MiniDump folder is empty after BlueScreen crashes

Question

Lately, I am having multiple Bluescreen crashes and freezings daily. To find out the cause I tried to use the program BlueScreenView from Nir Sofer.

Unfortunately, the directory "C:\Windows\MiniDump" is empty. I can remember that there is a system setting causing the Minidumps folder being empty even after many Bluescreen crashes, but I can't remember what this setting was.

My OS is Windows 7 x64 SP2.

Can anybody tell me why the directory "C:\Windows\MiniDump" is empty and how to find the cause of my Bluescreen crashes and freezings with the BlueScreenView program?

Solution

Can anybody tell me why the directory "C:\Windows\MiniDump" is empty?

Make sure you have dumps enabled:

1. Start > "Control Panel" > "System"

2. Click "Advanced system settings"

3. In the "System Properties" dialog select the "Advanced" tab

4. In the "Startup and Recovery" section click "Settings"

   

5. In the "Startup and Recovery" dialog "Write debugging information" select "Kernel Memory Dump" (or "Small memory Dump")

   

6. Click "OK", then click "OK" a second time

7. Wait for a BSOD

Comments

[user1580348]

David, thank you very much. When clicking OK the first time I got a message:

[user1580348]

David, thank you very much. When clicking OK the first time I got a message: "Possibly no data can be saved to be used for identification of system errors because the current Auslagerungs-file has been deactivated or is smaller than 800 MB. Click OK to return to the window for the settings with the virtual memory, activate the Auslagerungs- file and set it to a value higher than 800 MB ..."

[user1580348]

Now in the dialog for the Auslagerungs-file I have the following choices: Checkbox (which is currently unchecked) "Manage the Auslagerungs-file for all drives automatically or ..." see this screenshot: i.imgur.com/lyA2XJT.png I should say that my system partition C: is on a SSD.

[DavidPostill]

You need to go to the "Performance" section and click "Settings". Select the "Advanced" tab. In the "Virtual memory" section click "Change". Make sure you have more than 800 MB for your paging file.

[DavidPostill]

"Checkbox (which is currently unchecked) "Manage the Auslagerungs-file for all drives automatically" - Enable (check) this box.

[DavidPostill]

Then go back and follow the instructions in the answer.

[user1580348]

OK, will reboot and see what's happening...

[user1580348]

OK, I have now rebooted and am awaiting the next BSoD.

[DavidPostill]

Keep me updated :)

[user1580348]

I had a BSOD today but the Minidump folder again is empty: i.imgur.com/wArfwGQ.png Here are my system settings: i.imgur.com/MyeieA4.png - i.imgur.com/z424137.png What can I do now?

[DavidPostill]

You are looking in the wrong place. See your 2nd screen shot at the bottom for the location.

[user1580348]

But there is no C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP file, even not invisible. But now I have changed the Minidump path to: i.imgur.com/RwaYUA0.png - Is this correct? Because BlueScreenView always defaults to this path, even if I change the path in BlueScreenView's Advanced Options.

[DavidPostill]

Try the setting "Small memory dump" - it look like blue screen view may only read small memory dumps.

[DavidPostill]

How to configure Windows to create MiniDump files on BSOD

[DavidPostill]

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.

[DavidPostill]

No Kernel Memory Dump files being produced upon BSOD?

[user1580348]

OK, now I have set it to "Small memory dump": i.imgur.com/mRpE63f.png Is this correct? The Minidump folder in C:\Windows does exist: i.imgur.com/GHZNTZ3.png Now awaiting for the next BSOD...

[DavidPostill]

That looks good :) Also check this "Windows Error Reporting (WER) system service should be set to MANUAL" from one of the links I posted.

[user1580348]

On your linked website you mention: "Page file base allocation size must be > than installed physical RAM (Vista + Windows 7)". But my pagefile.sys is 15.9 GB: i.imgur.com/yydWWhE.png while I have 16 GB RAM, although I've checked the checkbox that Windows should manage the pagefile.sys size automatically: i.imgur.com/8atlBjk.png Is the pagefile.sys size of 15.9 GB wrong?

[DavidPostill]

Don't know :/ ...

[user1580348]

Today I had another BSOD. After rebooting, there still was no minidump in the Minidump folder. Strangely, my settings for small Minidump have been automatically changed to Kernel dump without my intervention: i.imgur.com/3YReQYq.png I have set it back to small minidump: i.imgur.com/Hfqruio.png I have also set the size of pagefile.sys to the recommended fixed size of 24570 MB: i.imgur.com/5eXSoXW.png I hope that with these settings it will finally work.

[John]

@user1580348 Did you ever get it to work? Mine isn't producing any dump files, either.