How to generate and examine windows core dumps

How to generate and examine windows core dumps

• Generating core dump.
  1. install windbg(Debugging Tools for Windows). (download here : http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/installx86.Mspx)
  2. run windbg. (Start Menu->Programs->Debugging Tools for Windows->WinDbg)
  3. Attach to the process (using GUI, File->Attach to a Process... [f6])
  4. run the command

      .dump /ma c:\cpdump.dmp 

     as described here (http://wiki.zimbra.com/index.php?title=Creating_a_Core_Dump_from_a_Running_Process_using_WinDbg)
  5. This will generate the file c:\cpdump.dmp
  6. compress(zip) the file c:\cpdump.dmp and send it across

• Observing the dump file.
  1. run command

     ~*kb

     to see all the thread stacks.
  2. More information here (http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/21217/using-the-windbg-debugging-tool.html)

Look at help-->contents (.chm) for detailed reference

You will not be able to see symbols in the dump file if you don't have the symbol database (.pdb) file for your application. The /Z7 option that puts the symbol information in the .obj files did not help.

gotcha : when /Zi option is used and code compiled through ssh session, the com,piler fails. Running the build through windows command prompt works !


I had to compile the product with /Zi (for cl.exe) option that created vc80.pdb file.
Then during linking, use /DEBUG /PDB:/path/to/.pdb . The .pdb file generated in the link step can be used with windbg

reference:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/yd4f8bd1%28v=vs.71%29.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/yd4f8bd1.aspx

you can also extract pdb from an executable that is compiled with /Z7 option (as documented here) . did not work for me though
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/258205