Fix ERROR_CRASH_DUMP (0X000002F1) – Crash dump in paging file

Quick answer for pros: Boot into Safe Mode with Command Prompt, run bcdedit /deletevalue {default} crashdumplog and fsutil dirty set C: to mark the volume dirty, then reboot twice.

What this error actually means

I've seen this on a dozen machines—usually after a hard crash, power loss, or failed Windows update that left a memory dump half-written inside the pagefile.sys. Windows tries to read that dump on next boot, finds it corrupted, and throws 0X000002F1 instead of loading. Your system either blue-screens immediately or gets stuck in a boot loop.

Had a client last month whose entire print queue died because of this—server crashed mid-July patch, and every reboot threw the same error. The fix? Clear the pagefile. That's it. The dump is toast anyway, don't try to recover it.

Before you start

You'll need access to Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). If your PC boots to a blue screen immediately, force a shutdown 3 times in a row—Windows should drop you into automatic repair. From there, choose Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings → Restart. Then press 4 for Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator
   In Safe Mode, right-click Start and select Command Prompt (Admin). If you're in WinRE, go to Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Command Prompt.
2. Delete the crash dump reference from BCD
   Run:
   

   bcdedit /deletevalue {default} crashdumplog

   This tells Windows to stop trying to read the broken dump. If it says the value doesn't exist, move on—means the reference is already gone but the file is still corrupt.
3. Mark the volume dirty so Windows checks and clears pagefile
   Run:
   

   fsutil dirty set C:

   Replace C: with your system drive letter. This flag forces a chkdsk on next boot, which will reset the paging file.
4. Reboot normally
   Type exit and press Enter. Then reboot. Windows will run a disk check—let it complete. That scan wipes the pagefile free of the stuck dump.
5. Second reboot to finalize
   After chkdsk finishes, your PC should boot normally. If it does, reboot once more to confirm the pagefile is clean. No more 0X000002F1.

If the main fix doesn't work

Sometimes bcdedit won't cooperate, especially on UEFI systems with bitlocker. Try these instead:

Manually delete pagefile.sys from WinRE

Boot into WinRE Command Prompt (same as above). Run:

del C:\pagefile.sys /ah /f

Disable automatic dump creation temporarily

If you can boot into Safe Mode with Networking, go to System Properties → Advanced → Startup and Recovery → Settings. Under Write debugging information, choose None. Reboot, then re-enable it back to Small memory dump after you're stable.

Reset the entire BCD store

Last resort—only if nothing else works. In WinRE Command Prompt:

bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd

Prevention tip

Don't disable paging files entirely—that causes different crashes. Instead, set your pagefile to system-managed size (default). Also, run sfc /scannow and chkdsk /f C: once a month to catch bad sectors before they corrupt dumps. And for God's sake, shut down properly. Hard power-offs are the #1 cause of this error.