VIDEO How to ask for help with a BSOD problem

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Captain Jack

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If you wish someone to assist you with BSOD this is the procedure:

Download, extract and run the W7F Diagnostic Tool by right clicking on the W7F Diagnostic Tool executable and choosing Run as administrator . Click on Grab All . When done, go to your desktop --> Right Click on "W7F_folder --> Send To --> Compressed (zipped) folder. Attach the zipped folder with your post when asking for BSOD help.

Download: View attachment W7F Diagnostic Tool.zip

Link Removed due to 404 Error

We please ask that you do ZIP or RAR the file, thus reducing its size, as this will help solve your problem and reduce overall disk consumption on our servers. For help using file compression, please watch this video:

​
Important! Every thread starter please see. Please download and run CPU-Z from this link CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting
We would like to see screen shots or a single image that includes All The Tabs in CPU-z including All Slots under the SPD Tab that are populated with memory sticks. Minimally the memory tab and all Slots under the SPD Tab but all tabs would be appreciated. You can include them in the folder that the SF Diagnostic Tool creates for you on your desktop (before zipping) and after compressing the folder attach it to your next post by clicking reply, then go advanced and using the paper clip on the tool bar to browse, find the zipped folder and upload it here.

Click image to Enlarge


How to take a screenshot, Snipping Tool: Start Menu > Accessories > Snipping Tool Snipping Tool - Windows 7 features - Microsoft Windows Or press Alt-PrintScreen while CPU-Z window is running and active, and then paste it to MS Paint and save.

Also Download PassMark RAMMon and attach the HTML Report.

Note: Please start new thread when you ask help for you. Please don't post in others thread because it could cause confusion. We want to give individual attention to every poster to deliver the best technical support. And please do not attach your dump files individually (unless there is only one). Put all information you intend to attach into one folder, compress that folder and attach it as per the instructions above.
Hope this helps, Captain
 
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Solution
If you don't find any .dmp files please make sure you have set everything here -
to setup minidumps and stop the auto restart ...............
  1. Go to Start and type in sysdm.cpl and press Enter
  2. Click on the Advanced tab
  3. Click on the Startup and Recovery Settings button
  4. Ensure that Automatically restart is unchecked
  5. Under the Write Debugging Information header select Small memory dump (256 kB) in the dropdown box
  6. Ensure that the Small Dump Directory is listed as %systemroot%\Minidump << where your .dmp files can be found later
  7. Click OK twice to exit the dialogs, then reboot for the changes to take effect.
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If you don't find any .dmp files please make sure you have set everything here -
to setup minidumps and stop the auto restart ...............
  1. Go to Start and type in sysdm.cpl and press Enter
  2. Click on the Advanced tab
  3. Click on the Startup and Recovery Settings button
  4. Ensure that Automatically restart is unchecked
  5. Under the Write Debugging Information header select Small memory dump (256 kB) in the dropdown box
  6. Ensure that the Small Dump Directory is listed as %systemroot%\Minidump << where your .dmp files can be found later
  7. Click OK twice to exit the dialogs, then reboot for the changes to take effect.
 
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Solution
also posting as much basic information about your system such as your motherboard , cpu , and ram make and model , system or laptop name and your antivirus and or third party firewall will help getting your problem resolved
 
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Hey Captain! I decided to rejoin the forum to help out with bsod analysis and solutions. Perhaps the mods can create a new section for this as they wanted to do near last Christmas. It's be cool. Catch ya around bro.
 
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TorrentG said:
Hey Captain! I decided to rejoin the forum to help out with bsod analysis and solutions. Perhaps the mods can create a new section for this as they wanted to do near last Christmas. It's be cool. Catch ya around bro.
Click to expand...


Good to see you here mate !! Well i think its a good idea to create a sub forum for BSOD threads. Well the decision is up to them

- Captain
 
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Hello Folks,

Always the more information we have the more easy to fix BSOD issues. So to collect more information i have created a Tool "SF Diagnostic Tool" This will collect information required to Analysis Blue Screen of Death and other troubleshooting purpose. This Tool will correct MiniDump, Event Log entries for Application and System Logs, System Information and Driver List

Here is the Link to download the application SF Diagnostic Tool - Using for Troubleshooting - Windows 7 Forums

Hope this helps,
Captain
 
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First post: just checked and my directory lists as: %systemroot%\MEMORY.DMP - and am unable to find them from c:\ or c:\WINDOWS - any suggestions? Many thanks in advance
 
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Hi. Yes...

