How to obtain a memory dump from an application that crashes

After running an application that was instrumented using PurifyPlus, the application may crash during runtime either unexpectedly or with a specific error message. One way to try to determine the cause of the problem is to get a memory dump. Obtaining the memory dump can allow PurifyPlus support to assist in diagnosing and debugging the error.

You can obtain a memory dump using WinDbg, which is part of the free debugging tools from Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx

After downloading apply the following steps:

1. Ensure WinDbg directory is in the system path.
   
   You can do this by right-clicking on My Computer > Properties > Advanced Tab, then click on "Environment Variables" button and then add the path at the end of the PATH variable.
   
   
2. Open a command prompt (Start > Run > type cmd)
   
   
3. In the command prompt enter the following commands, where <your_instrumented_exe> is your instrumented application:
   
   gflags -i <your_instrumented_exe> +ust
   
   
4. Enter the following command:
   
   windbg <your_instrumented_exe>
   
   
5. When the program stops, hit F5 or type "g" in the debugger command window
   
   
6. Continue to completion
   
   
7. In the debugger command window, enter the following commands to save the memory dump to a file, where <filename> is the filename of your choice:
   
   .dump /ma /b <filename>
   
   Note: The debugger will save the memory dump in the file <filename>.cab
   
   
8. Send the memory dump file to IBM Rational Support