What caused that crash?

This freeware program is one of those we categorize as “any-port-in-the-storm” software. We’re not sure of its value as far as determining the causes of system crashes and boot failures – however it may help if the answer is just a faulty driver or something easy. Don’t count on software to do complex analysis of complex causes. It’s not going to happen. But if you’re pulling your hair out and are looking for a tool that MAY help then you might want to keep this program handy.

We caution you that this is just a tool and is not going to solve your problem – but it may point you or your technician in the right direction. The key word is “May”.

We have cautioned you enough. Here’s the developer’s spiel:

Just released: WhoCrashed v 5.50 with support for Windows 10

WhoCrashed reveals the drivers responsible for crashing your computer

Whenever a computer running Windows suddenly reboots without displaying any notice or blue screen of death, the first thing that is often thought about is a hardware failure. In reality, most crashes are caused by malfunctioning device drivers and kernel modules. In case of a kernel error, most computers running Windows do not show a blue screen unless they are configured to do so. Instead these systems suddenly reboot without any notice.

WhoCrashed shows the drivers that have been crashing your computer with a single click. In most cases it can pinpoint the offending drivers that have been causing misery on your computer system in the past. It does post-mortem crashdump analysis and presents all gathered information in a comprehensible way.

Normally, debugging skills and a set of debugging tools are required to do post-mortem crash dump analysis. By using this utility you do not need any debugging skills to be able to find out what drivers are causing trouble to your computer.

If your computer crashed and produced a blue screen

It is suggested that you run WhoCrashed. WhoCrashed will analyze the crash dump files available on your computer and create a conclusion. It will inform you about responsible drivers and offer suggestions on how to proceed.

If your computer unexpectedly reset or shut down

If your computer unexpectedly reset or shut down, it is suggested that you run WhoCrashed. WhoCrashed will tell you if crash dumps are enabled on your computer, if not it will offer you suggestions on how to enable them.
Click here for more information about sudden resets and shut downs.

If your computer crashes during the boot phase

If your computer crashes during system startup it is suggested that you boot into safe mode and then run WhoCrashed. Check out this article for information on how to boot into safe mode.

The program is strangely named “WhoCrashed”. Obviously if you’re using this tool, YOU crashed – no question about that. It is free for home use. If you do crash analysis for a living, you have to purchase this program. On the other hand if you do crash analysis for a living, you probably would use this program. We’re just sayin’

The author has about a zillion other freeware products. We have not tested any of them but this one. The computer we tested this on had no crash dump logs so we couldn’t give you a meaty screen shot. We can provide you with a screen shots though, just so you know we really do test this stuff.

Aye, matey. Above be the main interface of the program.

Above – after the program has analyzed our computer.

Above: Woe is us. We have no recent crash dumps for you to behold.

OK. If you want to try this program out because you have had mysterious crashes or blackouts, or because you have had problems with booting into Windows, that’s fine as long as you understand that his program will not solve the problem for you. It may – key word being MAY – give you a clue as to where to look to find the root of the problem and that can help you or your computer tech fix it.

Read more about and/or download WhoCrashed here. It’s only about 2 GB and works on all versions of Windows both 64-bit and 32-bit from Windows XP through Windows 10.

Please remember we’re not recommending any of the other zillions of programs this guy offers…we’ve not tested anyone them but WhoCrashed. If you choose to download anything other than WhoCrashed, and something happens, don’t blame us, I tells ya!

Now, go forth, and get WhoCrashed, if you so desire, here.