How do you open dump files

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

There's no program on my computer that does it. Why would MS make it so the OS create a potentially important file, but it give it no way by default to open it. Doesn't make sense to me

Ravi Gagan · Feb 16, 2014

Hey I was finding the same thing
I found this article http://windows7themes.net/debug-how-to-open-a-mini-dump-file-tmp-mdmp-on-windows-8.html

It worked for me I hope it would work for you too

nukemaster · Feb 16, 2014

You can use bluescreenview to see the info in those files(well the important stuff like error codes and what was running on crash/ect).
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html

The reason MS creates these important files is so you can submit them to them for analysis.

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

but they should then give you a way to open, but oh wait, that makes sense so of course ms wouldn't do that. whole os is just one major migraine

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2014

unplanned bacon :

Even with an application to open a .dmp, the info inside is totally meaningless gibberish to 99% of the population.

nukemaster · Feb 16, 2014

You know you can open it in word if you want to, just to not expect to make sense of it.

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2014

And even Notepad. But it is merely a memory dump. Mostly meaningless.

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

nothing opens it though, not even debugger. it just asks me to look for an app in the store. i should have ditched 8 when i had the chance and shoved 7 on this machine, or even vista. they actually worked. in case you haven't guessed, i hate 8 with a passion now after just 4 weeks

nukemaster · Feb 16, 2014

Just use bluescreenview, it will let you see them and let you get the error codes to see what the problem is.

I have had almost no issues with Windows 8(in beta a sound card did not work, that was all).

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2014

Nothing can open it?

This is an old .dmp found on my system, from Win 8 RTM. Opened in Notepad, running in Win 8.1

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

You got lucky (or I got unlucky whichever way you look at it). A lot of the time it does, but then it throws up random garbage for no reason (or at least one I haven't found other than Windows is badly coded). So far, the hardware has passed the tests that have been run on it (I'm sure there are more that I have not run yet) which to me says there's something inherently wrong in 8 or in 8's compatibility with my hardware somewhere

nukemaster · Feb 16, 2014

I have used 8 on many systems.

I would recommend you look into those files with bluescreenview and see if anything is common on all crashes. Maybe a simple hardware issue or misconfiguration causes this issue.

I mean people said Vista was unstable even if they had bad memory(or other hardware/drivers) that xp never used due to not requiring much. Was it Vista or a bad stick of memory(or Nvidia's bad drivers at launch.). Well clearly the hardware worked on xp, so it must be Vista right?

You need to take this one step at a time to find the solution.

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2014

In this thread, we have (at least) 3 Windows 8/8.1 systems :
nukemaster
unplanned bacon
USAFRet

2 of those have had pretty much zero issues.
1 seemingly has issues.

To me, that suggests it may not be the OS as the problem.

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

Finally got it open (reliability monitor was pointing to a location which wasn't where it was saved), and basically it's full of the same error repeating itself:

Either you specified an unqualified symbol, or your debugger ***
*** doesn't have full symbol information. Unqualified symbol ***
*** resolution is turned off by default. Please either specify a ***
*** fully qualified symbol module!symbolname, or enable resolution ***
*** of unqualified symbols by typing ".symopt- 100". Note that ***
*** enabling unqualified symbol resolution with network symbol ***
*** server shares in the symbol path may cause the debugger to ***
*** appear to hang for long periods of time when an incorrect ***
*** symbol name is typed or the network symbol server is down. ***
*** ***
*** For some commands to work properly, your symbol path ***
*** must point to .pdb files that have full type information. ***
*** ***
*** Certain .pdb files (such as the public OS symbols) do not ***
*** contain the required information. Contact the group that ***
*** provided you with these symbols if you need this command to ***
*** work. ***
*** ***
*** Type referenced: nt!_KPRCB

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

Then next question is why isn't Windows 8 working for me then?

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2014

unplanned bacon :

Troubleshooting 101
Start from a very basic system. The absolute smallest hardware set that boots. 1 stick of RAM, etc. A fresh, clean install of the OS.
Add parts. See what happens.

