When a system crashes, Windows creates a Memory dump file automatically. A Dump file contains information that helps users know why their systems crashed. Hence, it is important to troubleshoot the system crash issues. Some Windows users reported that the Dump file was not created automatically when a system crash occurred. When they opened the Event Viewer, they saw the “Dump file creation failed due to error during dump creation, Event ID 161” error message. If you experience the same issue, the solutions provided in this article will help you.
A Dump file has an extension .DMP. Windows keeps the list of all small memory Dump files in the Minidump folder which is located on the C drive at the following location:
C:\Windows\Minidump
When a Blue Screen of Death happens, you must have noticed that your system shuts down immediately and saves no data. It happens in a fraction of a second. In this situation, the system takes a screenshot of the memory dump at the instant of the crash. This file is called a dump file.
Dump file creation failed due to error during dump creation
If you see the Event ID 161, Dump file creation failed due to error during dump creation error in Windows Event Viewer, use the following solutions to fix the issue.
- Check the health of your RAM
- Clean your RAM
- Repair your system image files
- Did you underclock or overclock your RAM?
- Uninstall third-party cleanup software products
- Update BiOS
- Restore your system to a previously created restore point
- Perform an In-place Upgrade
- Take your hardware for repair
Below, we have explained all these fixes in detail.
1] Check the health of your RAM
The most common reason for system crashes and the failure of Dump file creation on Windows PC is faulty RAM. There are some signs that Windows shows when RAM is going to die. If you notice these signs of RAM failure, you need to take action. We also suggest you perform a RAM health check by using the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool. This tool will help you figure out the memory issues on your system.
2] Clean your RAM
It is important to clean your computer and its parts at regular intervals of time. The accumulated dust causes several issues with the computer system. If your RAM is dirty, it may cause Blue Screen of Death errors and other memory issues. We suggest you clean your RAM. Be careful, as mishandling RAM can damage it. Hence, if you do not know how to clean computer parts properly, it is better to seek professional help.
3] Repair your system image files
Corrupted system image files can also cause several issues. Your system cannot create the Dump files when a BSOD error occurs; one possible cause of this issue is the corrupted system image files. We suggest you run SFC and DISM scans. These two built-in tools are helpful in repairing the corrupted system image files.
After the above-mentioned scans get completed, check if the issue persists.
4] Did you underclock or overclock your RAM?
Underclocking and overclocking have both advantages and disadvantages. These two techniques are usually followed by gamers. Some affected users reported that the issue was occurring due to underclocked RAM. If you have underclocked or overclocked your RAM, reset its settings to default. It may help resolve your issue.
5] Uninstall third-party cleanup software products
Unlike the Disk Cleanup tool in Windows computers, third-party disk cleanup software products come with a lot of added functionality. In this case, these tools can accidentally delete useful files, including dump files on your computer. You can uninstall these third-party cleanup software products as follows.
- Press Win+R to open the Run window.
- In the Run window, type the command appwiz.cpl and hit Enter to open the Programs and Features window.
- Check for any disk cleanup software.
- Right-click on the software and select Uninstall.
- Reboot your system.
For future junk cleanup requirements, you could use the in-built Disk Cleanup tool on your Windows computer.
6] Update BiOS
If the BiOS of your computer is malfunctioning, it can cause lots of problems to the computer. In this case, you can update the BiOS of your system to the latest version.
7] Restore your system to a previously created restore point
If the dump files were deleted on your system using Disk Cleanup software, you could try to recover them by performing a System Restore procedure on your computer. The procedure to perform System Restore on your computer is as follows:
- Search for Recovery in the Windows Search bar and open the Recovery application.
- Select Open System Restore.
- Select your desired Restore point and click on Next.
- Confirm the Restore point and click on Finish to initiate the System Restore process.
8] Perform an In-place Upgrade
If the problem still persists, the issue lies somewhere else. In-place Upgrade or repair upgrade is the process of installing the Windows operating system over the currently installed Windows OS. We suggest you perform an In-place Upgrade. This process does not remove the currently installed Windows OS, hence, your data will not be deleted. However, from a safety point of view, we recommend you back up your data before proceeding.
9] Take your hardware for repair
If, despite performing the In-place Upgrade, the problem persists, there might be a hardware component responsible for this problem. You should take your system to a service center for repair. According to some users, a hardware component was damaged or malfunctioned, due to which they were experiencing this problem. After the replacement of that particular hardware component, the issue was fixed.
How do I manually create a Dump file?
You can create a Dump file manually in Windows. The easiest way is to create it via the Task Manager. Apart from that, you can also use the Command Prompt for creating a Dump file manually. For this, you need to download the ProcDump tool from Microsoft’s official website.
Read next: Your computer is low on memory in Windows.
