Debugging Resources Overview (Windows Embedded CE 6.0)

  • Article

1/5/2010

Windows Embedded CE is equipped with a variety of tools that enable a user to thoroughly test and debug a Windows Embedded CE-based target device. In addition, documentation for several features includes additional debugging help. For more information, see Feature-specific Debugging Resources.

The following table describes the debugging and testing tools available through Platform Builder.

Debugging and testing tool Description

Kernel Debugger

The kernel debugger is a full-featured debugging system that controls the behavior of an operating system (OS) image. It stops all hardware interrupts, stops the complete OS, and provides full-featured debugging support that includes the following:

  • Set breakpoints based on locations, based on a condition, or based on the occurrence of a specified message
  • Single step through the OS or kernel code.
  • Retrieve stack trace information.
  • View information such as variable and memory values, and values for processes, threads, and modules.
  • Use zones to select filter debug output.

Command-Line Options with Target Control

Target Control commands in the shell provide useful command-line debugging, profiling, and logging options. Use these options to

  • Perform command-line execution
  • Break into the kernel debugger
  • View information about memory, processes, threads and modules
  • Control CeLog Event Tracking and Kernel Profiler
  • Execute commands for a debugger extension DLL

CeLog Event Tracking

The CeLog event tracking subsystem provides powerful and highly customizable event tracking.

Hardware-assisted Debugging

With hardware-assisted debugging, you can debug even when the target does not yet have a working bootloader or operating system.

The following list describes some hardware-assisted debugging mechanisms you can use with Windows Embedded CE.

  • Third-party probe: Allows full-featured hardware-assisted debugging with the kernel debugger or a vendor-specific debugger.
  • PC Card extender: Allows you to debug power-draw related problems.
  • Logic analyzer: Helps you monitor the microprocessor or PCI bus traffic and analyze timing problems in your device driver.
  • Debug LEDs, 7-segment LED: Signals execution of specified parts of your code.

Tools for Performance Tuning

Platform Builder includes powerful tools that you can use to analyze performance, including tools for profiling, tracking kernel events, and targeted event logging.

Remote Tools

Remote tools are tools you can use from your development workstation to monitor, analyze, and modify programs on a target device.

Windows Embedded CE Test Kit

The Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Test Kit (CETK) provides tests and tools that you can use to analyze and test a wide variety of components and device drivers. Test harnesses and tools enable you examine

  • Memory resources and utilization
  • Network and connectivity performance
  • Device drivers
  • Storage devices
  • Scripting processes
  • User Interface elements for mobile devices
  • Device performance under stress conditions

Error Reporting

Windows Embedded CE Error Reporting enables a device to save key information about the state of the computer at the time of a program crash.

See Also

Other Resources

Diagnostics and Debugging for Mobile and Embedded Development
Core OS Services