no automatic symbol loading for driver

WINDBG
1

I usually debug with my dev box running VMWare and build tools. VMWare has a VM loaded that is running my current target machine.

I then hardcode a __debugbreak() in a key point in my code (ie DriverEntry). Often, this causes symbols to automatically load for my driver. At other times, symbols do NOT automatically load and I have to use .reload.

Does anyone know why this is? WinDbg clearly knows where my symbols are since just typing .reload is sufficient. I’m developing a legacy driver running on Windows XP X64

2

Hello.

Have you run the debugger with the -n command line switch so as to sort
through the symbol loading spew? This should tell you something.

.pat styles [microsoft]

wrote in message news:xxxxx@windbg…

I usually debug with my dev box running VMWare and build tools. VMWare has
a VM loaded that is running my current target machine.

I then hardcode a __debugbreak() in a key point in my code (ie DriverEntry).
Often, this causes symbols to automatically load for my driver. At other
times, symbols do NOT automatically load and I have to use .reload.

Does anyone know why this is? WinDbg clearly knows where my symbols are
since just typing .reload is sufficient. I’m developing a legacy driver
running on Windows XP X64

3

I just tried it. WinDbg does not appear to be looking for the symbol for my module. I also noticed that doing a lm does not show my module as loaded even though it is broken into my code.

Perhaps this is a symbol issue with WinDbg now knowing how to correctly identify the current module.

I can do a “.reload”, but it is quite slow.

4

Did you by chance attach WinDBG *after* the system had already booted?

-scott

–
Scott Noone
Consulting Associate
OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc.
http://www.osronline.com

wrote in message news:xxxxx@windbg…
> I just tried it. WinDbg does not appear to be looking for the symbol for
> my module. I also noticed that doing a lm does not show my module as
> loaded even though it is broken into my code.
>
> Perhaps this is a symbol issue with WinDbg now knowing how to correctly
> identify the current module.
>
> I can do a “.reload”, but it is quite slow.
>

5

Did you attach windbg after booting the system?

mm

6

Oh. I didn’t realize that not being attached at boot would cause this to happen.
Rebooting fixed the problem. Thanks.

Are there docs describing this? Is this true for all the OSes?

7

I really don’t know the answer to either of your questions, but I would be surprised if the answer to the first isn’t ‘no,’ and the second isn’t ‘yes.’

mm