What does memory.dmp file refer to

[cupid!]

Due to a system "crash" I recently re-installed Windows XP Professional from my original store-bought CD-ROM. After a successful installation, I connected to the Internet and Windows XP automatically downloaded over one-half gigabyte of "Windows Updates." After a successful installation of "Windows Update," I noticed the available remaining space on my hard drive "shrunk" by approximately one-half gigabyte. I utilized Windows XP tools to "compress" the hard drive, then "defragmented" the drive to free up some space. After a number of attempts to "defrag" the hard drive I noticed that has an approximately one-half gigabyte file named "memory.dmp," which resided in the C:\WINNT root directory, and it would simply not "unfrag" and its space on my hard drive remained "RED" despite over one dozen attempts to complete defragmentation on the drive. Can I simply "delete" the "memory.dmp" file.

[CGale]

On a Windows based system during a violent crash of the system, the system performs a memory dump for copying the contents of memory (RAM) in a file on the hard disk. The file created, named Memory.dmp, is generally large because it contains all data in memory before the crash. If the system reboots, works properly, you can safely delete this file. It lodges in the default Windows directory: C: \ Windows \ Memory.dmp

[Loveyboo]

MEMORY.DMP file preserves the contents of the RAM in the event of system crashes and can be used to trace the cause of the crash itself. You can avoid creating the file system by clicking the right mouse button over the icon "My Computer" and selecting Properties. In the window that appears click on the Advanced folder, click on "Startup and Recovery" and section "Write debugging information", select "No".

[Ticod]

The memory dump file contains the contents of your computer's memory and other technical information. The information is pretty much unintelligible to ordinary users, but it can be helpful to Microsoft engineers when diagnosing a crash. Your system is probably set up to write a 'complete memory dump' if it halts unexpectedly. It it doesn't have to be this way, then you can choose to have a 'small memory dump' instead, which will record the smallest amount of information that will help identify a problem. To learn how to do this, open Help and Support and search for 'memory dump' (without the quotes, of course). Read the article entitled "Specify what Windows does if the system stops unexpectedly." As long as you've re-installed Windows, you can safely delete the old dump file (as they're called.).