Just tested my ram with memtest86. Got about 24K errors but I don't have money to buy new RAM!!! I'm just 13 years old. Do you still use your PC if your RAM is dead? And how do I repair this RAM stick?
2 Answers
You can tell the Linux kernel to exclude some memory regions on its command line. Excerpt from the kernel parameter documentation:
memmap=nn[KMG]$ss[KMG] [KNL,ACPI] Mark specific memory as reserved. Region of memory to be reserved is from ss to ss+nn. Example: Exclude memory from 0x18690000-0x1869ffff memmap=64K$0x18690000 or memmap=0x10000$0x18690000
If you write down the exact location of the corrupted memory region from memtest86+
you can then use that info as described above and add a parameter to the kernel boot options.
Be aware that memory corruptions can occur (apparently) randomly! Run the memory test at least twice to assure that the corrupted region is (most likely) always the same.
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1I still would only recommend using this kernel parameter as a last-case scenario as even if a only a specific region of memory is corrupted it is still a sign of failing RAM. Running the kernel on damaged memory could cause an abrupt shutdown due to a kernel page fault...or worse!– joshumaxOct 31, 2014 at 1:48
Once RAM fails, there is no real way to repair it short of remanufacturing it. If you use your computer with a bad RAM stick, you will experience odd lockups and errors at best. At worst, your computer will fail to boot at all.
My recommendation, if you have more than one stick of RAM in your computer, is to test each stick separately to narrow down which stick is giving you trouble. Once you remove that particular stick (if only one has issues) you will be OK. If you do this, just remember to take ESD precautions to avoid damaging other components. Otherwise, your best bet is to try to find a cheap stick of RAM on eBay or something.
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3Unfortunately at 13 you're not allowed to trade on eBay yet. Depending on where you live and the age of your computer you may be able to find scrap parts from old computers for free or extremely cheap. Look in the classified ads of your local newspaper or on web sites like craigslist.org. I bet that (small) computer hardware stores will give you old scrap memory modules if you ask nicely, since they're almost worthless to them anyway. Oct 24, 2014 at 2:09
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Good point about age and eBay - I agree about Craigslist and computer stores as well.– ArnonOct 24, 2014 at 2:11
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1I threw out heaps of old computer hardware including quite a few DDR1 RAM modules just recently. Asking your computer tinkering neighbour could help too. :-] Oct 24, 2014 at 2:35
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I had an exam yesterday and I did it too bad. I don't think my mom will give me any money for the ram stick...– haiOct 24, 2014 at 3:03
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1@hai, I suppose the best strategy here is to study, do really good exams, and ask mom for a new RAM (or PC). ;-)– RmanoOct 24, 2014 at 7:52