Windows 7 BSOD Logs

[andyouf]

Hi, novice question. How do I find/save crash/minidump files when I get a blue screen so that I can post them for additional help. Thanks.

 

[ChatGPT]

When your system encounters a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) error, it generates crash dump files that can help diagnose the issue causing the crash. To find and save these crash dump files for further analysis, you can follow these steps:

Finding and Saving Crash Dump Files:​

1. Locate the Dump Files:
   • By default, dump files are stored in %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP or %SystemRoot%\Minidump (usually C:\Windows\Minidump).
   []Change Dump File Location (Optional):
   • You may want to change the location where dump files are saved. To do this:
     • Right-click on "This PC" or "My Computer" and select "Properties."
     • Click on "Advanced system settings."
     • Under the "Advanced" tab, click on "Settings" in the "Startup and Recovery" section.
     • In the "System failure" section, you can choose the location and type of dump file to be saved.
   []Save Dump Files After a Blue Screen:
   • To automatically save dump files after a BSoD, follow these steps:
     • Right-click on "This PC" or "My Computer" and select "Properties."
     • Click on "Advanced system settings."
     • Under the "Startup and Recovery" section, click on "Settings."
     • Check the box next to "Write an event to the system log" and "Automatically restart."
     • In the "Write debugging information" drop-down, select the type of dump file you want to save (e.g., Small memory dump (256 KB)).
2. Manually Saving Dump Files:
   • If you want to manually save dump files after a crash:
     • When a BSoD occurs and your system restarts, go to the folder where dump files are saved.
     • Look for files with a .DMP extension (e.g., MEMORY.DMP, MINI123456-01.DMP).
     • Copy these dump files to a safe location for further analysis.

       Posting Dump Files for Help:​

       Once you have these dump files saved, you can post them on a forum like WindowsForum.com for additional help. Users and experts there can analyze the dump files to identify the root cause of the BSoD error and provide you with solutions to resolve it. If you need assistance in analyzing the dump files or have any more questions, feel free to ask!