Test Memory Using MemTest86+ in Linux Mint 21

If you are having issues with your Linux system RAM and used several applications to diagnose the issue but still failed to reach the core issue, then try using the memtest86+ application. This application runs various tests on the system RAM and displays all the errors caused by the RAM. Some of the Linux distributions by default come with this application but if your Linux Mint does not have then you need to install it to test the system RAM, for that read this guide thoroughly.

Installing the memtest86+ on Linux Mint 21

As mentioned above that to test the RAM of your Linux system it is imperative that the memtes86+ should be installed on your Linux system and if it is not installed then go the below steps:

Step 1: To make the installation process smooth and error free, one should update the packages of the default package manager:

Step 2: Next, install the memtest86+ using default package manager:

Running memtest86+ on Linux Mint 21

After you have installed the memtest86+ it’s time to test the RAM of your Linux system and for that reboot the system and press the shift button. Select the Memory test (memtest86+.elf) option in the GNU GRUB appeared on the screen:

Now the application will automatically start to run the test, you can check the status of the application under the state option highlighted in the image below:

To check the stats on the test all detail is shown at the top right side of the screen and if there are any errors found by the application then the number of Errors will be shown at the bottom right side:

The main thing that you need to focus on is the Pass percentage. If it is low when the test is complete then it means that there is an issue with the function whose test is conducted. The test might take up to 30 minutes so wait till the test is completed.

Press the Esc key from the keyboard to exit this application and after that system will reboot itself.

Removing memtest86+ from Linux Mint 21

If you don’t need this application anymore then uninstall this package using:

Conclusion

To fix any error on the Linux system effectively it is imperative to first diagnose the cause of the issue, likewise if there is an issue with data reading and writing then it might be due to RAM of the system. To test the RAM of the Linux system normally memtest is used for which memtest86+ is to be installed. For that use the default package manager and to run the memtest, reboot the system and press shift key from the keyboard.