How to debug a dll

Question

I'm having problems with a dll that I downloaded from somewhere. How can I look inside the dll to debug it?

Answer 1

If it doesn't have debug information then it's no use (usually DLLs are shipped in the "Release" version - which usually means that Debug information is not available). In order to actually debug you must also have the sources.

Answer 2

You don't say, but if it's a .NET assembly dll you could use the disassembly tool in Reflector to view reversed source code.

Answer 3

You can use a program like DLL Export Viewer to view DLL files.

But as lulian pointed out you can not debug it, unless you have sources or pdb file...

Answer 4

If it is a managed dll you can debug it with .NET Reflector Even without the symbols and without the source code. There you can

• Decompile third-party assemblies from within VS
• Step through decompiled assemblies and use all the debugging techniques you would use on your own code