We’ve already seen how to analyze dump files created in system crashes. Today we see an app published by Microsoft in preview in the Windows Store.
WINDBG PREVIEW
It’s still in development but it promises really well: we’re talking about the preview of Windbg, a powerful tool, so far reserved for the Dev world, that lands in the Microsoft Windows Store.
The feature that may be of greatest interest to users is the ability to analyze DUMP files, which are files that are created when there is a system crash.
In fact, by opening the file with Windbg you can see which driver files are behind the problem, especially if you are requesting support in some forums or in the Microsoft Community.
How to open a DUMP file
DUMP files are those files that the system creates (if properly configured) in the event of a system crash. Inside there is valuable information that can help you pinpoint the problem to the cause of the crashes.
Let’s see how to open these files
Open WinDbg, and then from Start Debugging, choose Open Dump file, now go to the system location where the DUMP files reside, that is, x:-windows-minidump (where you need to enter the assigned drive letter instead of x).
From them open the latest DUMP file.
Wait for the first startup scan to run. Then press on the entry !analyze -v to start thoroughly scanning the file.
At the end we will see details such as the bugcheck code, the process that caused the error and many other details.
For example, knowing the bugcheck code and the name of the process you can perform a simple web search to find users with the same problem and then check how they fixed it.
However, this is useful information if we are requesting support from the Microsoft Answers community to help you better identify the issue.