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

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 WDK

Install Debugging Tools for Windows as Part of the Windows SDK

If you want to develop and debug user-mode code, 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 part of the SDK

Install Debugging Tools for Windows as a Standalone Component

If you do not want an entire kit (WDK or SDK), you can install the Debugging Tools as a standalone component from the Windows SDK.

TO INTSTALL JUST DEBUGGING TOOLS: In the SDK installation wizard, select Debugging Tools, and clear other components that you don’t want. Note that .NET Framework 4.0 also will be installed.

Install Debugging Tools for Windows as a Standalone Component

Install Debugging Tools for Windows without Installing .NET Framework

If you do NOT want to install the .NET Framework, there are additional steps needed.

Start the install process on a different computer where it is okay to install the .NET Framework. The installer requires .NET Framework 4.0 or higher, and will install .NET if it is not already installed.
Install the Debugging Tools as a standalone component from the Windows SDK. In the installation wizard, select Debugging Tools, and clear other components that you don’t want.
After installation is complete, go to the program files directory and look for (%Program Files%)\Windows Kits\8.0\Debuggers\Redist\.
Copy and run the applicable MSIs on the computer that cannot have .NET.

32-Bit and 64-Bit Debugger Packages

When 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 Consumer Preview Version of Debugging Tools for Windows

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview release of Debugging Tools for Windows supports the following versions of Windows:

Debuggers and tools run on:	Debuggers can debug:
Windows 8 Consumer Preview Windows Server 8 Beta Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Vista (See note.) Windows Server 2008 (See note.)	Windows 8 Consumer Preview Windows Server 8 Beta 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.

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.

Download the Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7

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 Consumer Preview Windows Server 8 Beta Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Vista Windows Server 2008 Windows XP Window Server 2003 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 8 Beta, Windows 8 Consumer Preview, 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.