Windows 7 DMP files. How to open? Can ordinary users learn anything from them? Other crash log files?

[highmeadowhiker]

I got no hits searching in this forum for the term "DMP"
A certain program -- Roxio VideoWave12 -- is associated with several dumps located in . . . \Appdata\Local\CrashDumps. They have names, e.g., VideoWave12.exe.2300.dmp , and are from 18+ to 20+ million bytes in size. I Googled on "dmp" and found many sites that want me to buy their utility. I have no reason at this time to trust that any of these utilities will do me much good. Formerly a professional computer programmer, I know how extremely hard it is to debug a program from a core dump. But perhaps very useful information can be extracted from a DMP file if it can be interpreted properly, with appropriate help from some utility program. As I cannot at this time open files with "dmp" extensions, I know nothing about the subject line of my posting. I do not even know if it is the Roxio program, or the Windows system, that creates the dmp file.

I see a post that refers to BSOD. I am not getting BSOD. The Roxio program screen goes all grayed out, and a small window pops up stating that VideoWave12 has stopped working, and Windows is searching for a solution. None is ever found. perfmon /rel logs all these crashes, and affirms no solutions found.

Perhaps there are other crash log files that will tell me something. If so, what and where are they?

Would it be worth it to buy some utility to open and to understand the DMP files that I am getting?

 

[kemical]

This app is free and easy to use: Link Removed - Not Found

The actual MS debugger can be found here: How to read the small memory dump files that Windows creates for debugging

Dump files can 'usually' give you the culprit of the BSOD as well as driver related information and should not be dismissed when debugging your system..

As your not actually getting any blue screens then the above doesn't really apply..

Have you checked the roxio forum? If not you can find it here: http://forums.support.roxio.com/?

Also are your drivers the latest versions?

 

[Elmer]

Resplendance software has a free version of its WhoCrashed program. It won't turn you into a crash dump expert but it puts the dump file in legible English and at least gives you an inkling as to what is happening.

Lets say its a halfway house to seeking expert help through the forum.

 

[highmeadowhiker]

I did go to Resplendance, and installed WhoCrashed. It may be programmed for a slightly different situation, as it found no applicable dump files. Here is what I got:

Analysis
Crash dump directory: C:\Windows\Minidump

Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.

No valid crash dumps have been found on your computer

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I am sending this reply right away. You may have other suggestions. In the meantime, I will try a subterfuge: copy the 876KB file that is in the CrashDumps folder to the folder where WhoCrashed expects to find it, renaming it as might be appropriate.

So I will report back on my attempt, but still hope for more suggestions.

 

[TorrentG]

To answer the thread question about ordinary users, the simple answer is no.

It is extremely rare for the culprit to be shown in broad view, even with WinDbg.

It takes expert analysis and knowledge to be able to figure what may the actual probelm at hand.

To ensure that minidump files are created upon a crash, the page file must be active and not previously disabled.

You're welcome to post any crashes should they happen on your system. Good luck.

Other than that, a program creating a crash dump is very much different than Windows creating one...they are far from the same thing.

 

[highmeadowhiker]

"WhoCrashed" had me download WinDbg, and it is now installed. I tried the trick of copying the short DMP file to the Minidump folder. It did not work.

Analysis Crash dump directory: C:\Windows\Minidump
Crash dumps are enabled on your computer.
The following dump files were found but could not be read. These files may be corrupt:
C:\Windows\Minidump\VideoWave.dmp
No valid crash dumps have been found on your computer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So either I somehow corrupted that particular dmp file, or it never was in a format recognized by WhoCrashed.

I still hope for suggestions on how I might get some information from the dump files that I have accumulated in a folder named CrashDumps.

 

[kemical]

This page explains the procedure as well as containing links: How to read the small memory dump files that Windows creates for debugging