Checking your PC Reliability Monitor and Retrieving DMP Files

In the event you are encountering issues with your PC, we'd like to determine if Windows has identified any errors related to these issues.  This can be done either through checking the Reliability Monitor within Windows or through checking for Memory Dump (DMP) files.

Reading the Reliability Monitor

For a brief overview of issues on your PC, Windows includes a "Reliability Monitor" which will give you an at a glance breakdown of issues with your PC.  This will include critical events such as programs crashing, improper shutdowns, etc. or simple warning and informational events like Windows updates completing.  If you are encountering an issue with Windows, it is likely logged here in the Reliability Monitor.  To access this report, please search "View Reliability Monitor" in your system's start menu/search bar.

Once opened, the Reliability Monitor will categorize events into the following categories: “Critical Events”, “Warnings”, and “Informational Events”.  For troubleshooting purposes, the most important type of event will be "Critical Events" marked with a red X icon. Here is an example of the Reliability Monitor and what you should see for reference:

If there are any Critical Events present, please right-click and choose "View Technical Details" or double click the Critical Event to bring up more details.  Provide a screenshot for all unique Critical Events you see over the past few days or since you have started experiencing issues with your system so that we can gain insight as to what is causing the crash with your systems.

Finding your Memory Dump (DMP) Files

In the event of an error, Windows will generate a "Memory Dump" or DMP file that can help with isolating the cause of the PC or a program crashing.  In some cases, either a technician or agent may request a copy of these DMP files in order to best isolate and resolve an issue.

To get to these files, navigate to the C:\Windows\ directory on your system and locate the following folders:

• C:\Windows\Minidump\
• C:\Windows\LiveKernelReports\

These folders will contain a number of .dmp files, please copy these folders to your desktop before proceeding.  Be sure not to move the files to your desktop as these are flagged as system folders and this can cause issues further down the line.  To copy the files, right-click and drag the files to your desktop, then release the right-click and choose "Copy Here".

Once copied to your desktop, select both copied folders and right-click them. Choose "Send To", then "Compressed (Zipped) folder" and Windows will create a .zip archive containing all of these files.

If your system does not have Minidump or LiveKernelReports folder, check if a file called MEMORY.DMP is present in your C:\Windows\ folder.  If there is not, your system may not be configured for logging crashes or there may be an issue preventing the system from properly logging files.

Once you have your zipped folder or your MEMORY.DMP file, upload the file to a file host if your choice (Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive for example) and provide a link to your support agent so that they can view the files.