Debugging a DUMP file in XP

[bcastner]

First step, you need to enable XP to create DUMP files when a system error or BSOD error occurs. Microsoft explains the settings required here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314103

Second step is to download and install, to their default locations, the XP Symbol package and the XP Debugging tools:

[li]Symbols:[/li]

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/DevTools/Debugging/symbolpkg.mspx

[li]Debugging Tools - Current Release:[/li]

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/installx86.mspx

Third step (highly recommended): Download MS-MVP and creator of WindowsBBS site Arie Slob's little debug wrapper application DebugWiz:

http://windowsbbs.com/debugwiz.zip

Unzip and move to \Windows\System32

Now the next time a critical error or BSOD occurs, a DUMP file will be created.

[li]A critical program error occurs: The DUMP file will be found in \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Dr Watson\user.dmp[/li]

[li]For BSOD errors the DUMP file will be found at C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\MEMORY.DMP (mini-model setting) or be found for large model settings at C:\MEMORY.DMP[/li]

What to do when a DUMP file is created:

Start, Run, CMD
dumpwiz

Browse using the tool to your dump file.
Click 'Generate Log'
Exit

Your debugging log can be found and opened in Notepad at the location C:\debuglog.txt

Resources:
[li]Help and training resources:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/resources.mspx

[/li]
[li]Debugging Tool Documentation:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d..._f1cd9633-734a-49e5-8eac-bd37897fd80a.xml.asp

[/li]

My thanks to Arie and the other good folks at WindowsBBS:

http://www.windowsbbs.com/

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Users Helping Users