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What is Automatic Dump in the Memory dump options?

Answered What is Automatic Dump in the Memory dump options?

  • Thursday, March 08, 2012 6:31 PM
    Answerer
     
     
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    MS explains in this KB article the memory dump options for older Windows versions:

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/254649/en

    In Windows 8 I can see an option "automatic dump":

    What is it? Is it an optimizied way which detects if a kernel dump is ok or if a complete dump is still needed?


    Thanks
    André

    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code"

     

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  • Sunday, March 11, 2012 7:44 AM
     
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    This setting allows the system to reduce the pagefile size below the size of the RAM.

    Before win8 the default dump type was "kernel". This type sets the pagefile size to be approximately equal to the size of RAM (because a kernel dump could potentially be almost as big as the size of the physical memory).

    On win8 if the dump type is set to "automatic" the initial size of a system-managed pagefile can be smaller than the size of the RAM (depending on history of commit usage and other factors). If a crash occurs and the pagefile is large enough to contain a kernel dump, then a kernel dump will be written. Otherwise you'll get a minidump.

     
  • Sunday, March 11, 2012 6:56 PM
    Answerer
     
     
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    On win8 if the dump type is set to "automatic" the initial size of a system-managed pagefile can be smaller than the size of the RAM (depending on history of commit usage and other factors). If a crash occurs and the pagefile is large enough to contain a kernel dump, then a kernel dump will be written. Otherwise you'll get a minidump.

    Hi Pavel,

    this explains it. Thanks!

    André

    "A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code"

     
  • Wednesday, March 21, 2012 3:44 AM
     
     
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    On Wed, 21 Mar 2012 03:34:42 +0000, chipvlad wrote:

    This setting IMHO is good only for Tablet PC. It is very wrong for a normal PC causing among other things simple inability to properly allocate physical memory and constant unexpected shutdowns.

    The setting being discussed here is only invoked in the event a Stop error
    occurs. It has nothing at all to do with the allocation of physical memory
    and cannot possibly cause "constant unexpected shutdowns". The form factor
    of the device, tablet or PC has no impact here either.

    Paul Adare
    MVP - Forefront Identity Manager
    http://www.identit.ca
    Meets quality standards:  Compiles without errors.