How to Gather Information After a Memory Dump in Windows XP

You can use the Windows Debugging Tool to troubleshoot computer issues from a memory dump file.

When your Windows XP computer is experiencing issues, it will often generate debugging information in the form of a memory dump file. This is especially true when your computer has suffered from what is known as the "Blue Screen of Death". The memory dump file includes cryptic information on how to troubleshoot the issues that your computer is having. You will need to install the Windows Debugging Tool before you can gather the information from the memory dump.

Instructions

1. Go to the Microsoft website to download and install the Windows Debugging Tool (see Resources). Choose the correct version of the tool: 32- or 64-bit.

2. Click "Start" and choose "All Programs".

3. Locate the "Debugging Tools for Windows" folder.

4. Double-click the "WinDBG" icon to launch the debugging tool.

5. Click "File" and choose "Symbol File Path". A window with a text box will open.

6. Type "SRV*c:\symbols*http://msdl.microsoft.com/download/symbols" in the text box and press the "OK" button.

7. Close the WinDBG tool and click "Yes" when the tool prompts you to save the workspace.

8. Launch the WinDBG tool from the "Start" menu again. It should now be ready to debug your memory dump.

9. Click "File" and choose "Open Crash Dump" from the drop-down menu.

10. Browse to find the folder where your memory dump file is saved, click on it and press the "Open" button. Memory dumps are saved in the "C:\WINDOWS\" folder by default.

11. Click the "! analyze -v" link under "Bugcheck Analysis".

12. Allow the debugger to analyze the memory dump. It will gather information from the memory dump and provide troubleshooting feedback on the screen.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to read the small memory dump files that Windows creates for debugging

Resources

• Windows: Download and Install Debugging Tools for Windows