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  1. #1
    Sea Torques
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    Windows Memory Diagnostic

    Okay, I have been having alot of problems with my computer for quite some time now. It will randomly restart, programs like to crash often. My friend told me to search for some Diagnostic Program and such, to check my RAM and other hardware, since reformatting didn't help. Just a warning as well, I don't really know much/anything about Computers.

    Anyways, the program I found when searching was from Microsoft, called "Windows Memory Diagnostic," and its description sounds like what my friend told me to look for. http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
    After I downloaded it, and read the instructions, it said that I would need to burn the Programs CD Image (No idea what that is) using some Windows Tool called cdburn.exe which had to be downloaded with some big Windows Tool Package. So I downloaded it, and I tried double clicking the cdburn.exe, which would bring up a black window for a split second, then close it. I tried looking up info about how to run the cdburn.exe and such, and everything I found about running it said this:

    CDBurn.exe from the XP Support Tools

    You can use CDBurn.exe that is included in the Windows Server 2003 Support Tools (read Download Windows 2003 Reskit Tools for more info).

    ISO CD-ROM Burner Tool (CDBurn) is a command-line tool that allows the user to write (burn) data images from image files located on the hard drive to compact disc (CD) recordable (CD-R) and CD rewritable (CD-RW) media. The data image can be any kind of data, even raw data. This tool can also be used to erase CD-RW media.

    Example: Burn a CD From an Image File When a Drive Letter is Assigned to the CD Burner. Type the following at the command line:

    cdburn.exe d: c:\dotnet_usa_3678.IDS_x86fre_srv.iso

    Press ENTER. Output similar to the following is displayed:

    Number of blocks in ISO image is 3d1d6
    | 25.6% done
    / 45.2% done
    / 55.3% done
    - 68.9% done
    \ 89.3% done
    - 100.0% done
    Finished Writing
    Synchronizing Cache: burn successful!

    Notes: The drive letter assigned to the burner in this example is D and the image file being written is located at c:\dotnet_usa_3678.IDS_x86fre_srv.iso

    The default burn speed for this tool is 4x. The maximum burn speed is limited by the maximum speed of the burner. Use the speed parameter to set the burn speed. The max parameter sets the burn speed of the CD burner to maximum.
    I figured that the "command line" was the button that says "Run..." when you hit the start button and such, and when trying to get it to run and burn the CD image using the way that was described, the black window would appear for a short second, then disappear as was described earlier.

    So um.. please forgive me for not knowing anything about Computers really, and any help as to how to run the cdburn to make some CD image to boot my computer with to scan my hardware or something, and any help as to why my computer is being mean with Random restarts, and crashing programs would be helpful, thank you!

  2. #2

    im sure someone here will know the name of a good memory tester that you can run through the BIOS. its been so long i forgot em all.

  3. #3
    New Spam Forum
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    Try MEMTest86.

  4. #4
    Sea Torques
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    I'm not able to use that cdburn.exe to make a CD Image though, which that MEMTest86 and that Windows Memory Diagnostic require as a step to test the things that they test. Cdburn.exe will close as soon as I try to run it and such

  5. #5
    That SpellCast Guy
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    Click the "Run..." thing and instead of trying to type the cdburn stuff, just type "cmd". Now the black window will appear and stay up this time.

    According to that quoted info you posted, you need to run cdburn.exe by typing a command like this:

    cdburn.exe <drive letter of your CD burner> <path to ISO image>

    So assuming your CD burner is on drive D, and you downloaded the Windows Memory Diagnostic ISO file to C:\Downloads\WinMemDiag.iso, you need to type:

    cdburn.exe D: C:\Downloads\WinMemDiag.iso

    Of course, change the "D:" and the "C:\Downloads\WinMemDiag.iso" to whatever the actual case is. Make sure you have a blank CD in your burner when you do that, and that should do the job.

    If that's still confusing or doesn't work, let me know and I can try to clear things up for you.

  6. #6
    Sea Torques
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deimos
    Click the "Run..." thing and instead of trying to type the cdburn stuff, just type "cmd". Now the black window will appear and stay up this time.

    According to that quoted info you posted, you need to run cdburn.exe by typing a command like this:

    cdburn.exe <drive letter of your CD burner> <path to ISO image>

    So assuming your CD burner is on drive D, and you downloaded the Windows Memory Diagnostic ISO file to C:\Downloads\WinMemDiag.iso, you need to type:

    cdburn.exe D: C:\Downloads\WinMemDiag.iso

    Of course, change the "D:" and the "C:\Downloads\WinMemDiag.iso" to whatever the actual case is. Make sure you have a blank CD in your burner when you do that, and that should do the job.

    If that's still confusing or doesn't work, let me know and I can try to clear things up for you.
    Thanks, I was able to run it using your directions and such. According to the tests, nothing should be wrong with my memory and such, So I still don't know what is wrong with my computer. When running the tests though, my computer just shut down, and wouldn't start back up again until after a long period of time (I tried running the tests twice and such, both times my computer just shut down on its own and wouldn't start back up)

    Besides my computer being a PC, what other factors might be the cause of my computer randomly restarting, and programs crashing ?

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