There are plenty of Windows-based systems diagnostics tools available, but for really thorough hardware burn-in and evaluation, something more low-level is required. AMI, previously best-known for BIOSes and motherboards, has recently released version 6.0 of its diagnostics package, called AMIDIAG. This is intended for system builders and power users who need accurate, low-level system information.
A DOS-based tool, AMIDIAG 6.0 can either be installed to the hard drive or run from a clean boot floppy, via a RAM disk. Either way, after the initial loading process has completed, the user is presented with an easy-to-follow menu screen showing all the main system components; memory, IDE, SCSI, video and so on. From these drop-down menus the user can select from a bewildering array of tests, which range from simple processor speed comparisons to PCI bus stress tests. Pretty much everything you can imagine is covered, from SCSI device tests to Zip and LS-120 drive tests. Sound and graphics cards, USB devices, multi-processor boards, SMBus, DVD-ROM drives, tape drives, modems, CardBus controllers, Network cards, APM, ACPI and DMI are all investigated by this powerful utility.
What is particularly useful is the way that AMIDIAG 6.0 allows the user to create test scripts. These can then be left to run on their own, either once only or many times, without user intervention. A report is generated at the end which can then be used either to confirm the system’s configuration or to highlight any potential errors. Furthermore, each main module of the program can be upgraded on an individual basis, which means that support for higher processor clock speeds can be added very quickly, without the need to upgrade the entire application.
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