No BSOD dump files

[DonH]

ARGH!! Win7 sometimes makes me feel like such a NOOB! I've read and re-read every post in the How to. Unfortunately many of the writers are not referencing Win7. Links go to XP references. File locations sound more like XP than even Vista and certainly not Win7. Control panel references for enabling dumps do not correlate to any Win7 views.

I've run SF Diagnostic Tool v2.02 and it finds 0 files.

I have been having a number of hangs and BSOD's and need to go beyond the event logs to figure out the cause.

 

[Tews]

Do you have a minidump folder... if not, create one... c:/windows/minidump

 

[DonH]

Thanks Tews,
I did not have a minidump folder. I was searching the forums to find out where to look to make sure that dumps had not been disabled. My frustration was that the instructions that I did find all were taken from XP. I could find them in XP, but the file structure and control panel is very different in Win7. Only by reading every post did I finally find instructions that actually correlated to Win7 and not recycled from an earlier OS.

I enabled mini dumps, so I should be ready when I crash again.

There was a post in the "How To" suggesting that an actual How To be created for those saying they had no dumps. I absolutely agree. I'm far from a noobie. I'm used to troubleshooting. I come to Windows 7 Forums to figure out what has changed that is frustrating my attempts to do something that I used to do without thinking.

 

[Tews]

I know how you feel! Sometimes, it takes takes a little getting used to..

 

[zigzag3143]

ARGH!! Win7 sometimes makes me feel like such a NOOB! I've read and re-read every post in the How to. Unfortunately many of the writers are not referencing Win7. Links go to XP references. File locations sound more like XP than even Vista and certainly not Win7. Control panel references for enabling dumps do not correlate to any Win7 views.

I've run SF Diagnostic Tool v2.02 and it finds 0 files.

I have been having a number of hangs and BSOD's and need to go beyond the event logs to figure out the cause.

what exactly are the symptoms?

 

[l02turner]

BSOD Dump File Lcations?

Since installing W7 I have been having frequent BSODs (like every 2-3 minutes - I was trying to follow the instructions for requesting help with BSOD's but unfortunately the screen comes & goes so fast I cannot read the file locations for the DUMP File Locations!

I have removed all peripherals - only the mouse, kybd and screen remain - and it STILL dies! I changed Memory, changed HDs, disconnected the CD/DVD drive, the 3.5" drive and removed SW - still getting BSoD's.

I've tried to search for the Dump File but end up with another BSOD before I find anything. So I am unable to follow the insturctions for requesting help with BSODs - wish I could do as you ask...

I put another HD in loaded with XP and started having even more problems - the system no longer recognizes the 3.5" or CD/DVD Drive so the HDD is the only possibility to boot from - but it cannot find the files - then sometimes it finds them and boots normally for a little while then i get another BSOD. Sometimes it doesn't recognze the HDD - says there are no boot devices (I reattached the 3.5" and CD/DVD drives)

I'm ready to throw away my desktop and buy another! But I'll give you guys a chance.

I never had ANY problems with XP - it all started wth W7. I am very frustrated with Win7 - no or poor drivers for my photo quality HP printer, no driver for a quality scanner from Epson - did MS ask if other companies would support the new OS?!

Maybe I'l go with a Apple after 30+ years with MS systems. Vista was crap, W7 is only marginally better.... I feel I'm just throwing money away.

Not a happy camper in MS land...

Larry

 

[cluberti]

Vista was only crap if you didn't have drivers, and Windows 7 isn't going to be better. Microsoft doesn't make drivers, nor can they force hardware vendors to make new ones for older (or even not-so-old) equipment for newer OSes. The driver model from XP to Vista changed for stability reasons, and the driver model is better - it does, however, mean that XP drivers (in general) don't work on Vista or Windows 7, and vice-versa. Going to Apple won't help you when Apple decides 3 years after they release an OS that they won't provide you an upgrade option or support you, so moving from Microsoft to Apple for support reasons is a bad idea.

If you're having stability issues with Win7, it's probably not Windows 7's fault at this point. BSODs mean either bad drivers or bad hardware, and the fact that you put in an XP drive and had other problems would also indicate this.

I wish you luck, but blaming Microsoft for driver or hardware problems is misguided anger, although if you want to go with an Apple OS and hardware combination isn't a bad thing if you so choose. However, if you're interested, I'd suggest starting making sure the hardware itself is going to be stable first, then we can move onto testing Windows if the hardware passes a memory, CPU, and video stress test (see tutorials). If you're using known-good RAM with a known-good HDD and video card from another machine, then it could be the CPU or motherboard. If you can get access to the Windows 7 HDD offline, you can look in \Windows or \Windows\minidump for dump files.

 

[l02turner]

Thank you - was irritated at everything involving computers after spending a week on this and the problem only gets worse and symptoms change. I was using 2 machines, 3 sets of memory sticks, 3 HDDs, 2 Mobo's and PS's. I do have problems with W7 functionality but that's another topic.

I can put the HDD in a enclosure - where are the dump files located?

thx agn
Larry

 

[fimble]

Standard answer follows, hope it helps a bit.

To ensure minidumps are enabled:
Go to Start, in the Search Box type: sysdm.cpl, press Enter.
Under 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 (the 256kb varies).
Ensure that the Small Dump Directory is listed as %systemroot%\Minidump.
OK your way out.
Reboot if changes have been made.

The .dmp files are located at C:\Windows\Minidump. Until a .dmp file is generated, the Minidump folder may not exist.

Go to your C:\Windows\Minidump folder. Copy the .dmp files to a new folder on your desktop. Zip up that folder and attach to a post.

Just to be on the safe side, seeing as you are BSOD'ing fairly regularly: Download TDSSKiller and run it in Safe Mode to rule out a pretty recent RootKit that's doing the rounds..

 

[cluberti]

Agreed.

 

[TheAncient]

Still no dump file

Hi there,
I too get BSODs on my machine and am not getting any dump files. I do have a minidump directory but it is empty. I double-checked the directions given by fimble earlier in this thread and everything appears to be set correctly i.e. automatic restart is disabled, debugging information is to be written as a "small memory dump (256KB)" and the dump is to be written to %SystemRoot%\MiniDump. Unfortunately, no dump is produced when the machine crashes. (I'll still have to fix the actual crash once I get a dump file but for now I'd like to concentrate on the original topic of this thread: ensuring that I DO get a dump file which I can then analyze)