First, make sure you're using an official Microsoft version of Windows and not any torrented or "found" copies. Many of these have the crash dumps disabled by the ripping/sharing groups.

If you are good in this aspect, then follow Captain Jack's post from here:

Enabling dump files - Windows 7 Forums

---


The actual location of minidump files will be at C:\Windows\Minidump folder if you haven't checked there yet.

or

%systemroot%\Minidump
 
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Beti Ryan said:
First post: just checked and my directory lists as: %systemroot%\MEMORY.DMP - and am unable to find them from c:\ or c:\WINDOWS - any suggestions? Many thanks in advance
Click to expand...

also check settings Link Removed and that your swop file is on the same drive as your OS ?
 
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Many people believe that the swap needs to be on the same drive. That's not accurate though.

I have mine on my G drive which is a SATA II Caviar Black 1TB drive, attached to a controller card.

My OS (system and boot) drive is D, which is attached to the motherboard and is a WD 400 GB drive.

My pc creates minidumps fine....well up until a week a go when I stopped having them after I helped MOTU repair something in the driver for my Traveler professional audio interface.
(I would get bsod for years every few days showing MOTUfwa.sys)

Now it's all smooth sailing since they repaired the errors I've shown them in dumps.
 
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In specific cases with certain .dmp's created under certain conditions it can be a problem depending on which component or driver is failing and needs to be accessed

Until we know why .dmp files aren't being produced your observations may not be helpful in this case
 
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How's this for an observation?

From her post - "%systemroot%\MEMORY.DMP"

Do you see anything there about why she couldn't find the minidumps in the minidump folder?

Simple fact is that as long as there is a page/swap file setup and being used on the system anywhere, that is all that is needed in regards to the actual page file, for the system being able to produce crash dumps.

I tried to be nice about it in my last reply. Now I'm just being factual is all.
 
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`

Hi -

For Kernel memory dumps to be produced. . .

- Page file must be on OS drive (see kb307973 below)
- Page file base allocation size must be > than installed physical RAM
- Windows Error Reporting (WER) system service should be set to MANUAL
- Set page file to system managed, OS drive

Set System Crash/ Recovery Settings to "Kernel Memory Dump" - this will produce. . .
--> a Full Kernel Memory Dump - c:\windows\memory.dmp
--> a Mini Kernel dump c:\windows\minidump

The Full Kernel is overwritten each BSOD; a new mini kernel dump is created w/ different name for each BSOD

To check your system's "Recoveros" (Recovery) and Page File settings via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), download the EXE file - save to Desktop. RIGHT-click on EXE icon, select "Run as Administrator".

Link Removed

IE 8 screen will open with the results.

For additional information, please see kb307973 --> Link Removed

If no dump files are produced, the reason may be due to catastrophic hardware failure. The system would come down so fast in which case Windows 7 will do all possible to save itself and therefore may not have the time to produce a kernel memory dump - mini or full. The Event Viewer logs or WERCON would be a good source to verify that a BSOD has in fact occurred.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.
 
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Hey JC...glad to see ya around man.

Those things are what Microsoft says, sure. They still aren't all absolutely true.


- Page file must be on OS drive (see kb307973 below) -

Must be is wrong. My system is proof.

- Windows Error Reporting (WER) system service should be set to MANUAL

Should be - alright, I can accept this because should be does not = must.
I have the service disabled, which basically means not necessary whatsoever.

As I said, my system produces minidumps well.
Anyhow, it'd be great seeing ya in a few of the bsod thread if you have the time, around here. I know you're busy though. Again, good seeing ya around.



 

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Hi TG -

Good to see you too.

Please run the WMI app and see what it says.

Here is the output from my Windows 7 x64 system -->

Link Removed

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.
 
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Sure,

I ran the wmic recoveros command but I can't seem to figure out how to make it dump to a log. The results are all out of order and such, currently...where you can't really make much sense of it.

How did you get it into the chart as in your link?
 
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I used the EXE app in post #14 --> Link Removed
Link Removed
​
Download & save to Documents. RIGHT-click on EXE app, select "Run as Administrator"

An IE8 screen will open with results.

Regards. . .

jcgriff2

.
 
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Hello,

I believe there is a some registry key method where we will create a Registry value and when it hangs / Freezes we have press Ctrl + scroll lock (2 times) but not sure where to add those values. Maybe John is aware of that method.

- Captain
 
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Code:
I don't have a host to serve the html page. I also don't want my machine name made public for security reasons. So I took a screenshot and quickly edited the machine name out. Here it is:
 

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