Debugging on Windows7 64-bit

Question

Hi,

I am trying to debug my app, which was compiled for 32-bit, native code, under VS2005. It crashes on a Windows 7 64-bit machine. I can't figure out how to get a call stack to see where it's crashing. I installed VS2005 on the Windows 7 machine, ran my app, got my crash -- and the dialog had a "Debug" button on it! Yay! I hit the "Debug" button, and it didn't do anything. How do I need to configure this?

I was wondering if I have to be running a Debug build? I copied my debug binaries over, but they won't run because of "side-by-side configuration" problem; apparently it does not have the debug ATL, MFC, CRT stuff that my 32-bit app wants to use. How do I fix that?

Answer 1

When installing VS with defaults, it will not install the 64 bit debugger. You must go back to the installer, select a custom install, and expressly select the 64 bit debugger.

Answer 2

If the debugger won't start after the crash, just attach the debugger before the crash (if possible):

• Start the debugger
• Choose "Attach to process"
• And select your process

The process will possibly hang for a few seconds while the debugger loads all the symbol information.

If your application now crashes, the debugger will automatically stop at the place of the crash. If this doesn't happen, check the Exceptions dialog and enable the relevant exceptions.