Re: Finding out where a crash occurred

From:

Scot T Brennecke <ScotB@Spamhater.MVPs.org>

Newsgroups:

microsoft.public.vc.language

Date:

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:04:40 -0500

Message-ID:

<eDy0XQ6EKHA.1252@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl>

Richard wrote:

[Please do not mail me a copy of your followup]

Scot T Brennecke <ScotB@Spamhater.MVPs.org> spake the secret code
<OwaCqtwEKHA.1340@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl> thusly:

Alternatively, you can install (on the customer's machine) the Debugging
Tools for Windows package:
Debugging Tools for Windows - Overview:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx

Once installed, you can use the ADPlus script to generate a crash dump
when the program throws an exception. For instance, you
could start a command window from the folder where the tools are installed with:
cscript adplus.vbs -crash -quiet -pn <yourprogname> -o: <some path to a
folder for the dump>

Then, using the WinDbg debugger (also part of the tools you installed),
you can open the dump file and examine it for details about
the location of the crash. You can start with the command "!analyze -v"

BugTrap will do all this by providing you with a minidump that you can
load into VS.NET. And all without having the customer install
anything other than your application.

Please note that I did not disparage the "BugTrap" product. I started my post with "alternatively", for those who prefer to a get a
slightly more "raw" format and use a Microsoft tool for diagnosis, rather than relying on a third-party tool to summarize it. There
are pros and cons to choosing either option, and thus I believe in presenting choices.