By default, complete memory dump is disabled. Enable this option if your computer has more than 2 GB of physical RAM.
To generate a full memory dump:
- Do any of the following:
- On your desktop:
- Click File Explorer, then click This PC, and select Properties.
- Click Advanced system settings.
- Click Advanced tab.
- Under the Writing debugging information section, click Settings.
- Select the Complete memory dump.
By default, the dump file will be saved in %SystemRoot%\Memory.dmp.
- Using the Registry Editor
- Open the Registry Editor.
Always back up the whole registry before making any modifications. Incorrect changes to the registry can cause serious system problems.
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl and set the value of the "CrashDumpEnabled" to "0x1".
- Restart the Windows.
- Open the Registry Editor.
- On your desktop:
- Follow the procedure in this Microsoft article: Forcing a System Crash from the Keyboard.
Alternative Options
Below are some SysInternals tools that can help in generating a full memory dump:
NotMyFault Tool automates the process of capturing a Complete Memory Dump of the SYSTEM, similar to simulating a crash on a system.
- Download the NotMyFault tool.
- Click Start, and then select Command Prompt.
- At the command line, run the following command:
notMyfault.exe /crash
Procdump (Process Dump) is used for capturing a Complete memory dump of a PROCESS, which can be useful for troubleshooting behavior monitoring concerns.
- Download the Procdump tool.
- Click Start, and then select Command Prompt.
- At the command line, run the following command:
C:\>procdump -ma <PID of the Process that needs to be checked>
Process Explorer is used for generating complete memory dumps of a PROCESS on a GUI.
- Download the Process Explorer tool.
- Extract the ProcessExplorer.zip. then run the procexp.exe on the target machine.
- Right-click the process name, and select Create Dump > Create Full Dump.
Click the image to enlarge.