Configuring Windows to Save MiniDump Files

First of all, you need to configure Windows to save these important log files. Most of the time, this is already done automatically, however follow these steps to make sure these log files are being saved.

1) Click on Start

2) Right-click on My Computer

3) Click on Properties

4) In Windows XP, click on the Advanced tab. In WindowsVista, click on the Advanced System Systems option on the left side of the screen.

5) Under Startup and Recovery, Click on the Setting button

6) Under the System Failure section, you'll see the options for the memory dump file. Write an event to the system log should be checked along with Send an Administrative Alert. The debugging information should be set to the Small Memory dump (64K) and generally the Small Dump Directory is set to %SystemRoot%\Minidump. In most cases this is the C:\Windows\Minidump directory.

As far as the third check box is concerned, if this is checked the computer will automatically restart when a blue screen error message is encountered. So, if your computer is booting into Windows, then rebooting automatically most likely you are getting some sort of blue screen error message and its forcing the computer to restart. If you uncheck this box, then the message itself will appear so you can retrieve important details about the error.