Windows 11 (including earlier version), when, encounter a Blue Screen of Death (or BSOD), accumulates all the memory information into a file. Holding Dump file as name it further helps users to identify and debug the cause of the crashes. The files also allow writing the debugging details in different file formats in order to simplify the readability of the data.
Dump file may be of various types depending on the nature of crash and bug check values. These are “Small memory dump (Minidump)”, “Kernel memory dump”, “Complete memory dump”, “Automatic memory dump”, and “Active memory dump”. However, among all these, Windows 10/11 generates Automatic memory dump all by itself as its name suggests. The following section will deal with everything related to Dump File Location Windows 11 or 10.
Dump File Location Windows 10 or 11
Here is the Dump File Location Windows 11 or 10 –
Dump File Location
Instead, you can say Dump file locations so see the following paths to find out the data –
%SystemRoot%memory.dmp which means
C:\Windows\memory.dmp
This is the default location and here, C: refers to the system drive where Windows is installed.
Windows 11/10 can also capture memory dumps that consume a small amount of space. These are created at –
%SystemRoot%Minidump.dmp i.e.,
C:\Window\Minidump.dump
Change Dump File Location Windows 11 or 10
- Go to desktop and right-click on This PC icon. From the available options, choose Properties.
- Click Advanced system settings link that shows up on the top left of the subsequent window.
- Click Settings beneath Startup and Recovery section.
- Locate the Dump File text field and insert the location of the file.
Configure the Type of Memory Dump File
As aforementioned, Windows generates Automatic memory dump files but users can choose to configure the settings as per need. Thankfully, there are certain ways using which a user can change the type of memory dump file that Windows creates.
1]Through Startup and Recovery
- Press “Win logo+R” hotkey to open Run dialog box. System properties wizard will become visible, switch to Advanced tab.
- Here, click Settings just below Startup and Recovery section.
- Click the drop-down under Write debugging information. From the list of dump file types, choose the type that you wish Windows to generate when Windows crashes.
- To apply the changes, click OK.
Note – In case the system crashes a lot, it’s better to deselect the checkbox against the option Overwrite any existing file. Doing this will eventually create incremental dump files that will have a memory dump file for each crash that occurs.
2] Use Elevated Command Prompt
- Fire up taskbar search using Win+S combination of keys. Type in cmd.exe, right-click ok Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
- Click Yes on the prompt of UAC to access elevated Command Prompt.
- Once into the black window, insert the applicable command from the list below to change the type of dump file and hit Enter.
| Memory Type | Command Line |
| No memory | wmic RECOVEROS set DebugInfoType = 0 |
| Small memory dump | wmic RECOVEROS set DebugInfoType = 3 |
| Kernel memory dump | wmic RECOVEROS set DebugInfoType = 2 |
| Complete memory dump | wmic RECOVEROS set DebugInfoType = 1 |
| Automatic memory dump | wmic RECOVEROS set DebugInfoType = 7 |
| Active memory dump | wmic RECOVEROS set DebugInfoType = 1 |
- Finally, close the prompt window and Restart Windows 10 PC to make the changes effective.
Note – The Command Prompt also lets you view the current memory dump file. Just open Command Prompt as Administrator and run the following command-line –
wmic RECOVEROS get DebugInfoType
Types of Memory Dump Files
It is important to know the types after finding Dump File Location Windows 11 or 10 –
Small memory dump – It is the type that contains a minimal amount of details. Basically, the file includes the stop code, list of device drivers, parameters. Furthermore, it also contains the current process and informs which kernel thread or process crashed.
Kernel memory dump – This is the most useful and comprehensive one with respect to the kernel. Moreover, this type contains information in connection with programs and drivers in kernel mode. However, the dimension of this dump file completely depends on the amount of kernel-mode memory specified by Windows and drivers. Now, in case a second crash occurs and a kernel memory dump file is generated, the earlier content gets overwritten.
Complete memory dump – A remarkably large file type which is equal to the RAM of the system. It incorporates physical memory allocation that is basically left out in other kernel dumps.
Automatic memory dump – When compared to the kernel memory option, this is quite similar to it in terms of information. The only difference between them is the size of the paging file that Windows sets for them.
Active memory dump – It is comparatively smaller than complete memory dump. This type refines the items that are not influential in spotting the cause of a crash.
That’s all!!!
Дамп памяти (снимок состояния оперативной, содержащий отладочную информацию) — то, что часто оказывается наиболее полезными при возникновении синего экрана смерти (BSoD) для диагностики причин возникновения ошибок и их исправления. Дамп памяти сохраняется в файл C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP, а мини дампы (малый дамп памяти) — в папку C:\Windows\Minidump (подробнее об этом далее в статье).
