Random crashes, corrupted downloads and blue screens that name different drivers every time often mean memory. One overnight run settles the question.
Boot **MemTest86** from a USB stick, run **four full passes** overnight and treat **any error** as a failure. Then test the sticks one at a time to find the faulty module.
Use the official image writer from the MemTest86 download page or Rufus in DD mode. The stick boots its own environment - Windows is not involved.
Boot from the stick and start the test with the default four-pass configuration. Passes are what matter; a single pass that finishes in 40 minutes proves little.
Test mode: default
Passes: 4The screen shows the error count and the failing address. One error already means the machine is not stable - there is no acceptable error rate.
If errors appear, test each stick alone in slot one for at least two passes with XMP off. Memory errors with XMP enabled and none at stock speed are an overclock problem, not a dead stick.
Reseat both modules, confirm the slots match the manual for a two-stick kit, and check that the cooler is not pressing on a DIMM. Contact errors are more common than dead chips.
After reseating, a BIOS update or a new kit, run the same four passes again. A stability claim without a retest is a guess.
Secure Boot is blocking the unsigned image. Disable Secure Boot for the test or enable the USB boot entry in the firmware.
A hard freeze during the test is itself a result - memory or a firmware problem. Try one stick at a time.
The memory controller is not stable at that profile. Drop one speed step or raise the voltage slightly within spec.
Memory is ruled out. Test the storage with the SMART values and run a GPU stress test.
Four passes on 32 GB take several hours. Plan a night.
It is quick and finds gross errors. For marginal ones, use MemTest86.
Nothing on the PC is changed - the test runs from the stick. Format the stick in Disk Management to use it for files again.
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