The easiest way I have found to remember scales/patterns is by using this trick that Richard Lloyd wrote for Guitar World once.

Here's a video I made detailing this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uOMcs_fO38&feature=channel

Pt. 2 of video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkY3vKb1X-I

Basically there are 3 finger patterns, Ring, Stretch, and Middle.

You can see this in the A Minor scale.

Start with A on the 5th fret of the low E.

It's 5-7-8, or ABC. This is the ringfinger pattern, because it is most easily played with first, ring, and pinky fingers.

This position is played twice.

So it's 5-7-8 low E, 5-7-8 A string. Or ABC, DEF.

Now it's 5-7-9 on the D string, or GAB
then 5-7-9 on the G string, or CDE

This we shall call the 'Stretch' pattern because it has a bit of a stretch to it.

It is played 3 times total, as you will see because the next string, the B string is:

6-8-10. Or FGA Notice we moved up a fret here. ALWAYS Move up on the B string by one fret, if you are doing the patterns for scales this way.

So far we have:
Ringfinger pos. X 2
Stretch pos. X 3

Now we will have: Middle position times 2. So called because it is easily played by using first finger, middle finger, then pinky
because it's 7-8-10 on the high E string. Or BCD
Notice we moved up a fret here. ALWAYS move up a fret when going from Stretch position to middle finger position.

So we now have played through all six strings, ending with a middle finger position on the high E string. Where do we go from here?

Now we go to the 7th fret on the low E string, or 'B' note. This is going ot be the 2nd pos. for the A minor Scale.

So remember I said it was Middle finger X 2? Well you don't actually count the high E for purposes of counting patterns, so we are going to play the middle pos. twice here.

Or, 7-8-10 on low E string, BCD
7-8-10 on A str., EFG

Then it's back to Ringfinger pos. 7-9-10 on D string, or ABC
7-9-10 on G str., or DEF

So it's always:
RINGFINGER X2
STRETCH X 2
MIDDLE X 2

Just repeating over and over again as you move up the neck, remembering to:
* Move up a fret on the B String
* Move up a fret when switching from Stretch to Middle Position
* Do not count the E string

I know, sort of a lot of info. But if you get this you can do it for any of the 'basic' scales/modes in major keys.

those videos again:
Here's a video I made detailing this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uOMcs_fO38&feature=channel

Pt. 2 of video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkY3vKb1X-I