Автоматическое создание и сохранение дампов памяти не всегда включено в Windows 10, и в инструкциях на тему исправления тех или иных ошибок BSoD мне время от времени приходится описывать и путь включения автоматического сохранения дампов памяти в системе для последующего просмотра в BlueScreenView и аналогах — потому и было решено написать отдельное руководство именно о том, как включить автоматическое создание дампа памяти при ошибках системы, чтобы в дальнейшем ссылаться на него.
Настройка создания дампов памяти при ошибках Windows 10
Для того, чтобы включить автоматическое сохранение файла дампа памяти системных ошибок достаточно выполнить следующие простые шаги.
- Зайдите в панель управления (для этого в Windows 10 вы можете начать набирать «Панель управления» в поиске на панели задач), если в панели управления в поле «Просмотр» включено «Категории», установите «Значки» и откройте пункт «Система».
- В меню слева выберите пункт «Дополнительные параметры системы».
- На вкладке «Дополнительно» в разделе «Загрузка и восстановление» нажмите кнопку «Параметры».
- Параметры создания и сохранения дампов памяти находятся в разделе «Отказ системы». По умолчанию включены опции записи в системный журнал, автоматической перезагрузки и замены существующего дампа памяти, создается «Автоматический дамп памяти», хранящийся в %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP (т.е. файл MEMORY.DMP внутри системной папки Windows). Параметры для включения автоматического создания дампов памяти, используемые по умолчанию вы также можете увидеть на скриншоте ниже.
Опция «Автоматический дамп памяти» сохраняет снимок памяти ядра Windows 10 с необходимой отладочной информацией, а также память, выделенную для устройств, драйверов и ПО, работающего на уровне ядра. Также, при выборе автоматического дампа памяти, в папке C:\Windows\Minidump сохраняются малые дампы памяти. В большинстве случаев этот параметр оптимален.
Помимо «Автоматический дамп памяти» в параметрах сохранения отладочной информации есть и другие варианты:
- Полный дамп памяти — содержит полный снимок оперативной памяти Windows. Т.е. размер файла дампа памяти MEMORY.DMP будет равен объему используемой (занятой) оперативной памяти на момент появления ошибки. Обычному пользователю обычно не требуется.
- Дамп памяти ядра — содержит те же данные что и «Автоматический дамп памяти», по сути это одна и та же опция, за исключением того, как Windows устанавливает размер файла подкачки в случае выбора одной из них. В общем случае вариант «Автоматический» подходит лучше (подробнее для интересующихся, на английском — здесь.)
- Малый дамп памяти — создание только мини дампов в C:\Windows\Minidump. При выборе данной опции сохраняются файлы по 256 Кб, содержащие базовую информацию о синем экране смерти, списке загруженных драйверов, процессах. В большинстве случаев при непрофессиональном использовании (например, как в инструкциях на этом сайте по исправлению ошибок BSoD в Windows 10), используется именно малый дамп памяти. Например, при диагностике причины синего экрана смерти в BlueScreenView используются файлы мини дампов. Однако в некоторых случаях может потребоваться и полный (автоматический) дамп памяти — часто службы поддержки ПО при возникновении неполадок (предположительно вызванных этим ПО) могут просить предоставить именно его.
Дополнительная информация
В случае, если вам нужно удалить дамп памяти, вы можете сделать это вручную, удалив файл MEMORY.DMP в системной папке Windows и файлы, содержащиеся в папке Minidump. Также можно использовать утилиту «Очистка диска» Windows (нажать клавиши Win+R, ввести cleanmgr и нажать Enter). В «Очистке диска» нажмите кнопку «Очистить системные файлы», а затем в списке отметьте файла дампа памяти для системных ошибок, чтобы удалить их (при отсутствии таких пунктов можно предположить, что дампы памяти пока не создавались).
Ну и в завершение о том, почему может быть отключено создание дампов памяти (или отключаться само после включения): чаще всего причиной являются программы для очистки компьютера и оптимизации работы системы, а также софт для оптимизации работы SSD, который также может отключать их создание.
Статья обновлена: 16 октября 2024
ID: 10659
После установки приложения «Лаборатории Касперского» могут возникнуть ситуации, при которых ОС «падает» в синий экран (BSoD — Blue Screen of Death). Это может происходить из-за того, что во время работы приложения возникает конфликт со сторонним ПО или драйверами комплектующих вашего устройства.
Чтобы выяснить причину проблемы, технической поддержке «Лаборатории Касперского» понадобится полный дамп памяти — файл, в который записывается содержимое системной памяти, когда компьютер неожиданно останавливается.
Чтобы получить полный дамп памяти:
- Включите ограничение на объем используемой физической памяти.
