![]() ![]() The WinDbg GUI interprets commands you enter for setting breakpoints in device drivers or the NT kernel, for freezing and unfreezing the target, and for stepping through instructions. It's a two-computer debugging solution, where the command GUI runs on a computer that you connect to the one you are debugging (the target) via a standard NULL-modem serial cable. ![]() To understand why SoftICE is attractive, you must first understand what you get with WinDbg. The only alternative debugger on the market is Compuware NuMega's SoftICE for NT, and although it has a high price tag, it's a necessity for a serious kernel-mode programmer. Microsoft provides WinDbg as part of its Windows NT Software Development and Device Driver Development kits, so this product is essentially free when you buy a Microsoft Developer Network subscription. For stepping through NT's kernel, or tracing the execution flow from user space into the kernel, you need a kernel-mode debugger. My role as a device driver developer and student of Windows NT internals often requires me to go beyond where standard Win32 debuggers, such as Microsoft Visual C++ (VC++), can go.
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