Windows 7 BSOD - first time, but cannot access dmp file

[JoeyTech]

Made an account just for this.

I randomly got a BSOD while my computer was on, but I was not using.
I restarted the computer (as prompted) and attempted to access the dmp file; however, upon doing so, I am told that access is denied and I do not have permission to retrieve the file.
I went into context menu -> properties to change ownership, but still cannot open the file.
From what I understand this is a security feature of Win7, but I cannot figure out how to get around it.

I am not computer-savvy and need to be walked through this like I am 5.
I am a student at the end of a busy semester and and dawn of my final and busiest semester, so I really need my computer in top shape

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Is it ridiculous to jump to the conclusion this is an effect of malware or another virus? I am running a full scan on my computer right now

 

[Trouble]

Hello and welcome to the forums.
First make sure your machine is configured properly to facilitate the collection of .dmp files.

Go to Start and type in sysdm.cpl and press Enter
Click on the Advanced tab
Click on the Startup and Recovery Settings button
Ensure that Automatically restart is unchecked
Under the Write Debugging Information header select Small memory dump (256 kB) in the dropdown box
Ensure that the Small Dump Directory is listed as %systemroot%\Minidump << where your .dmp files can be
found later.
Click OK twice to exit the dialogs, then reboot for the changes to take effect.

Then……Please read the first post in this sticky thread here Link Removed
Do your best to accumulate the data required.
Run the SF Diagnostic tool (download and right click the executable and choose run as administrator)
Download and run CPUz. Use the Windows snipping tool to gather images from all tabs including all slots populated with memory under the SPD tab.Likewise RAMMon. Export the html report, put everything into a desktop folder that you've created for this purpose, zip it up and attach it to your next post (right click it and choose send to, compressed (zipped) folder.