- Создайте полный дамп памяти в Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 или Windows 11.
- Отправьте полный дамп памяти в техническую поддержку «Лаборатории Касперского».
Как включить ограничение на объем используемой физической памяти
Как создать полный дамп памяти для Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10
Как создать полный дамп памяти для Windows 11
Что делать, если в списке отсутствует полный дамп памяти
Как отправить дамп в техническую поддержку «Лаборатории Касперского»
Спасибо за ваш отзыв, вы помогаете нам становиться лучше!
Спасибо за ваш отзыв, вы помогаете нам становиться лучше!
What is Memory Dump?
According to techopedia, a memory dump is a process where the contents of memory are displayed and stored in case of an emergency such as system crash. Memory dumps are mainly for software developers; they use the data’s stored in the system to diagnose the problem.
Developers use the dumps to fix the problem that caused the system crash. They are also known as core dump and sometimes BSOD (Blue screen of death).
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It primarily identifies the problem of the operating system or any application that has failed. It mainly is the information of the last state of the program or application or operating system. The last state before the program crashes can bring out the problem it had faced.
On the other hand, all the information consists of memory locations, program counters, program state and much more. Memory dump also has on-screen log files for viewing and sorting later.
You have to reboot the computer after the memory dump, or else it will be unavailable. Sometimes memory leak can cause memory dumps, and it’s not okay.
You will see memory dumps when you’ll encounter a blue screen of death error. Usually, a BSOD will give you some basic suggestion of where the problems occurred. Those suggestions or information’s are memory dumps.
So, when you reboot the system, you’ll be able to look into that information for further analysis. The memory dumps can contain passwords or any hidden key. So, beware of any potential hackers as they can easily find out your private info’s and hack the system.
Different Types of Memory Dumps and their Location
There are mainly five types of memory dumps stored in Windows 10. Each type is different and stores various information about the system crash. Let’s see what they are.
1. Automatic Memory Dump
Location: %SystemRoot%Memory.dmp
Size: Size of OS kernel
This one is the default option when you install Windows 10 for the first time. The setting is to support the System Managed page file configurations. Though it has been updated to reduce the size all over, it’s mainly for small SSDs.
But the large servers also benefit highly from it. Especially the automatic memory dump gives an output of Kernel memories. But the main difference is that the automatic process reduces the page file making it smaller than the size of the RAM.
You can also check or even edit the system paging file size. So for that just go to the following path, and you’ll be able to change it according to your desire.
Control Panel -> System and Security -> System -> Advanced system settings -> Performance -> Settings -> Advanced -> Change
2. Active Memory Dump
Location: %SystemRoot%Memory.dmp
Size: Triple the size of a kernel or automatic dump file
Microsoft did add the Active Memory Dump recently. Though it’s smaller than the complete memory dump, it’s three times bigger than the size of the kernel dump. It happens because it has both the kernel and the user space together.
So, overall the size gets bigger than the kernel dump. The dump files size can be up to 1.5 GB or even more. But you can try to compress it and reduce it to a more acceptable size for transportation.
3. Complete Memory Dump
Location: %SystemRoot%Memory.dmp
Size: Installed RAM plus 1MB
This one is the largest dump files that will take your spaces. As it includes the physical memory of the computer, the overall size gets too big. You can assume that the size can be less or equal to the installed RAM.
And with all other systems taking up GBs of the system this can become a serious issue if you are having too much of crashes of programs or systems. So, I would suggest that you would stick to the automatic dump file instead of this one.
4. Kernel Memory Dump
Location: %SystemRoot%Memory.dmp
Size: Size of physical memory owned by kernel-mode components
These dumps are equal to the size of the RAM that gets occupied by the Windows 10 kernel.
It can be up to 700MB in size, but if you want to compress it, then you can bring it down to 150MB. This dump contains the information for analysis. So, it can be helpful for developers.
The automatic dump setting creates a dump file saving only the recent one by default.
5. Small Memory Dump
Location: %SystemRoot%Minidump
Size: At least 64K on x86 and 128k on x64
It is also known as the mini dump. They include memory pages pointed to them by registers by their values at the point of the fault.
They are quite small as they don’t contain any binary or executable files from the time of the system crash. Moreover, these data are vital for the coders or debuggers to find out what happened.
Why are Memory Dumps Created?
You are wondering about now that why are Memory dump created. Are they essential? Or who uses these files? Well, they are mainly for developers developing a program or a system.
As I said before these files are solely here for giving you the additional information about the crash or system failure that occurred. So, if you are a developer who is working on the hardware drivers, then these pieces of information would come in handy.
As you can easily find out what is causing your system to crash, it becomes easier to solve.
