You'd see that RegOpenKeyEx is the function used to open registry keys. For example, a quick MSDN search on 'registry functions' would locate the MSDN documentation listing these functions at (VS.85).aspx. So how do you know what functions are used for different tasks? Although the function names provide some clues, you can use MSDN to research what calls are available. For example, if your application is reporting an error stating it was unable to open a registry key, your goal is to identify the function that's used to open registry keys. You need a way to determine the names of functions related to your problem.

Determining where to start debugging often begins outside the debugger. Tip 2: Find out as much as you can before debugging.īefore jumping into the debugger, get some basic information about the code you want to study. You can find the command line by using Process Explorer to obtain the command line, simply double-click the process, and you'll see the command line as displayed in Figure 1.įigure 1: Command line to launch a processĪfter opening the Windows debugger from the Debugging Tools for Windows Start menu group, you can launch Device Manager by selecting Open Executable from the File menu, as Figure 2 shows.Įnter the command line that you'd normally use to start the process. (For more information about downloading and getting started using the debugger, see 'Administrators' Intro to Debugging.') Before launching a process in the debugger, you'll need to obtain the command line that you will need to type into windbg to launch that process. When no information is output to the system about a problem, you can use the debugger (windbg.exe) as a powerful tool to identify what's going on in the process. I'll spare you the mind-numbing walk-through of the entire assembly-level debug of this particular problem and instead focus on sharing some basic debugging techniques that you'll need to be aware of as you begin crossing over into the intangible binary world of debugging.

You can apply these tips to any program that you're debugging.Īlthough these tips are generic, I'll demonstrate them by using a real application that I support-Device Manager-which you're probably familiar with. How many times have you faced a problem where no error information was displayed on screen and related logs provided no data to help trace the failure? Here I'll introduce you to five awesome tips that intermediate problem solvers who are new to debugging can use as a starting point in learning to reverse-engineer this type of problem.

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