What is a physical memory dump and how do i make it stop?

[Lando Griffin]

I have a 3 week old dell and when I am online (mostly with any of the mp3
sharing programs) my screen goes blue and it says "A problem has
occurred...Physical Memory dump complete". I called dell tech support and
they said I had to reformat my computer, or the problem could be that the
software isn't compatible with dell. This is my 2nd dell and I never had a
problem with these programs before. I really don't want to reformat, please
tell me there is something else I can do.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

First, be sure your antivirus software has the latest definitions and run a
virus scan.

If your system is clear of viruses, open Control Panel, open Administrative
Tools, open Event Viewer, look for errors corresponding to the crash, double
click the error, the information contained within may give a clue as to the
source of the problem.

Assuming you have an XP CD and not a recovery CD, place the XP CD in the
drive, when the setup screen appears, select "Check System Compatibility,"
the report it generates may point to problem hardware or software on your
system.

Check for the latest drivers for your hardware, especially your graphics
card and soundcard and all peripherals connected to your system. No not use
Windows Update for this, go to the device manufacturer's web sites and if
you install updated drivers, ignore the message about drivers being unsigned
by Microsoft.