DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: DRIVER_FAULT
| Viewer | Type | Best For | Learning Curve | Cost | |-----------------------|--------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------------|-------------| | | Microsoft | Deep root cause, kernel debugging, symbols | High | Free | | BlueScreenView | NirSoft | Quick, color‑coded driver identification | Low | Free | | WhoCrashed | Resplendence | Automated analysis + plain English reports | Low | Free/Pro | | Windows Debugger (WinDbg) | Microsoft | Legacy systems, full control over commands | Very high | Free (SDK) | | RAMMap | Microsoft | Memory usage analysis (not crash focused) | Medium | Free | | Sysinternals LiveKD | Microsoft | Live kernel debugging without crash | High | Free |
| Dump Type | Typical Size | Contents | |--------------------------|--------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | 64 KB – 256 KB | Bug check code, parameters, list of loaded drivers, stack of crashing thread. | | Kernel Memory Dump | 1/3 of RAM approx. | Kernel memory, loaded drivers, hardware abstraction layer, kernel‑mode stack. | | Complete Memory Dump | Equal to RAM size | Entire physical memory at crash time. Requires large paging file. | | Automatic Memory Dump | Variable | Same as kernel dump but can be smaller; Windows 11 default. | Default setting in Windows 11: Automatic Memory Dump – stored in %SystemRoot%\MEMORY.DMP . Small dumps are also stored in %SystemRoot%\Minidump with a timestamped filename (e.g., 041426-25937-01.dmp ). 4. Overview of Windows 11 Dump File Viewers The table below compares the most popular viewers for Windows 11: windows 11 dump file viewer
Microsoft (R) Windows Debugger Version ... Loading Dump File [C:\Windows\MEMORY.DMP] Kernel Summary Dump File: Kernel address space is present BugCheck 0x0000003B, c0000005, fffff8002e4a2b3f, ... SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION (3b)
MODULE_NAME: nvlddmkm IMAGE_NAME: nvlddmkm.sys STACK_COMMAND: .thread ; .cxr ; kb FOLLOWUP_IP: nvlddmkm+1a2b3f DEFAULT_BUCKET_ID: DRIVER_FAULT | Viewer | Type | Best
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix | |-----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | No MEMORY.DMP after BSOD | Paging file too small | Set paging file to “System managed” or >2 GB. | | Minidump folder empty | Disabled by Group Policy | Check gpedit.msc → Computer Config → Admin Templates → System → “Write debugging information”. | | Dump file exists but viewer says corrupt | Disk error or interrupted write | Run chkdsk /f /r . Disable fast startup (Power Options). | | WinDbg shows “No symbols loaded” | Missing symbol path | Set _NT_SYMBOL_PATH environment variable or use .symfix . |
If the image name is ntoskrnl.exe , the crash may be due to hardware, corrupted system files, or buggy filter drivers; run !analyze -v and check the stack for third‑party drivers below nt!KeBugCheckEx . Despite enabling dumps, Windows 11 sometimes fails to write them. Common reasons and solutions: | | Complete Memory Dump | Equal to
nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA driver) caused an access violation. Update GPU drivers.