Debugging Toolbox

This one is a quickie for an easy reference to most commonly used debugging tools and links. I hope you find it useful, and kindly indicate your feedback on this page by using the comments section or by rating the post!

Debugging Toolbox

 

Tool

Key Usage Scenarios

Download location

WinDbg

Interactive production debugging

Dump analysis

Local kernel debugging

 

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx

CDB

Scriptable, low overhead capture of dumps

 

Low overhead interactive debugging

ADPlus

Scripted automation for capturing dumps

DebugDiag

Can setup rules for capturing dumps in an unattended, logged-off scenario

 

Automated analysis of basic crash, hang and leak scenarios

http://www.iis.net

SysInternals Process Monitor

Interactive process and thread level details

 

Handle usage

http://www.sysinternals.net

TLIST

Listing services

Listing process tree

Listing which processes have loaded a module

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx

Performance Monitor

Interactive display of performance data on the system (System Monitor)

 

Logged-off unattended capturing of performance logs

Shipped with the OS

Application Verifier

Enable various checks to trap deep rooted issues earlier such as

 

Orphaned critical sections

Heap corruption

Unsafe API usage

Simulate low memory conditions

 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa480483.aspx

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=C4A25AB9-649D-4A1B-B4A7-C9D8B095DF18&displaylang=en

 

PREFast

Static source code analysis to detect potential buffer / stack overruns etc.

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/tools/prefast.mspx

XPerf / XPerfInfo

Profiler / tracing of user mode applications

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc305187.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/performance/cc825801.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/seema/archive/2008/10/08/xperf-a-cpu-sampler-for-silverlight.aspx

 

UserDump

Automated capture of dumps

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e089ca41-6a87-40c8-bf69-28ac08570b7e&DisplayLang=en

 

LeakDiag

Leak diagnostics

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/PSS/Tools/Developer%20Support%20Tools/LeakDiag

 

Native code debugging sites and blogs

http://www.advancedwindowsdebugging.com

http://blogs.msdn.com/ntdebugging

http://www.osronline.com

http://www.alex-ionscu.com

http://www.dumpanalysis.org

http://www.nynaeve.net/

http://blogs.thinktecture.com/ingo/archive/2006/08/05/414674.aspx

 

.NET articles:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms954594.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/03/06/Bugslayer

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/03/Bugslayer

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892277

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/05/07/Debugging/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/06/11/CLRInsideOut/default.aspx

 

.NET debugging blogs:

http://blogs.msdn.com/yunjin/

http://blogs.msdn.com/tess/

http://blogs.msdn.com/jmstall/

http://blogs.msdn.com/mvstanton/ 

http://blogs.msdn.com/cbrumme/

http://blogs.msdn.com/maoni/

http://blogs.msdn.com/toddca/

http://blogs.msdn.com/suzcook/

http://www.debugtricks.com

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