Hardware diagnostic software

[M0nkeyb0Y]

Hello all,

I’ve had a couple of BSODs on my HTPC, and want to make sure it isn’t hardware related (as the PC needed a clean reinstall anyhow)…

Please could someone recommend me some Windows based hardware diagnostic programs for:
CPU
RAM
Hard drives
GPU

Anything else you figure may help.

Many thanks
MB

[scrandman]

Is it the system in your sidebar or not (the one there seems overkill for an HTPC)? Many diagnostics (e.g. HDD are brand specific).

Anyway, for memory google memtest and for graphics atitool or 3dmark06.

[Splash]

RAM you really wan't to be testing outside of Windows - grab the Memtest86+ bootable disc and run that for 12 hours or so to test your RAM

[M0nkeyb0Y]

Thanks guys - it isn't the one under "my system"; it's a Sony Vaio XL201 (here) but I've added a couple of 250G seagates, 2G more of Adata ram, and an extra DVB card...

I assume you can make a memtest boot disk with a SD is this correct? if so how?

(GPU = nvidia 7600)

Thanks again

[Splash]

Download and extract http://www.memtest.org/download/1.70...+-1.70.iso.zip and burn the ISO to CD (as an ISO, don't just dump it on there!) then boot from it.

[shadowmaster]

I find 'HD Tune' or 'Seagate Tools' quite useful in seeing if my hard disk is dodgy. I only just used HD Tune yesterday and it showed that my Samsung Hard Disk had quite a few bad sectors, which in turn were causing BSODs.

Good luck

[M0nkeyb0Y]

Thanks splash - but I meant SD card... I guess I can just do it with a CD tho.

Cheers for the help one and all

[Splash]

hehe - can you boot your PC from an SD card? I just took it as a typo...

[M0nkeyb0Y]

I doubt you can - just being lazy - not too many cdrs about me now either...

[Splash]

lol. The whole point being that you run it in it's own environment, not from within an OS.

I know you can boot some machines off a CF card (using a CF>IDE adapter) but I think for the sake of simplicity it'd be easiest to use a CD