But if you are not a developer then you can still use the information to know why your system is crashing all on a sudden. You just have to send it to a developer, and he will let you know what the problem is.
If any driver is causing the problem you can send them to that driver developers or if it’s with windows than you can send it to Microsoft for further analysis.
Hopefully, the developers will find out what the problem was and can assist you with further procedures.
Is it safe to Delete Memory Dumps?
Though with all its perks, these files seem to take up a lot of space on the disk. So, if you don’t have an issue with the crashes or don’t want these unnecessary files to clog your system, then you can go ahead and delete them.
They will be in the form of a .dmp file and can take a significant portion of resources. And if you have ever experienced a BSOD you will surely have a minimum of 800MB or even more files taking up space on your system.
You can quickly clean the memory dump by disk cleanup. Disk cleanup seems to clean the dumps without a fuss. Or you can also use CCleaner to detect and delete those dumps. So, you don’t have to delete them one by one manually.
To sum it all up, Memory dumps can be useful if you are a developer but can be a headache for the average users too. So, if you don’t want unnecessary files on your computer then clean it up. It shouldn’t be a problem at all.
Hasib is a born geek and loves tweaking his computer and gadgets for effectiveness and productivity. At WindowsChimp, he specializes in writing Tutorial guides and discovering new hacks to share.
It’s important to find blue screen logs to fix the BSOD error. However, a great many people don’t know where to find the blue screen logs on Windows 11/10. Are you also trying to figure it out? This post from MiniTool provides 3 simple ways.
Why Need to View Blue Screen Logs
As it’s well known to us all, the blue screen of death (BSOD) is one of the most common errors that often occurs on Windows. There are many different BSOD errors, such as exFAT FILE SYSTEM, Hidparse.sys BSOD, etc. Besides, different BSOD errors might be caused by different reasons. To fix these blue screen errors, it’s necessary to get the root reasons by checking the blue screen logs.
However, a lot of people are unclear about how to check blue screen logs on Windows 11/10. To know more details, please keep reading the following part.
Where to find the blue screen logs on Windows 11/10? After investigating extensive user reports and references, we summarize 3 simple and free ways to find blue screen logs. Let’s start trying.
# 1. View Blue Screen Logs via Event Viewer
The first and simplest way how to check blue screen logs on Windows 11 is to use the event viewer.
Step 1. Press Win + X keys and select Event Viewer from the right context menu.
Step 2. Go to the Action tab from the top menu and select Create Custom View.
Step 3. Expand the Logged drop-down menu and select the time range when you encounter the BSOD error.
Step 4. Select the checkbox beside Windows Logs from the Event Logs drop-down menu. Tick the box of Error under the Event Level section.
Step 5. Click on OK. Then you will be prompted to enter a name and description for the BSOD log. Enter the information and click OK.
Step 6. Once created, you should see a list of errors that occurred during the selected time. You can sort the BSOD logs in the date and time section. To check more details, check both the General and Details tab.
# 2. View Blue Screen Logs via Registry Editor
Windows Registry Editor is an advanced utility that allows you to view some important information about your hardware and software, including the blue screen of death logs. Here’s how to find blue screen of death logs using Registry Editor.
Step 1. Press Win + R keys to open the Run box, and then type regedit in it and press Enter. Click on Yes in the UAC window to further confirm it.
Step 2. In the Registry Editor window, go to the following path via the left navigation panel.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl
Step 3. With the CrashControl folder selected at the left panel, right-click an empty space at the right panel and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Step 4. Name the DWORD Value as DisplayParameters. Double-click to open it and change the Value data to 1 and click on OK to save the change.
Step 5. Once done, restart your PC and you should be able to check BSOD logs.
# 3. View Blue Screen Logs via Reliability Monitor
There is a utility called Reliability Monitor in Control Panel, which can be used to find blue screen logs. Let’s see how to check BSOD log using the tool.
Step 1. Open the Run box again, type Control in it, and hit Enter to open Control Panel.
Step 2. Click on System and Security > System and Maintenance in order.
Step 3. Expand the Maintenance category and click View reliability history.
Step 4. Now, you should see a graph displaying the reliability information. Look for the red cross icons because they are critical errors like BSOD. To check blue screen logs, simply click on the event at the bottom.
Bonus Tip: How to Recover Lost Data Due to BSOD Errors
According to user reports, lots of people experience data loss due to the annoying blue screen of death. Sometimes users may need to reformat their hard drive to fix the BSOD error, which also causes data loss. How to recover data from a hard drive on Windows 10/11? MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you do that easily and even search for your desired files when recovering.
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Where to find the blue screen logs on Windows 11/10? Now, I believe that you already have known the answer. If you have better ways to find BSOD logs, please share them with us in the following comment zone.