10.5.1 Configuring dump file output

If you want to collect dump files when a problem occurs, you need to configure the system to output a memory dump or a crash dump.

Organization of this subsection

(1) Configuring memory dump output

In the Control Panel, double-click System.
On the Advanced page, click the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery area.
From the Write debugging information drop-down list, select Complete Memory Dump and enter the output destination file in Dump file.

Cautionary note:: The size of the memory dump depends on the real memory size. The more physical memory installed in the system, the larger the size of the memory dump. Ensure that sufficient disk space is available to store the memory dump. For details, see the Windows Help.

From the Windows Start menu, choose Run.

The Run dialog box appears.
Type drwtsn32 in the Open text box, and click the OK button.
The Dr. Watson for Windows dialog box appears.
Select the Create Crash Dump File check box, and specify the name of the output file in the Crash dump text box.
Click OK.

Cautionary notes:

You do not need to perform these steps in Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista because you cannot collect Dr. Watson logs in these operating systems. For details about how to collect information equivalent to a crash dump in Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista, see 10.5.2 Collecting dump files (in Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Vista).
A crash dump contains information about other application programs in addition to JP1. As a crash dump can occupy a large amount of disk space, ensure that sufficient disk space is available when you set up Windows to output a crash dump.