If your Windows 11 PC frequently blue-screens with memory-related errors (such as PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA or MEMORY_MANAGEMENT), or if your applications randomly crash without warning, one of the physical RAM sticks inside your computer is likely failing. Because Windows relies on RAM to run the operating system itself, you cannot perform a deep hardware diagnostic while the OS is fully booted.
To safely test the physical memory chips, you must use the built-in Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. This tool runs outside of the graphical desktop environment. Rather than downloading third-party bootable USB drives, you can use a simple Windows utility to manually schedule a deep hardware scan that will automatically run the next time your computer restarts.
How to Manually Force a Windows 11 Memory Diagnostic on Next Reboot
You must use the built-in mdsched tool to arm the diagnostic scan before restarting.
- Click the Start button, type Windows Memory Diagnostic, and press Enter to launch the app.
- A small dialog box will appear on your screen with two options.
- If you want to immediately drop whatever you are doing and restart your PC right now, click Restart now and check for problems (recommended).
- If you are currently working on a document and want the diagnostic to run automatically the next time you turn your computer on, click Check for problems the next time I start my computer.
What Happens Next:
When your computer restarts, it will bypass the normal Windows 11 lock screen. Instead, you will see a solid blue screen with a progress bar indicating that the memory test is running. The diagnostic aggressively writes unique patterns of data directly to your physical RAM sticks and attempts to read them back. If it detects a flipped bit or a read failure, it will log the hardware error.
The test typically takes between 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how much RAM you have installed. Once the test reaches 100%, your PC will automatically reboot into Windows 11 normally. After logging in, wait a few minutes, and a notification pop-up will appear in the bottom-right corner of your screen revealing the final results of the physical hardware test.