how to read minidumps

You don't.

If it is minidumping with a mod there is problems with the mod

or u r trying to play multi with the mod. Other people dont have the same mod as u, unless specified, and u get a mini dump.

Ive downloaded alot of mods in the past 2 days and each mod we are playing is causing minidumps with regular sins and the expansion.. im going to try re-installing the game thru impulse again...

Make sure the mods your trying to run are updated for the current versions for SINS and Entrechment.

i have been tying out dolynicks sg mod, but it kept minidumping, and i was hoping it could tell me whats wrong.

As far as I know, there is no way to read the information in a minidump unless you are one of the devs and have access to their tools.

I'm afraid I'm not sure what is the cause of your problems with the mod as, to the best of my knowledge based on feedback, others are not experiencing the same issues.

-dolynick

You can use any Windows debugger that can read user mode memory dumps, though you'll not make any sense of its content, unless you know how to read assembler, operate on stack, read cpu regs and flags, etc. In order to make it more user friendly, you need source code and symbol database file for this exact version of executable.

If you still insist on checking the actual execution point where it crashes, use free Microsoft Debugging Tools for Windows (very solid set of tools for every software engineer).

Cheers

PS> Checking the actual address where it crashes may "rarely" lead to something, e.g. if it crashes in display driver, then you could try updating your drivers to eliminate possibility that driver is causing the crash.

I don't like the "There is no discernable way for a lay modder to read the Dev.exe minidumps" answer. My latest crashes yield a truncated Debug.txt and have no constructive information in them. I have the latest drivers and have validated the files in Steam through the Properties menu.

There has to be a way to debug this game without speaking an obscure language that only computers seem to really understand.

Given how "insightful" the error messages are, I wouldn't expect too much...

There is no discernable way for anyone without Sin's source code to get a lot out of dump files. Believe me, I asked every software developer I know and they all gave the same answer. The data is near meaningless unless you can see the code.

I built a giant flesh grill in my basement. Whenever I need something draconian like Sins to play nice, I sacrifice crates of interns to a bright red flame for ten days. Eventually, the flames start speaking to me, and though I don't understand their words, I take heart in my successful ritual.

Well, my mod still crashes 9 times out of 10 when starting a game, but I assume that 1 time out of 10 is the will of the underworld at work.