How To Find Minidump Files

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This wikiHow teaches you how to analyze your Windows computer'southward dump files later a crash. Dump files, which are automatically created past Windows after your computer crashes, display a list of programs that were running earlier the crash; this tin can assistance you determine which programs are responsible for the crash. If y'all're anticipating another crash or you want to test a program, you tin apply a gratuitous program chosen BlueScreenView to analyze your dump files. You can also employ the gratis Windows x Drivers Kit to open dump files from a past crash.

1

Open Offset . Click the Windows logo in the lesser-left corner of the screen.
2

Blazon in view advanced organisation settings. This will search your computer for the Advanced Organisation Settings section of Control Panel.

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Click View advanced system settings . It's a computer monitor with a checkmark icon at the height of the Outset menu. Doing then opens the Advanced Organisation Settings window.
4
Click the Advanced tab. You'll encounter this at the tiptop of the window.
- You may start accept to click the computer monitor-shaped icon that appears at the bottom of the screen to open up the Advanced Arrangement Settings window.
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Click Settings . Information technology's below the "Startup and Recovery" heading near the bottom of the page. Doing this will open a separate window.
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Click the "Write debugging information" drop-downward box. You'll find this box in the middle of the separate window. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu.
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Click Small memory dump . It's in the drop-downwards menu. This choice makes future retention dumps readable with a simple file explorer such as BlueScreenView.

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Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general estimator repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is as well the host of the Computer Man Testify! broadcasted on KSQD covering key California for over 2 years.

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A retentiveness dump file is a file that's taken from RAM. RAM has a number of resource allotment tables—or buckets—inside. A retentiveness dump file is an entire download of whatever was within that file when a catastrophic failure happened, and it goes into a log then an engineer or a software professional can look at it and see where the disharmonize happened.
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Click OK . It's at the bottom of the window. This will close the window and return you lot to the Avant-garde System Settings window.
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Click OK . Doing so saves your changes and closes the Avant-garde System Settings window.
ten

Open the BlueScreenView folio. Go to https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html in your browser. BlueScreenView is a program that finds and analyzes dump files for you lot, making information technology easy to see which programs were running directly before a crash.
11

Download BlueScreenView. Ringlet down and click the Download BlueScreenView with full install/uninstall support link that's nigh the middle of the page.
12

Open the BlueScreenView setup file. Double-click the bluescreenview_setup file in your computer'due south "Downloads" location.
13
Install BlueScreenView. To practise and so:
- Click Yes when prompted.
- Click Next
- Click Next
- Click Install
- Wait for BlueScreenView to install.
14

Open BlueScreenView. Make sure that the "Run NirSoft BlueScreenView" box is checked, so click End at the bottom of the window. BlueScreenView will open.
15
Review your dump files. BlueScreenView has a pinnacle pane and a lesser pane; y'all'll run across the dump file(south) listed in the top pane, while the programs that were recorded by the currently selected dump file will appear in the bottom pane.
- You lot can select a dump file past clicking it in the top pane.
- At least ane of the programs that were recorded by the dump file is almost probable responsible for the crash.
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ii

Download the Windows Drivers Kit setup file. Scroll downwardly and click the Download WDK for Windows 10, version 1803 link, which is below the "Install WDK for Windows 10" heading nearly the top of the page. The setup file will download onto your computer.
3

Open the WDK setup file. Double-click the wdksetup file in your computer's default "Downloads" folder.
iv
Install the Windows ten Drivers Kit. To do and then:
- Click Next on the first 4 pages.
- Click Have
- Click Yes when prompted.
- Await for the WDK program to finish installing.
5

Open Start . Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
6

Blazon in command prompt. This will search your computer for the Command Prompt app.
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Correct-click Command Prompt. It'south a black box at the pinnacle of the Commencement window. A driblet-down menu will appear.
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Click Run equally administrator . This choice is in the drop-down menu.
- Y'all won't be able to consummate this pace if you lot're not on an administrator account on your computer.
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Click Yep when prompted. Doing so opens the Command Prompt app in ambassador way.
10
Switch to the WDK directory. Blazon in the following accost so press ↵ Enter :
- cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Debuggers\x86
11

Enter the installation control. Type in windbg.exe -IA and then press ↵ Enter .
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Click OK when prompted. This signifies that the Windows Debugger will now open dump files automatically.
thirteen

Open WinDBG. Click Start

, type in windbg, and click WinDbg (X86) in the results. The Windows Debugger programme will open up.
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Add a symbol path. The symbol path tells the Windows Debugger which information to display:^[1]
- Click File in the upper-left corner.
- Click Symbol File Path...
- Type in SRV*C:\SymCache*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols
- Click OK
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Observe your dump file. To exercise this, you'll need to go to the organization root binder:
- Open up Start
- Type in run and press ↵ Enter
- Type in %SystemRoot%
- Click OK
- Click the View tab.
- Bank check the "Hidden items" box if it isn't already checked.
- Scroll downwardly and double-click the MEMORY.DMP file.
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Review the dump file'due south results. You should meet a list of programs that were open when your computer crashed, which will help you determine which program(southward) is/are responsible for the reckoner crash.

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Add New Question

Question

What is a JSON file, and how do I view it?

A JSON file contains JavaScript Object Notation. You tin view the file in any text editor.
Question

Am I supposed to install visual studies as well when I want to read dump files?

No, visual studio is another type of software that won't help y'all in that case. It is used for programming.
Question

What exercise I do if I become errors when reading dump file?

Edit the files and go to properties, security and add together Anybody as Read. You can then see the file.
Question

I can't open the retentiveness dump because admission is denied. What should I practice?

You can re-create it from it's original location to the dekstop, from where you can open up information technology freely.

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BlueScreenView is perfect for testing different programs (e.g., opening a program and waiting to see if your computer crashes), every bit it can exist opened quickly and takes only a few seconds to install.

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Computer crashes—especially ones of the blueish screen of expiry variety—can be acquired past annihilation from a malfunctioning app to a cleaved processor. Equally such, being able to read the dump files doesn't necessarily guarantee that you'll be able to diagnose your computer's crashing.

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About This Article

Commodity Summary Ten

1. Type "advanced organisation settings" into the Windows search bar.
2. Click View advanced system settings.
iii. Click Avant-garde.
4. Click Settings nether "Startup and Recovery".
5. Select "Minor memory dump" from the drop-down.
vi. Click OK twice.
7. Install BlueScreenView.
8. Open up BlueScreenView to find the dump.