How to Read Crash Reports
Information
When your system crashes and you're hit with a BSOD (the blue screen with white text), it's for a purpose. Something either software or hardware related has gone wrong in your system, and it's your job to go get to the bottom of it.
Warning
This tutorial requires changing a setting that tells the computer to save your dump files, if it hasn't been doing so already. Do not mess with any other options if you don't know what you're doing, as there's the potential for making another problem.
First, we want to make sure the computer is saving your dump files. Go to Control Panel -> System -> Advanced System Settings -> Startup and Recovery [Settings] Make sure that "Write Debugging Information" is set to Small Memory Dump (256kb) if it is not already.
How to Configure Windows to Create a Dump File when you get a BSOD
Next, make sure that the folder C:\Windows\Minidump exists. If not, create it (allow permission if asked). Make sure any dumps you want to analyze, whether yours or others', are in this folder. You can ZIP/RAR the files and send them to someone else to analyze as well.
Download and install WhoCrashed. When the installer is done installing, just uncheck the box to launch, because it will give you an error that Admin privileged is required. Run from Desktop or Start Menu, and click "Analyze".
Now you should be able to view your dump files and get a good idea of what's giving your system problems. If you are still unsure after viewing your dumps, ZIP/RAR and upload them to a thread, briefly describing what the issue is and any other information you deem helpful.
Note
Just as WhoCrashed will tell you at the end of your report, you're given a general picture of what's causing the problem. The report may or may not pinpoint the exact culprit(s), but will help you to further your troubleshooting. Again, feel free to ask around if you're unsure
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