"Synapse Syndrome" <> wrote ...
>> Can anyone suggest a tool I can use to read the contents of a minidump
>> file?
> http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtoo...g/default.mspx
Hi Steve
SS is correct - WinDBG (in the Windows Debugging Tools) is undoubtedly the
best tool for examining memory dumps on Windows. It's a free download from
the URL above.
To add an ancillary comment, which might help get you started .... take a
look at this Knowledegbase article:
How to read the small memory dump files that Windows creates for
debugging
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315263
To summarise that article:
- download and install WinDBG
- run WinDBG
- go to File, Open Crash Dump, navigate to the minimdump you want to open.
- the article describes giving the symbol path on the command line, but you
can also specify the symbol path in the GUI, by going File, Symbol File
Path, and entering the same command-line syntax
- once you have the dump file loaded and the symbol path set, run the
command "!analyze -v"
This will chug away for a few minutes and then give you a summary report on
the dump. If you are new to debugging, that's the best you will get for now.
You can certainly use commands like ~, kP, and dd to move around the dump
and examine the entrails, but to make sense of what you see requires a good
knowledge of Windows process and memory models, and x86 assembly language.
It's also a great way to *learn* about Windows process and memory models,
and x86 assembly language :-)
The WinDBG Help File is Very Good! (unlike most help files). If you need
additional resources to learn more about debugging and reading dumps, a good
book is:
John Robbins
Debugging Applications for Microsoft .NET and Microsoft Windows
http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/5822.aspx
There are probably lots of free articles on the web, as well; just Google
for "Windbg and minidump".
Good luck!!
--
Andrew McLaren
amclar (at) optusnet dot com dot au
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