Memory errors = reinstall Windows?

[Billy777]

Hello,
New build, installed the OS then ran Memtest86. Memtest showed many errors. Windows 7 seems to run normally, but should I trust that install or is it better to run the install again when I get the memory problem sorted out?

 

[InvalidError]

I would reinstall.

I had a single intermittent bit in one of my DIMMs a few years ago that silently corrupted files over a few days. At first it was only a weird slowdown which I shrugged off as Windows needing a reinstall due to odd problem with my RAM upgrade, then applications started occasionally complaining about corrupted files, random crashes, application failing to start until Windows eventually quit booting.

Since there is no way to know how the bad bit(s) will affect the system, re-installing would be the safest option on a system that may end up in an unknown and possibly heavily corrupted state.