Microsoft KB Archive/274598

= Complete memory dumps are not available on computers that have 2 or more gigabytes of RAM =

Article ID: 274598

Article Last Modified on 12/3/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (32-bit x86)
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter x64 Edition
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition for Itanium-Based Systems
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems
 * Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition
 * Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional for Itanium-based systems
 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional for Itanium-based systems
 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002
 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

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This article was previously published under Q274598



SYMPTOMS
Complete memory dumps are not available on the following computers if they have 2 or more gigabytes (GB) of RAM:
 * Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computers
 * Microsoft Windows XP-based computers
 * Microsoft Windows 2000-based computers

The only options available under Write Debugging Information in the Startup and Recovery dialog box in System Properties are Small Memory Dump (64 KB) and Kernel Memory Dump. The Complete Memory Dump option is not available.

If you set the  DWORD value to 1 in the registry to enable a complete memory dump on a computer that is running Windows XP, or Windows 2000, the memory dump may become corrupted when your computer stops unexpectedly.



RESOLUTION
Important We recommend that you consider the following information before you enable a complete memory dump on a computer that has more than 2 GB of RAM:  It can take a substantial amount of time to create a complete memory dump on a computer with more than 2 GB of RAM. This can reduce overall system uptime. A complete memory dump on a computer with more than 2 GB of RAM requires a very large system partition because of the paging file size requirements. If you select this option, you must have a paging file on the boot volume that is sufficiently large to hold all the physical RAM plus 1 MB. The extra megabyte is required for a complete memory dump file because Windows writes a header in addition to dumping the memory contents. The header contains a crash dump signature and specifies the values of some kernel variables. The header information does not require a full megabyte of space, but Windows sizes your paging file in increments of megabytes. A complete memory dump file is rarely required. In most cases, a kernel memory dump is sufficient for analysis. Please consult your escalation channel before enabling the complete memory dump in a production environment. If your computer has more than 4 GB of RAM, you must configure the Boot.ini file to start the computer with the Physical Address Extension (/PAE) switch. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

291988 A description of the 4 GB RAM Tuning feature and the Physical Address Extension switch



Windows Server 2003, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003, and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
To specify that you want to use a complete memory dump file by modifying the registry, set the  DWORD value to 1. For example, type the following information at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

wmic recoveros set DebugInfoType = 1

To specify that you want to use the D:\Dump\Mem.dmp file as your memory dump file by modifying the registry, set the  expandable string value to D:\Dump\Mem.dmp. For example, type the following information at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

wmic recoveros set DebugFilePath = D:\Dump\Mem.dmp

To specify that you do not want to overwrite any previous kernel or complete memory dump files by modifying the registry, set the  DWORD value to 0. For example, type the following information at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:

wmic recoveros set OverwriteExistingDebugFile = 0

Note The Write Debugging Information section of the Startup and Recovery dialog box in System Properties continues to list only Small Memory Dump (64 KB) and Kernel Memory Dump after you enable a complete memory dump by using these methods. The Complete Memory Dump option remains unavailable, and you must use the Windows registry to configure complete memory dump options. ===

All other versions of Windows XP (including Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2002) ===

You can use either of the following methods to work around this problem:
 * Put the MaxMem=2000 parameter in the Boot.ini file to limit the amount of memory that Windows 2000 can access.

-or-
 * Instruct your Windows XP-based computer to create a Small Memory Dump option or Kernel Memory Dump option.

Windows 2000
For more information about how to resolve this problem on a Windows 2000-based computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

820361 Complete memory dumps not available on Windows 2000-based computers with 2 or more gigabytes of RAM



WORKAROUND
You can use either of the following methods to work around this problem:
 * Put the MaxMem=2000 parameter in the Boot.ini file to limit the amount of memory that Windows 2000 can access.

-or-
 * Instruct the Windows XP-based computer or the Windows Server 2003-based computer to create a Small Memory Dump option or a Kernel Memory Dump option.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the &quot;Applies to&quot; section.



MORE INFORMATION
The following section of the Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Help file incorrectly states that a 4 GB memory dump can be created:

Complete Memory Dump: Not available on systems with 4 GB of RAM, nor on systems using Physical Address Extension (PAE). This records all the contents of system memory when the system stops unexpectedly. If you select this option, you must have a paging file on the boot volume that is sufficiently large to hold all of the physical RAM, plus 1 MB.

For more information about memory dump files, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

254649 Overview of memory dump file options for Windows 2000, for Windows XP, and for Windows Server 2003

307973 How to configure system failure and recovery options in Windows

241046 Cannot create a Memory.dmp file on computers with over 4 GB RAM

Technical support for Windows x64 editions
Your hardware manufacturer provides technical support and assistance for Microsoft Windows x64 editions. Your hardware manufacturer provides support because a Windows x64 edition was included with your hardware. Your hardware manufacturer might have customized the Windows x64 edition installation with unique components. Unique components might include specific device drivers or might include optional settings to maximize the performance of the hardware. Microsoft will provide reasonable-effort assistance if you need technical help with your Windows x64 edition. However, you might have to contact your manufacturer directly. Your manufacturer is best qualified to support the software that your manufacturer installed on the hardware.

For product information about Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.mspx

For product information about Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 editions, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/64bit/x64/default.mspx

Additional query words: memory.dmp Winx64 Windowsx64 64bit 64-bit

Keywords: kbenv kbfix kbprb KB274598

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