RAM can and does fail, and sometimes, it can be difficult to troubleshoot, as the symptoms are rarely consistent. Sometimes, you may get memory errors, which is a clear indication that you should run a diagnostic scan on your machine. Other times, you won't see any errors at all but may be facing issues and not realize that your memory is bad until you rule out everything else. Thankfully, memory is quite easy to test. In fact, Linux Mint includes Memtest86, a popular memory-testing utility, built right into the installation media. After Mint is installed on your machine, the Memtest86 is installed as well and is available from Mint's GRUB menu.

To access the memory-testing utility from the live media, look for the screen after you boot from the disc that reads Automatic boot in X seconds..., and press any key on your keyboard before the number of seconds elapses. You'll see an option, Memory test, which will be the fourth option. The following screenshot shows Linux Mint...