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Collecting Memory Logs

When Zenith crashes or hangs, memory logging can help identify the root cause. Follow the steps below to enable and collect a memory log for analysis.

Enabling Memory Logging​

Update your Zenith configuration file with the following entries:

[log-uefi]
target = "MemoryBuffer"

[log-vmm]
target = "MemoryBuffer"

[memlog]
address = 0xf80000000
capacity = 0x40000000

A detailed explanation on how to use a custom configuration can be found here.

Configuration Details​

  • address — Currently configured for a 64 GB RAM system (0xf80000000).
    It’s recommended to choose an address roughly 2 GB below your total system memory. You may need to adjust this value depending on your specific RAM size.

    Common configurations
    RAM availableConfig Value
    16 GB0x380000000
    32 GB0x780000000
    64 GB0xf80000000
    128 GB0x1f80000000

  • capacity — Defines the maximum memory reserved for logging.
    The default value of 1 GB is typically sufficient and can remain unchanged.

Boot Process​

  1. Create a Zenith bootable USB stick using the updated configuration.
    A detailed explanation on how to use a custom configuration can be found here.

  2. Boot from the USB stick.
    You’ll be prompted to press F10, as no memory log exists yet — this is expected.

  3. Run Zenith and observe its behavior (e.g., wait for the crash or hang).
    If the system hangs for about a minute, press the reset button on your PC (do not power off).

  4. Boot again directly from the Zenith USB stick.
    This time, Zenith should indicate that a memory log has been successfully written.

  5. Remove the USB stick, reset the PC, and boot normally into your operating system.

Extracting the Memory Log​

note

These memory logs are not human-readable.
Specialized tools are required to interpret them. You can simply share the memlog.bin file in Discord for analysis.

After booting back into your normal operating system:

  1. Reinsert the Zenith USB stick.

  2. Extract the memory log using the Zenith installer:

    # Hint: 
    # You have to run the command line as administrator.

    .\zenith-installer.exe internal collect-memlog memlog.bin

    The log will be saved as memlog.bin in your current working directory.