Windows Dump Files Are Missing

[Brucex64]

I used to be able to see dump files for BSODs using Bluescreenview but now it does not work. There are no dump files. I checked the location (minidump folder) in explorer and its empty. What is wrong?

I do have the system configured to create a dump file. I have 30+ gb of free space on my drive. I was reading that Windows 7 deletes dump files if storage gets to 25gb or below and I think there was a time when I was at that amount but not now.

Bluescreenview and also the program WhoCrashed both show nothing. But my system crashed today.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hello Bruce now have you run CCleaner, some other junk file cleaner or done a disk cleanup lately?? If so then the dumps if left checked in those will be deleted.

 

[Layback Bear]

Any cleanup program will clean the dump files.
If you are low on on free space on the partition you will also not get the needed files.

How much free space in on the "C" partition, not the entire drive, where Windows 7 is installed?

Jack

 

[Brucex64]

The windows partition is a whole drive, and it has around 30gb free now. Some of my old dump files may be gone from when I went low on space but I had a crash today and there's nothing there.

 

[DavidE]

Do you have the default pagefile on the drive, or did you manually change pagefile settings ?

 

[Brucex64]

Nope, the pagefile is on the C: drive with a system managed size.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

I don't expect you have an image to use??

 

[Brucex64]

Image of what?

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Image of what?

A system image that you create using - well I do Macrium software see this
Imaging with free Macrium - a lot of us use this on a regular basis and it is useful when the system crashes for reinstall purposes for want of a better term.

 

[Brucex64]

Oh. No, I don't have a system image but I don't think I need to re-install Windows

 

[DavidE]

do a google for no dump file created , you should get a lot of hits.
here's one from MS with some possibilities:
Windows does not save memory dump file after a crash

 

[axe0]

What are the error codes of the BSOD's you see?

Please post the BSOD logs :ar: Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) Posting Instructions, when no dumps are created the reason why they aren't created are usually logged.

 

[Brucex64]

I wonder if it has something to do with the windows/minidump folder being read-only? I've had this as an ongoing issue with my Windows installation where it doesn't think I am the administrator and if I try to move a file or do something it'll say I need administrator permission - I press continue and I can usually finish what I started. Yesterday I changed this folder to not be read only, but today its read only again. Under "user accounts" I only have one - ME - and it says Administrator but then like I said I get that admin persmission warning and it keeps everything on the C drive read-only.

 

[axe0]

Windows has some protection mechanisms to prevent users from trying to modify the core of Windows in malicious ways, although the files/folders are party read-only you could see it as a way to protect the files/folders (not sure if it actually is one).

Also, every personal system has at least 2 accounts, administrator (the user itself) and another administrator (admin account that is used by the system). As administrator you have the right to modify Windows in many ways, but it is limited. Some things you cannot modify, in those cases you are blocked by the admin account that the system operates (solely for the protection of the OS).
In other cases, the system needs you to be sure what you're doing before you continue, in those situations the files that you try to access aren't as critical (like with the dumps).

I stand to be corrected on the admin account controlled by the system, but AFAIK this is a bit of how it works and why you can access some parts in the Windows directory and some not.

 

[NoelDP]

The 'Read-only' attribute cannot be applied to folders - only to files.
This is why when you look at the properties of a folder, you'll ALWAYS see the attribute with a blob in it in the GUI.
There's nothing wrong with it at all.

 

[Brucex64]

hmmmmmm. Ok, I'd look at the attributes/permissions of the actual files in that minidump folder but there are none.

 

[Brucex64]

Is it possible to assign a different location for the minidump folder other than c:/windows? Maybe I could put it on a different drive and see if the permissions are not letting it write dump files.

 

[DavidE]

You can play around with MS SysInternals ProcDump for creating a dump file.
ProcDump
Maybe ProcDump can help you figure out why you aren't getting dump files.

I manually created a dump file and it was created in a different folder than my default.
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