I went into start up and recovery to change the settings so that it will make a complete memory dump next time my computer bsod but it seems like that the setting keeps reverting back to the original setting :
Any ideas on why this might happen?I use vista 32bit
Anyone?
With more than 2 gigs of RAM on Vista 32 bits, it won’t work.
Ok thanks.I have exactly 2gig of ram 
Also, why wouldn’t it work with more then 2gigs of ram?
The great Gods at Microsoft haven’t figured that out.
How is this incorrect statement related.
32bit versions of windows (with some exceptions) can handle 4GB of RAM. The exceptions being some can handle more.
@ mathboyx215
The pagefile.sys must be large enough to be able to cater for the amount of RAM you have installed or it wouldn’t be able to store the complete data in RAM at the time of a bsod.
I don’t use Vista but in XP, you need My Computer, View System Information, Advanced tab, Performance, section (next to where you would change the memory dump details), Advanced Tab. From here, Virtual Memory, Change button and set the size to a minimum to cater for the amount of RAM you have plus some, see image example of my settings, minimum 2GB (the RAM I have) plus half again as a maximum, so 3GB.
You could however, set it to System Managed size, which should also work, but I prefer to control the size so it doesn’t grow too big, by setting a minimum size it helps reduce fragmentation.
If you already have it set to System managed size, I don’t know why this isn’t retaining your settings.
HI DavidR.I tried what you suggested but it is not working.Setting are still reverting back to original.Any other ideas?
My only thought would not having enough privileges as this would require administrator privileges. Or the dreaded UAC, but I can’t help on that side I have avoided Vista and stuck with XP Pro.
Hi mathboyx215
Just in case you haven’t visited this page yet.
Turn UAC off temporarily and try again; you do need to be an admin to change system settings. Even if DavidR is still using XP.
So indeed,complete memory dump is not available on my computer.How strange :
The strangest part is that kernel memory dump option also doesn’t work on my computer.
@DavidR and sded
I can’t turn off UAC as every time I try to turn it off,it gives a continue and cancel option.When I click on continue, nothing happens
Are you on an admin account? There should be no problems turning UAC off and on. I can also get full dumps with 2GB RAM. A few days ago spent 4 hrs uploading one to Avast! for the beta. Invoked a BSOD from a hung machine and dump was generated after that. 
Yes,I am on the admin account.
Try another way to turn off UAC. From the run command, type msconfig. Under tools, select “turn off UAC” and execute the command line string you see.
perhaps the specification - no complete mem dump over two gigs - is a bit misleading, and only put in place because it was thought that there could be problems with way too large dumps once computers started to run bigger and bigger RAM, and the kb article has not been updated because no ideal solution has yet to be found. So 2 gigs is still held as a benchmark but machines may differ according to the mem dump file that needs to be generated, and this may also carry through to the kernel mem dump. Is there any indication that your mem dump file will be excessively large? Are you carrying mem hungry load each time OS is running?
Check your system restore for recent changes - does it look okay to turn off and create a new restore point? If so, you can create a new restore point (say, save point as ‘check mem dump’). And remove all restore points except the most recent by using Disk Cleanup utility (More Options tab) in System Tools.
Otherwise, back to an issue over admin privs, I guess.
I have turned off uac and that doesn’t seem to make any differences.
My memory load is usually around 40% and I don’t see any indications that the dump will be excessively large.
I have turned off system restore for a long time
What do your startup and recovery settings actually look like? Mine are attached.
The dump size, doesn’t relate to only what is in memory now, a full memory dump (if possible) would be the size of the RAM and then some.
System Restore is unrelated the Startup and Recovery where the memory dump settings are and the pagefile.sys size.
I have had system restore disabled for years and that doesn’t effect the memory dumps (memory.dmp) file creation.
Mines look the same except that by default it is to create a small memory dump
Is the choice of “complete memory dump” not available, or when you change it and check back again is it changed back to “small memory dump”?