Memory dump troubleshooting

 

There are several reasons why the Memory.dmp file is not being created when your computer encounters a STOP message:

• The Memory.dmp file already exists and the option Overwrite Any Existing File (found in Control Panel System) is not selected. It is a good idea to leave this box checked and to move or copy the current Memory.dmp file.
• The paging file on the boot drive is not large enough. To use the "Write Debugging Information To" feature to obtain a complete memory dump file, the paging file on the boot drive must be at least as large as physical memory + 1 MB. When you create a kernel memory dump file, the file is usually around one-third the size of the physical memory on the system. Of course, this quantity will vary, depending on your circumstances.
• The paging file is not on the %systemroot% partition. When the STOP error occurs, the system crash dump is written out to the pagefile on the root of the %systemroot% drive.
• There is not room for the Memory.dmp file in the path specified in Control Panel for writing the memory dump.
• It is possible that the SCSI controller is bad or the system crash is caused by a bad SCSI controller board.
• If you specify a non-existent path, a dump file will not be written. For example, if you specify the path as C:\Dumpfiles\Memory.dmp and no C:\Dumpfiles folder exists, a dump file will not be written.

Minimum requirement enable a complete memory dump on a computer that has more than 2 GB of RAM:

 

 

Important We recommend that you consider the following information before you enable a complete memory dump on a computer that has more than 2 GB of RAM:

• It can take a substantial amount of time to create a complete memory dump on a computer with more than 2 GB of RAM. This can reduce overall system uptime.
• A complete memory dump on a computer with more than 2 GB of RAM requires a very large system partition because of the paging file size requirements. If you select this option, you must have a paging file on the boot volume that is sufficiently large to hold all the physical RAM plus 1 MB. The extra megabyte is required for a complete memory dump file because Windows writes a header in addition to dumping the memory contents. The header contains a crash dump signature and specifies the values of some kernel variables. The header information does not require a full megabyte of space, but Windows sizes your paging file in increments of megabytes.
• A complete memory dump file is rarely required. In most cases, a kernel memory dump is sufficient for analysis. Please consult your escalation channel before enabling the complete memory dump in a production environment.
• If your computer has more than 4 GB of RAM, you must configure the Boot.ini file to start the computer with the Physical Address Extension (/PAE) switch.
  
  

Complete Memory Dump option not avaliable in Windows Server 2003, Windows XP 64-bit Edition Version 2003, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Vista

The only options available under Write Debugging Information in the Startup and Recovery dialog box in System Properties are Small Memory Dump (64 KB) and Kernel Memory Dump. The Complete Memory Dump option is not available.

If you set the CrashDumpEnabled DWORD value to 1 in the registry to enable a complete memory dump on a computer that is running Windows XP, or Windows 2000, the memory dump may become corrupted when your computer stops unexpectedly.

 

To specify that you want to use a complete memory dump file by modifying the registry, set the CrashDumpEnabled DWORD value to 1. For example, type the following information at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

wmic recoveros set DebugInfoType = 1

To specify that you want to use the D:\Dump\Mem.dmp file as your memory dump file by modifying the registry, set the DumpFile expandable string value to D:\Dump\Mem.dmp. For example, type the following information at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

wmic recoveros set DebugFilePath = D:\Dump\Mem.dmp

To specify that you do not want to overwrite any previous kernel or complete memory dump files by modifying the registry, set the Overwrite DWORD value to 0. For example, type the following information at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

wmic recoveros set OverwriteExistingDebugFile = 0

Note The Write Debugging Information section of the Startup and Recovery dialog box in System Properties continues to list only Small Memory Dump (64 KB) and Kernel Memory Dump after you enable a complete memory dump by using these methods. The Complete Memory Dump option remains unavailable, and you must use the Windows registry to configure complete memory dump options.

 

More KB for Virtual Memory & Memory Dump :

 

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555223 => RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff
• http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/WindowsGeneralWeb/RAMVirtualMemoryPageFileEtc.htm  => Bruce Sanderson's General Windows Information - RAM, Virtual Memory, PageFile and all that stuff => Please Read This Article First!!

Size Limitations

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/192669 => Pagefile Set Incorrectly on Computers with >2049 MB RAM
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/197379 => Configuring Page Files for Optimization and Recovery
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/197776 => Pagefile Size Limited to 4,095 MB
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/237740 => How to Overcome 4,095-MB Paging File Size Limit in Windows
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/259151 => Paging File Functionality Requires System Account Permissions and Proper Size
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305905 => Hibernation Does Not Work on a Portable Computer After Windows XP Upgrade and RAM Increase

Optimization

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889654 => How to determine the appropriate page file size for 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/197379 => Configuring page files for optimization and recovery in Windows Server 2003, in Windows 2000, and in Windows NT
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314482 => How to Configure Paging Files for Optimization and Recovery in Windows XP
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/99768 => Optimizing Your Paging File (PAGEFILE.SYS)

Clearing Paging File at Shutdown or before SysPrep

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/182086 => How to Clear the Windows Paging File at Shutdown
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314834 => How to Clear the Windows Paging File at Shutdown
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320423 => Windows 2000 Shuts Down Slowly with "Clear Virtual Memory Pagefile When System Shuts Down" Setting
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892104 => How to automatically delete the paging file when you use the Sysprep.exe tool to create an image of Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255205 => How to Delete the Pagefile.sys File in Recovery Console
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/813138 => Description of the KeepPageFile= setting for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Error Message

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/140472 => PRB: Limited Virtual Memory Error When Starting Windows NT
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/241143 => Error Message: Limited Virtual Memory. Your System Is Running Without a Properly Sized Paging File
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257758 => FIX: "Limited Virtual Memory" Error Message When You Start Your Computer
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315270 => Error Message: Your System Has No Paging File, or the Paging File Is Too Small
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/812448 => "Limited Virtual Memory" Error Message When You Start Your Computer After You Install Or Remove a Hard Disk

Memory Dump

• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/130536 => Windows Does Not Save Memory Dump File After a Crash
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/141468 => Additional Pagefile Created Setting Up Memory Dump
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/173277 => No Memory.dmp File Created with RAM Above 1.7 GB
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/173817 => Savedump.exe Now Provides More Security to Memory.dmp
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/203052 => Poor Program and Service Performance During Crash Dump Transfer
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/228524 => New Crash Dump Options in Windows 2000 Reduce Memory.dmp Size
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244139 => Windows Feature Allows a Memory.dmp File to Be Generated with Keyboard
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/254649 => Windows 2000 Memory Dump Options Overview
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/274598 => Windows 2000 Does Not Enable Complete Memory Dumps Between 2 and 4 Gigabytes
• http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299515 => Crashdump Does Not Work on a Computer with More Than 4 Gigabytes of Memory