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Creating a Windows crash dump file for troubleshooting.

When ExtendSim crashes and the issue cannot be reproduced using a model, a crash dump file can help our Support Team diagnose the problem.

What is a crash dump file?

A crash dump file (.dmp) captures the state of ExtendSim at the moment it crashes, including memory and process information. This allows our Simulation Engineers to identify the root cause of the issue.

Why do I need to enable this?

By default, Windows does not create dump files for application crashes. You must enable this feature first.

How to create a crash dump for ExtendSim.

This guide walks you through enabling Windows to automatically create a crash dump file when ExtendSim crashes.

Note: To allow creation of a dump file, you might need elevated permissions to make changes to your device's Registry.

  • Open the Registry Editor.
    • Press the Windows key + R to open the Run command box.
    • Type “regedit” in the Run window and click OK.
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    • Click Yes in User Account Control Window pop-up to allow changes.
  • Create a LocalDumps key.
    • Navigate to the location HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting.
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    • To create a new key named LocalDumps (you will need elevated privileges):
      • Right-click the Windows Error Reporting folder.
      • Select New and then Key.
      • If a key named LocalDumps is already there, go to the next step. If not, create a new key and name the new key “LocalDumps”
    • Set the DumpCount Registry Value:
      • Right-click in the blank area on the right side and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value.
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      • Name it “DumpCount”.
      • Double click it and enter 10 in the Value data field.
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    • Set the DumpType Registry Value:
      • Right click in the blank area on the right side and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value.
      • Name it “DumpType”
      • Double click it and enter 2 in the Value data field.
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  • Close the Registry Editor.

Reproduce the crash.

  • Launch ExtendSim
  • Run the model that causes the crash.

When ExtendSim crashes, Windows will automatically generate a crash dump file at C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\CrashDumps. (Unless you have the proper application installed on your device, you will not be able to open and view this file's contents.)

Send the file to ExtendSim Support.

  • Create a Support Ticket.
  • Provide a brief description of what you were doing when the crash occurred.
  • Attach the crash dump file (.dmp) you created for our analysis. You may need to zip the file due to its size as it includes full memory content.

You may also choose to do a complete crash dump file which provides a more information than a standard dump file. To set this up, you'll want to do an internet search on how to generate complete crash dump files based on your specific operating system.