How To Enable Windows XP to Capture a Complete or Kernel Memory Dump (316450)

SUMMARY

This article is intended for customers who want to enable their system to capture a complete memory dump or a kernel memory dump. You may want to store a complete memory dump or a kernel memory dump to analyze it or to provide it to Microsoft Product Support Services during a case.

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To Locate and Store the Complete Memory Dump or the Kernel Memory Dump

If your computer is already configured to record complete memory dumps or kernel memory dumps, locate the complete memory dump (.dmp) file, compress it to a .zip format, and store it where ever you like on your computer or removable media device. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Search.
2. Click All files and folders.
3. In the All or part of the file name box, type *.dmp.
4. In the Look in box, click the drive that contains your Windows folder. If you have configured Windows to write debugging information to a different drive, click this drive instead of your Windows drive.
5. Click More advanced options, and then make sure that the Search system folders check box is selected.
6. Click Search.
   Windows searches your drive for all .dmp files.
   
   Note A .dmp file is typically saved as Memory.dmp in your Windows folder. If you have configured Windows to write debugging information to a different file name, adjust the file name in the steps that follow accordingly. If you cannot locate a .dmp file by using these steps, follow the steps that are in the To Configure Your Computer for a Complete or Kernel Memory Dump section of this article.
7. Right-click the .dmp file in the Search Results dialog box, point to Send To, and then click Compressed (zipped) Folder.
   
   Note If you have a third-party file compression program installed, you may be prompted to designate Compressed (zipped) Folders as the program that you want to use to open .zip format files. Click No when you receive the following message:For Compressed (zipped) Folders to handle ZIP files correctly, the application associated with them must be Compressed (zipped) Folders. Currently this is not the case.
   
   Do you want to designate Compressed (zipped) Folders as the application for handling ZIP files?

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To Configure Your Computer for a Complete Memory Dump or for a Kernel Memory Dump

If you cannot locate a complete memory dump file or a complete kernel memory dump file, you can configure your computer to record them by generating an event report. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type control sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
3. On the Advanced tab, in the Startup and Recovery section, click Settings.
4. In the Write debugging information list, click Complete memory dump or click Kernel memory dump, and then click OK.
5. Click OK to close the System Properties dialog box.
6. In the System Settings Change dialog box, click Yes if you want to restart your computer now. Click No if you want to restart your computer later.

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