How to Capture a Process Dump via the Taskbar

Overview

When installing a product like GFI MailEssentials, the EdgeTransport.exe process (part of Microsoft Exchange) may hang and leave Exchange stuck in a "Starting" state. To help the support team diagnose the root cause, you will need to capture a memory dump of the hanging process.

This guide walks you through capturing that dump directly from the Windows Taskbar using Task Manager — no additional tools required.

Prerequisites

Applicable When: EdgeTransport.exe Hangs or Microsoft Exchange Is Stuck on Starting

• Make sure you are logged in as a local Administrator or a user with administrative privileges.
• Do not restart the server or the Exchange services before capturing the dump — the hanging state is exactly what needs to be captured.
• The dump file can be large (several GBs depending on server RAM). Ensure you have enough free disk space.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1 — Open Task Manager from the Taskbar

1. Look at the bottom of your screen for the Windows Taskbar.
2. Right-click on an empty area of the Taskbar.
3. From the context menu that appears, click "Task Manager".

💡 Alternative: You can also press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Task Manager directly.

---

Step 2 — Switch to the Details Tab

1. When Task Manager opens, it may open in a simplified view.
   • If you see a small window with just a list of apps, click "More details" at the bottom to expand it.
2. Click on the "Details" tab at the top of Task Manager.
   • This tab shows all running processes by their executable name (e.g., EdgeTransport.exe).

---

Step 3 — Locate the Hanging Process

1. In the Details tab, scroll through the list of processes.
2. Look for EdgeTransport.exe.
   • It may show a status of "Not Responding" or appear to be consuming abnormal CPU/memory.
3. Click on it once to highlight/select it.

⚠️ Note: If you see multiple instances of EdgeTransport.exe, capture a dump of the one showing "Not Responding" or the one with the highest resource usage.

---

Step 4 — Create the Dump File

1. With EdgeTransport.exe selected (highlighted in blue), right-click on it.

2. From the context menu, select "Create dump file".

3. Windows will begin generating the dump. A progress dialog will appear — do not close Task Manager or click anything else during this process.

4. Once complete, a dialog box will appear with the message:

   "The file has been successfully created."

   It will also show you the exact file path where the dump was saved — typically something like:

   C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Temp\EdgeTransport.DMP
   

   
   

5. Note down or copy this file path — you will need it in the next step.

---

Step 5 — Retrieve the Dump File

1. Open File Explorer (press Windows Key + E).
2. Navigate to the path shown in the dialog from Step 4.
   • The quickest way: click the address bar in File Explorer, paste the path, and press Enter.
3. You should see a file named EdgeTransport.DMP.
4. Copy this file to an easily accessible location such as your Desktop or a dedicated folder (e.g., C:\Dumps\).

---

Step 6 — Share the Dump with Support

1. Compress the .DMP file into a .zip archive to make it easier to upload.
   • Right-click the file → "Send to" → "Compressed (zipped) folder".
2. Upload or share the compressed file with the GFI Support team as instructed, along with:
   • The date and time the hang occurred.
   • Any event log errors from around the same time (Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application/System).
   • The version of GFI MailEssentials installed.

---

A quick illustration video

Tips & Troubleshooting

• "Create dump file" option is greyed out or missing? Make sure you are running Task Manager as an Administrator. Right-click the Taskbar → Task Manager → then right-click the Task Manager icon in the Taskbar and select "Run as administrator".
• Can't find EdgeTransport.exe? The process may have already crashed. In that case, check Windows Event Viewer (search for "Event Viewer" in the Start Menu) under Windows Logs → Application for crash-related errors.
• Dump file is too large to upload? Contact GFI Support for an alternative upload method such as FTP or a shared link.