Download and Install Debugging Tools for
Windows
Use Debugging Tools for Windows to debug drivers, applications, and services on Windows systems. Debugging Tools for Windows includes a core debugging engine and several tools that provide interfaces to the debugging engine. A Visual Studio extension provides a graphical user interface, as does Windows Debugger (WinDbg). Console Debugger (CDB), NT Symbolic Debugger (NTSD), and Kernel Debugger (KD) provide command line user interfaces. Install Debugging Tools for Windows as Part of the Windows Driver Kit (WDK)If you want to develop and debug drivers, you can install Debugging Tools for Windows as part of the Windows Driver Kit (WDK). Install Debugging Tools for Windows as Part of the Windows SDKIf you don’t need the WDK but you do need the Windows SDK, you can install Debugging Tools for Windows as part of the Windows SDK. In the installation wizard, be sure to select Debugging Tools. Install Debugging Tools for Windows as a Standalone ComponentIf you don’t need an entire kit (neither WDK nor Windows SDK) but you do need only the Debugging tools, you can install the Debugging Tools as a standalone component from the Windows SDK. In the Windows SDK installation wizard, click through a few screens, select Debugging Tools for Windows on the page for selecting features/options and clear other components that you don’t want. This will download Debugging Tools for Windows without the rest of the Windows SDK. 32-Bit and 64-Bit Debugger PackagesWhen you install Debugging Tools for Windows as part of the WDK or SDK, you get both a 32-bit set of tools and a 64-bit set of tools. If you use the Microsoft Visual Studio debugging environment, you don't have to be concerned about whether to use the 32- or 64-bit set, because Visual Studio automatically chooses the correct debugging tools. If you are using one of the other debugging environments (WinDbg, KD, CDB, or NTSD), you have to make the choice yourself. To determine which set of debugging tools to use, see
Choosing the 32-bit or 64-bit Debugging Tools Install the Windows 8 Version of Debugging Tools for WindowsThe Windows 8 release of Debugging Tools for Windows supports the following versions of Windows: |
|
| Debuggers and tools run on: | Debuggers can debug: |
- Windows 8
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows 7
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Vista (See note.)
- Windows Server 2008 (See note.)
| - Windows 8
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows 7
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Vista
- Windows Server 2008
|
Note: On Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, you can install Debugging Tools for Windows as a stand-alone package, but you cannot use Visual Studio Debugger integration.
See also:
Debugging Tools for Windows 8 Release Notes
Install the Windows 7 Version of Debugging Tools for Windows
There are certain rare circumstances in which you might need to download the Windows 7 version of Debugging Tools for Windows. For example, if you need SOS.dll for version 1 of the .NET Framework, you can get it from the Windows 7 version of the tools but not from the Windows 8 version. The Windows 7 version of Debugging Tools for Windows is included in the Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7.
Note: When you install the Windows SDK, but sure to select Debugging Tools in the installation wizard.
The Windows 7 release of Debugging Tools for Windows supports the following versions of Windows:
| Debuggers and tools run on | Debuggers can debug |
- Windows 8
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows 7
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Vista
- Windows Server 2008
- Windows XP
- Windows Server 2003
| - Windows 7
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Vista
- Windows Server 2008
- Windows XP
- Windows Server 2003
|
Windows Symbol Packages
When applications, libraries, or drivers are linked, the linker that creates the .exe, .sys, and .dll files also creates a number of additional files known as symbol files. Symbol files hold a variety of data which are not actually needed when running the binaries, but which could be very useful in the debugging process. In most debugging scenarios, you can get symbols as needed from Microsoft’s symbol server, and you do not need to download an entire symbol package. However, in some scenarios, you might want to download the entire set of symbols for a particular version of Windows.
If you want the entire set of symbols for Windows Server 2012, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000, then you can download a symbol package and install it on your computer.
Getting Started with Debugging Tools for Windows
Resources
