Windows only: WhoCrashed is a handy tool for performing crash dump analysis to isolate hardware, software, and driver problems. When Windows crashes it generates a fairly complex log file of what went wrong. WhoCrashed is a front end based on the Windows Debugging Package, designed to make reading those crash dumps a little easier. After loading a dump file, WhoCrashed gives you a break down of what happened and when, helping you isolate the crash in relation to variables like installing new video drivers, possible corruption of existing drivers and so forth. If you’ve wanted or needed to read over a Windows mini-dump file before but found the process frustrating check out WhoCrashed to get at the necessary data faster. WhoCrashed is freeware, Windows only. WhoCrashed [via gHacks]
Linux only: Linux systems are constantly writing status updates to a variety of different system logs—great news for debugging developer-types, not so great for anyone trying to save battery life on the go or get more life from their hard drives. Ramlog is a straightforward program that has your Linux system write log updates to RAM during a session, then dumps them onto the hard drive when shutting down. Ramlog creates a fixed-size RAM disk, so your memory won’t be overrun by over-active processes, and experienced users can still check out their logs. I can’t attest to long-term proof of the savings, but the hard drive conservation alone makes it worth running this simple program. Ramlog is a free download for Linux systems only, with a few pre-built packages; otherwise, hit the “via” link for instructions on installing from source. Ramlog [via Linux.com]
