Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: How do I prevent Windows Error Reporting from deleting my live kernel dump file?

Windows Error Reporting deletes live kernel dump files, causing issues with debugging. Learn how to prevent this and view your .dmp file.

Quick Answer: To prevent Windows Error Reporting from deleting your live kernel dump file, disable the 'Delete Live Kernel Dump' option in the Windows Error Reporting settings.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. ⚠️ Common Causes
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

Windows Error Reporting (WER) can sometimes delete live kernel dump files, which are essential for analyzing system crashes. This issue affects users who experience frequent system freezes or hangs without crashing or displaying a blue screen.

This problem is frustrating because it makes it difficult to diagnose and fix the underlying cause of the system freeze. However, by following these steps, you can prevent WER from deleting your live kernel dump file and view the stack trace in WinDbg.exe.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • The primary reason why Windows Error Reporting deletes live kernel dump files is that it automatically attaches them to its reports for analysis. This process replaces the original file with a temporary copy, which can lead to data loss.
  • An alternative reason could be that WER's report queue or archive folders are not properly configured or maintained, causing files to be deleted prematurely.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Preventing Windows Error Reporting from deleting live kernel dump files

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Disable Windows Error Reporting for the current session. To do this, open the Task Manager, go to the 'Details' tab, find the process 'werfaultui.exe', and click on it. Click on the 'End task' button. Then, open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe) and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/softwareugcheck eporting. Delete the value 'WerFaultReportingEnabled'. Restart your system.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: Manually prevent WER from deleting live kernel dump files by renaming or moving the report queue and archive folders. To do this, open File Explorer, navigate to C:\\, and rename or move the folders (e.g., 'ReportQueue' and 'ReportArchive') to a different location (e.g., 'C: emp'). This will prevent WER from deleting the files.

Alternative fix: Using third-party tools

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Install a third-party tool like LiveDump or DumpViewer to capture and view live kernel dump files. These tools can help you analyze the stack trace without relying on WER's report queue or archive folders.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: Configure the third-party tool to capture live kernel dump files automatically when a system freeze occurs. This will allow you to view the stack trace without having to manually capture the file.

✨ Wrapping Up

To summarize, preventing Windows Error Reporting from deleting your live kernel dump file requires disabling WER for the current session or using third-party tools to capture and analyze the files. By following these steps, you can ensure that your system crashes are properly documented and analyzed, allowing you to identify and fix underlying issues more efficiently.

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