Problems running memtest86

Hello, I am following the front page thread for sudden reboots!

Gateway GT4016
OS - Windows XP sp2

I cant seem to run memtest86. v-2.01 Bootable cd iso I think, I put it in my Mothers pc and it does nothing, clicking the icons do nothing either.

I also downloaded memtest86 v-3.4? in a zipped file and when I open it and click install a black window(command window?) flashes then nothing happens.

also what is WinRAR and how do you know if you have it?...lol, could that be the problem?

ps. I am new to all of this, so please bare with me.

If you've burnt the bootable ISO on a CD, leave it in the CD drive & reboot the machine. Make sure the BIOS is set to boot on optical drives (CD, CD-R, DVD, DVD-D, etc.) before hard drives, that way it will launch memtest.

You're not supposed to run it from within Windows.

Great, I did, and it is on its third pass now, currently no errors.

edit: I did try to start it from within windows then...hope that didnt hurt anything

Anyway thanks Didou,

Starting it from Windows won't do anything so you didn't mess up.

If you have the possibility, leave it running overnight. Some errors only show up when the modules are really stressed & pushed to the limit. It could also come from overheating on the module's part so the longer you leave it running, the more reliable the results are.