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How to: Save and Open Dump Files

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In Visual Studio 2010, you can save dump files from native or managed processes for debugging in the future. You can also load dump files created from Visual Studio or other dump-generating utilities.

To save a dump file

  1. On the Debug menu, click Save Dump As.

  2. In the Save Dump As dialog box, in the Save as type list, select Minidump or Minidump with Heap.

    Minidump with Heap is the default dump format that is used by Visual Studio. Minidump provides less information but also requires less space. For more information, see Dump Requirements and Limitations.

  3. Use the navigation controls to select a save location.

  4. Click Save.

    If you are debugging managed code, Save Dump As creates a managed-code minidump file. If you are debugging native code, Save Dump As creates a native-code minidump file. If you are debugging mixed managed and native code, Save Dump As creates a managed-code minidump file.

To open a dump file

  1. On the File menu, click Open, and then click File.

  2. In the Open File dialog box, locate and select the dump file.

    It will usually have a .dmp extension.

  3. Click OK.

    The Dump File Summary window appears. In this window, you can view debugging summary information for the dump file, set the symbol path, start debugging, and copy the summary information to the clipboard.

  4. In the Actions section, click Debug with Native Only or Debug with Mixed to start debugging.

    To find the binaries when debugging a dump file, Visual Studio 2010 looks in the symbol search paths. To make sure that Visual Studio 2010 finds the binaries, you can add a symbol search path in the Options dialog box or from the Modules window. For more information, see How to: Specify Symbol Locations and Loading Behavior.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Generate Dump Files for 64-bit Applications

Concepts

Dump Files