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[SOLVED] Can I somehow read Windows dump-files in Linux?

post #1 of 10
5/28/14 at 6:46am
Thread Starter 
Hello. Like the title says. I need to help my brother with his PC, and I've asked him to send me the dump-file. But since I run Linux, I don't know how to read it.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
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post #2 of 10
5/28/14 at 7:04am
Is it not an ASCII file? (actually, knowing Microsoft, it's never going to be that simple)
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post #3 of 10
5/28/14 at 7:16am
I think they are memory dumps of the kernel or whole memory (depending on what's configured), so they are binary data. Since I reinstalled the Windows partition a while ago, I had zero crashes on that Windows (knock on wood), so I have no dump files to look at.

I always used this tool here to diagnose Windows BSODs: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/blue_screen_view.html

I'd guess you could run it through WINE. You could also let your brother run the tool himself and take screenshots and have him send you those instead of the dump files.

What you want is the file names of the kernel modules that were on the stack when the crash occurred. It's the lines highlighted with a colorful background in the lower half of the window. You can then try to deduce what driver that file name belongs to and see if there's something to update or settings to tweak.

For this tool, you want to configure Windows for "mini-dump" instead of full dump or whatever other options there are. It can't get anything extra out of a full memory dump.
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post #4 of 10
5/28/14 at 8:22am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for responding. Turns out his PC didn't leave any dump-files after crashing. At least not where I thought they would be. Isn't C:\Windows\Minidump\ the correct path? I even asked him to enable show hidden files. Nothing.
Thanks for the tip regarding wine. I could try that. I just need the bloody dump-file first. tongue.gif
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post #5 of 10
5/28/14 at 8:40am
I made you a screenshot. It has to be set up like this:



The windows look exactly the same on Windows 7.
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post #6 of 10
5/28/14 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 
Thank you! I'll tell him to do this.
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post #7 of 10
5/28/14 at 8:48am
That screenshot basically sums up everything I hate about Windows. Options hidden behind multiple layers of non-guessable tabs and hyperlinks and there's no way to push the output in any other application other than the crappy interface Microsoft designed for you.

Give me config files and UNIX pipes any day.
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post #8 of 10
5/28/14 at 9:04am
Thread Starter 
Yeah, it's very hard to get any kind of information from Windows. If you're gonna crash for every little hickup, at least tell me what the hell's wrong.
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post #9 of 10
5/28/14 at 9:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Plan9 View Post

That screenshot basically sums up everything I hate about Windows. Options hidden behind multiple layers of non-guessable tabs and hyperlinks and there's no way to push the output in any other application other than the crappy interface Microsoft designed for you.

Give me config files and UNIX pipes any day.

Yeah, you also can't really describe that. It's kind of possible but would be a waste of time, also for the guy that has to read the description and follow it. Making a screenshot and drawing on it seems like the easiest way to explain this setting for example, which is a bit ridiculous.

There's usually some command line tool that can change things, but good luck finding that fast with Google as it gets drowned out by all the posts people do about the GUI version. tongue.gif
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post #10 of 10
5/28/14 at 1:21pm
Thread Starter 
Turns out it was Watch_Dogs. This is why you don't pre-order games. Thanks again. I'll mark this as solved.
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Overclock.net › Forums › Software, Programming and Coding › Operating Systems › Linux, Unix › [SOLVED] Can I somehow read Windows dump-files in Linux?