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zepper · June 15th, 2009, 02:16 PM

I find most of my free software at MajorGeeks.com . In the INFO section at the right of the home page, there is an entry for "Top Freeware Picks". Their suggestions are pretty reliable. For memory testing, I keep three programs on hand: Memtest 86, Memtest 86+ and M$'s free testing program. One or the other will catch almost any RAM problem given enough passes. Most hard drive mfrs make a diagnostic utility for their own drives. I'd use that along with any 3rd-party program for best results. The best hard drive tester is still SpinRite, but it costs money and takes forever on modern, oversized drives on any but the lowest level of test. The first version of SR was developed when hard drives were measured in Megabytes not hundreds of GigaBytes... SiSoft Sandra is good diagnostic software, but it is Shareware and the free use part is limited in functionality - it is also downloadable via MajorGeeks.

.bh.

June 15th, 2009, 02:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
zepper Ultimate Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Finger Lakes area Posts: 2,373	I find most of my free software at MajorGeeks.com . In the INFO section at the right of the home page, there is an entry for "Top Freeware Picks". Their suggestions are pretty reliable. For memory testing, I keep three programs on hand: Memtest 86, Memtest 86+ and M$'s free testing program. One or the other will catch almost any RAM problem given enough passes. Most hard drive mfrs make a diagnostic utility for their own drives. I'd use that along with any 3rd-party program for best results. The best hard drive tester is still SpinRite, but it costs money and takes forever on modern, oversized drives on any but the lowest level of test. The first version of SR was developed when hard drives were measured in Megabytes not hundreds of GigaBytes... SiSoft Sandra is good diagnostic software, but it is Shareware and the free use part is limited in functionality - it is also downloadable via MajorGeeks. .bh. __________________ "Our freedom depends on five boxes: soap, ballot, jury, witness; and, when all else fails, Ammo. " ?author? Last edited by zepper : June 16th, 2009 at 11:49 AM.