
Does that mean that the memtest files I have are only there for non UEFI systems?

I'm afraid I need a bit more help, those instructions in the link aren't clear to me.
So my intention is not to create a bootable USB, but to boot into memtest on startup

I have downloaded v8 from the Passmark site
I have created the empty memtest86 file in /boot/EFI/efi as instructed in the link
I have mounted the image and copied the relevant files into the newly created folder (ESP?)
I am OK until gm10's second post the words "end up with something like this"
I don't understand the code he is using there, what should I enter first

Then the grub instruction, do I just enter all that code as it is? with the } on the next line?
And where he says "eg to your" what does it mean and how do I do it?

Finally in the readme, which applies only to creating a usb drive,there is a warning about the program wasting disk space. Is this also likely to happen if I use it in GRUB?

No, that doesn't refer to a folder. ESP is short for EFI system partition. You will have such a partition on your hard drive if you have a UEFI, and you need to find out where it is. It's often (but not necessarily) partition 1. Running fdisk -l /dev/sda (as root) should show you. For example my output includes the line:
Once you have found your ESP, you must mount it somewhere; the traditional mount point is /boot/efi. Then you can copy the files over.
The order in which you copy the files doesn't matter. The example shows a listing of the result, which by default is in alphabetical order.
You need to edit these lines into one of the grub scripts, which will be in /etc/grub.d. He suggests 40_custom, so you might as well use that. Make sure you don't change the existing content of the script, just add your entry to the end. Include the braces exactly as written: they're important. For the "set root" line, use the ESP partition you found. For example, he uses (hd0,gpt1) but I would have to use (hd0,gpt2) on my machine. Then run update-grub. All of this as root, obviously.

But actually I wouldn't recommend you to do any of this until you've read up a bit more and are sure you understand what you are doing. Fooling about with your system on such a basic level is probably not a good idea until then. You could end up making it unbootable.

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks Hazel for the extra detail

The problem is I don't see what choice I have. My system keeps freezing and the only advice I have is to first run memtest86, and beachboy2's link is the only advice I have had to run memtest in a UEFI system.

I may not fully understand what an ESP is but I am quite certain I did what gm10 said in his 2nd and 3rd posts up to "end up with something like this". You have to read the second post and then the third for a better explanation of the second.

Well, I suppose if it's safer I could try running memtest86 from a USB stick. How frustrating that memtest86+ comes with Linux Mint but not memtest86.

benawhile,

You could install memtester:

Then run using:

Please read:
http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/...mtester.8.html

Article:
https://www.techwalla.com/articles/h...e-ram-on-linux

Note that you need to give the size in megabytes, of the RAM installed on your computer.

Also replace the example of 5 with the number of times you want to run the test.

I have not used memtester personally, but it seems as though it may offer you an alternative way to test your memory.

What makes you think you have a problem with your memory?

Just remember the old adage, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I would like to run memtest86, as that was specifically recommended. I asked in my last post if it would be easier to run it from a USB.

I did explain in my previous reply to Hazel that my Linux Mint system is freezing and the first solution offered on the Linux Mint forum was that there may be a RAM fault, which sounded reasonable to me. It used to be a very simple matter to run memtest86.

I am more than happy to give further details of the actual fault and welcome any other suggestions. I have described it here:

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtop...73858#p1873858

Short answer, yes. I've also run into problems running memtest off the grub boot entries in *buntus like Mint with EFI bioses. Save yourself some time and aggravation and just run it off a usb.
That's sound advice. Is your ram on Gigabyte's supported list? I haven't built with AMD but it is my understanding that AMD boards tend to be more finicky about their ram. If an overnight run of memtest shows no errors, it could be a problem with your power supply or possibly improperly configured radeon graphics.

Edit: If you have overclocked at all, remove the overclock and see if that corrects the problem.

1 members found this post helpful.

Update: I managed to run memtest86 last night and there were no errors after 4 passes.

Is the line "Cores: 1 active 1 total SMP disabled" significant?

I had it on the usb from where I had installed Linux Mint. I had looked for it before but forgotten the procedure to locate it.
In the top corner, not shown in the shot, is a flashing red plus sign. Does that mean it was memtest86+?

Linux Mint 19.2 Cinnamon

System
AMD Ryzen 2200 cpu with onboard Radeon graphics
Gigabyte mobo B450 Aorus M

Attached Thumbnails

 

No. SMP stands for symmetric multiprocessing. In other words, if you have multiple cpu cores, memtest will use them symmetrically so that the work load is even. The Linux kernel does the same. It seems you have only one core, so that facility has been switched off.

1 members found this post helpful.

I have Ryzen 3 2200G which is a 4 core. That aside, the main concern is that my RAM is OK I suppose?

I'm running Linux Mint 18.3 and have memtest available by default but it's nothing to do with the operating system... It's one of the choices from the Grub menu, You "boot" memtest rather then Linux/Windows or whatever, it runs standalone, not via an operating system.

To check memory you don't want a load of operating system code getting in the way, you'd have to block shift it from one end of your available memory to the other while you test the "free" area. Waste of time and effort. Much easier to just shift a small stand alone program - Memtest (compared to an OS!).

To test the hardware on a computer you should run Stand Alone diagnostics, usually booted from some other medium, DVD, etc. HP Smartstart or IBM RS6000 Power Standalone Diags spring to mind, they're what I used in the day. Things were changing when I retired in that the stand alones were starting to be available by being accessed from ROM during POST.

If the stand alones run clean, your problem is with the OS rather than hardware.

My

Play Bonny!

I don't think I mentioned that I actually managed to run it from the USB that I had used to install Linux Mint, I assume that meets the criteria of Soadyheid for running it from somewhere separate from the system it is testing.

Like Soadyheid, on previous systems for example Lubuntu on my previous build I could boot memtest from Grub, but as people are posting on various forums, they can no longer see it in the Grub menu.

It seems to me that any legacy BIOS system should see it in Grub, and that the 3 Memtest files that come packaged with the current Linux Mint, and that I have, are intended to work in legacy BIOS, but I chose UEFI BIOS, and Linux Mint don't put the appropriate files in for that. That's the only explanation I can think of.

I am happy to mark this as solved now

1 members found this post helpful.

Very interesting... I'm running a 2009 HP Z400 workstation with legacy BIOS so still have memtest in the Grub menu.

Your diagnosis seems very logical Mr Spock.

Play Bonny!