Software Diagnostics Institute

General:

• Symbol servers (.symfix)
• Internal database(s) search
• Google or Microsoft search for suspected components as this could be a known issue. Sometimes a simple search immediately points to the fix on a vendor’s site
• The tool used to save a dump (to flag false positive, incomplete or inconsistent dumps)
• OS/SP version (version)
• Language
• Debug time
• System uptime
• Computer name (dS srv!srvcomputername or !envvar COMPUTERNAME)
• List of loaded and unloaded modules (lmv or !dlls)
• Hardware configuration (!sysinfo)
• .kframes 1000

Application or service:

• Default analysis (!analyze -v or !analyze -v -hang for hangs)
• Critical sections (!cs -s -l -o, !locks) for both crashes and hangs
• Component timestamps, duplication and paths. DLL Hell? (lmv and !dlls)
• Do any newer components exist?
• Process threads (~*kv or !uniqstack) for multiple exceptions and blocking functions
• Process uptime
• Your components on the full raw stack of the problem thread
• Your components on the full raw stack of the main application thread
• Process size
• Number of threads
• Gflags value (!gflag)
• Time consumed by threads (!runaway)
• Environment (!peb)
• Import table (!dh)
• Hooked functions (!chkimg)
• Exception handlers (!exchain)
• Computer name (!envvar COMPUTERNAME)
• Process heap stats and validation (!heap -s, !heap -s -v)
• CLR threads? (mscorwks or clr modules on stack traces) Yes: use .NET checklist below
• Hidden (unhandled and handled) exceptions on thread raw stacks

System hang:

• Default analysis (!analyze -v -hang)
• ERESOURCE contention (!locks)
• Processes and virtual memory including session space (!vm 4)
• Important services are present and not hanging
• Pools (!poolused)
• Waiting threads (!stacks)
• Critical system queues (!exqueue f)
• I/O (!irpfind)
• The list of all thread stack traces (!process 0 3f)
• LPC/ALPC chain for suspected threads (!lpc message or !alpc /m after search for "Waiting for reply to LPC" or "Waiting for reply to ALPC" in !process 0 3f output)
• RPC threads (search for "RPCRT4!OSF" in !process 0 3f output)
• Mutants (search for "Mutants - owning thread" in !process 0 3f output)
• Critical sections for suspected processes (!cs -l -o -s)
• Sessions, session processes (!session, !sprocess)
• Processes (size, handle table size) (!process 0 0)
• Running threads (!running)
• Ready threads (!ready)
• DPC queues (!dpcs)
• The list of APCs (!apc)
• Internal queued spinlocks (!qlocks)
• Computer name (dS srv!srvcomputername)
• File cache, VACB (!filecache)
• File objects for blocked thread IRPs (!irp -> !fileobj)
• Network (!ndiskd.miniports and !ndiskd.pktpools)
• Disk (!scsikd.classext -> !scsikd.classext class_device 2)
• Modules rdbss, mrxdav, mup, mrxsmb in stack traces
• Functions Ntfs!Ntfs*, nt!Fs* and fltmgr!Flt* in stack traces

BSOD:

• Default analysis (!analyze -v)
• Pool address (!pool)
• Component timestamps (lmv)
• Processes and virtual memory (!vm 4)
• Current threads on other processors
• Raw stack
• Bugcheck description (including ln exception address for corrupt or truncated dumps)
• Bugcheck callback data (!bugdump for systems prior to Windows XP SP1)
• Bugcheck secondary callback data (.enumtag)
• Computer name (dS srv!srvcomputername)
• Hardware configuration (!sysinfo)

.NET application or service:

• CLR module and SOS extension versions (lmv and .chain)
• Managed exceptions (~*e !pe)
• Nested managed exceptions (!pe -nested)
• Managed threads (!Threads -special)
• Managed stack traces (~*e !CLRStack)
• Managed execution residue (~*e !DumpStackObjects and !DumpRuntimeTypes)
• Managed heap (!VerifyHeap, !DumpHeap -stat and !eeheap -gc)
• GC handles (!GCHandles, !GCHandleLeaks)
• Finalizer queue (!FinalizeQueue)
• Sync blocks (!syncblk)