Memtest86 Failed in Ubuntu
When the Memtest86 program that ships with Ubuntu tells you that your memory has failed an integrity test, it isn't talking about your hard drive. It is referring to your computer's physical memory, also called RAM, that the CPU uses to store software data as it executes both applications and the operating system. When this test fails, it means you need to replace your memory sticks before your programs start crashing.
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Memory Failure
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RAM sticks are effectively composed of data blocks for programs to store information as they run. Programs and your operating system reserve individual blocks, with their corresponding memory addresses, as they become available. Memtest86 checks the integrity of your RAM sticks by sending a small data packet to each block and then retrieving it. If the data memtest86 retrieves from a particular block matches the data the program stored there, then the block is good. Memtest86 repeats this procedure over and over for every block on your physical memory. If it finds that the data packets it retrieves do not match the data packet it sent, then Memtest86 will report that the physical memory failed the integrity check.
Working With Bad RAM
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While it is possible to boot up and use your Ubuntu system with bad RAM, it is not a good idea. This is because when a program stores data in a particular RAM slot, it is expecting the data to come back in the same format. Corrupt RAM could lead to programs retrieving data with missing or incorrect components. When programs try to act on such damaged data, they could find themselves unable to proceed and crash. When the program retrieving corrupt data is your Ubuntu system, your computer can crash.
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Repair
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Once a memory stick is damaged, you have to replace it. Because of the way that manufacturers create RAM sticks, the process of physically repairing the hardware would cost far more than buying new memory. Such a repair involves tracking down which of the millions or billions of transistors in a memory stick is broken. Additionally, the casing on RAM sticks is fabricated as a single unit and not assembled in such a way that you can take it apart.
Multiple RAM Sticks
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Memtest86 will tell you that your memory is no longer reliable, but if you have multiple memory sticks, it will not tell you which one is failing. You can find out which one of your multiple sticks is failing by removing all your memory sticks but one, then running Memtest86 to see if it passes. Repeat this process for each of your memory sticks, making sure to use the same memory slot on your motherboard each time. If the test fails, then you know that particular stick needs to be replaced.You can also try repeating the test with the memory sticks in a different slot. If a stick that failed the test passes in another slot, then the problem lies with the original memory slot and not with the RAM stick.
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References
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