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

Ravi Gagan :

I've followed the instructions there, still gives the you specified an invalid whatever

Seriously, building this thing has just been way too much effort and money. Hardly seems worth it now given my experience with 8.1 so far unless I can get it working properly.

@USAFret
I've already done a clean install which fixed my problems for all of 7 days
Hard Drives passed their tests
RAM passed their tests < This was run using the Windows diagnostic. MemTest86 hasn't been run (I understand it needs to be put on separate media for the computer to boot from
Graphics Card passed its test

You know the first thing Windows 8 did when I tried to install, create a recovery partition which it decided not to use, get stuck in an infinite boot loop and then say it can't install. That's some great code, MS got there. Hasn't been too much better since with Fast Start causing E41s repeatedly (fixed by turning off Fast Start), Volume Shadow Copy failures, corrupt files found by scannow and a tonne of program crashes in the background and unsuccessful updates (fixed by clean install), Memory_Management error when waking from sleep (again, RAM passed its test more than once), boot failures when waking from sleep (ongoing), unreadable dump files (not fixed). Basically, everywhere within Windows something and yet as I said earlier, when the hardware has been tested it passes without issue (what else do I need to test?). All of this is why, in my experience I can not recommend Windows 8 to anybody, it's too broken (note, I said in my experience).

Wondering whether this was worth the effort or not when I could have just saved a whole load of money and got a PS4 instead, where if there's problems it's Sony's problem not mine

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2014

MemTest can be run from just about any Linux LiveCD.

And a Linux LiveCD might be a good test. See how the hardware runs with something else.
Clearly there are issues. Find what it is,

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

what's a linux live cd and how do i make one? i have no blank cds if it requires making one. just thinking that this whole build was a mistake and money i'll never get back :/

probably should have just waited and got a ps4 like the original plan

don't even feel like using this machine anymore because of all the hassle

USAFRet · Feb 16, 2014

unplanned bacon :

A Linux distro, running directly from a CD/DVD. http://www.linuxmint.com/
Yes, you actually need a blank disk to make one.

You can send the box to me. I'll pay shipping. I could use another free PC.

unplanned bacon · Feb 16, 2014

Nah, spent too much money on this to do that

When you see it game, you will forget consoles were even an option

Just need to sort these other issues out for good

I've noticed something though. When it''s on it runs absolutely fine (apart from Asus Product Registration "crashing"). The problems seem to come when Sleep, Shutdown or Hibernate get involved then all hell breaks loose and everything related to those features seems to fail (see problems opening Dump file, Windows was not shutdown errors). For the most part it works fine, but for the rest it's the most frustrating thing ever. Turning off fast start fixed Event 41. Will turning off Hybrid Sleep fix Boot Kernel Error? This is why I call it the schizophrenic OS (that and it can't decide whether it wants to look like 7 or look like 8)

That corrupted file thing hasn't happened since clean install

nukemaster · Feb 16, 2014

instead of using Windows Debugger, you should really try bluescreenview. It is much more easy for you to see what is going on.

Even a software conflict can cause issues. For example Speedfan with some other software can actually hard lock a system(does not batter what version of Windows is running.)

The Windows 8 core is just not different enough to cause that many issues. It is not like the difference from XP to Vista that needed quite a bit of work to get hardware and drivers up to the new standards. The hardware accelerated desktop and new sound system on its own was lots of work(I think this may be why MS started to use software for most[if not all] of the audio stack. it removed variables).

unplanned bacon · Feb 17, 2014

When I think about it, my problems are isolated around 1 feature. Shutdown/restart and sleep

nukemaster · Feb 17, 2014

well as you have notices it is a area that Win8 did change some features.

Restart is normal(full restart)
Sleep is Sleep + Hibernate
Shut Down is log off + Hibernate.

Almost have to wonder if some software/driver is preventing proper operation of these feature.

How do you open dump files

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