Debugging Resources Overview (Windows CE 5.0)

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Windows Mobile 5.0 is equipped with a variety of tools that allow a user to thoroughly test and debug a platform. 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 Windows Mobile 5.0.

Debugging and testing tool Description

System Debugging

 The kernel debugger is a full-featured debugging system that controls the behavior of an operating system (OS) image. It stops all hardware interrupts, halts the entire OS, and provides full-featured debugging support, including 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.
Target Control Window The Target Control dialog box provides useful command-line debugging options. Use these options to
  • Break into the kernel debugger
  • View information about processes, threads and modules
  • Control CeLog Event Tracking
  • Display memory information
CeLog Event Tracking The CeLog event tracking subsystem provides powerful and highly customizable event tracking.
Hardware-assisted Debugging Hardware-assisted debugging allows you to debug even when the target does not yet have a working bootloader or operating system.

The following list describes some hardware-assisted debugging methods you can use with Windows 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.

Emulator

 The Emulator simulates the behavior of a Windows CE-based target device on your development workstation.
Remote Tools Remote Tools allow you to use a development workstation to remotely perform a variety of programming tasks on a Microsoft® Windows® CE–based target device.
  • Download a file to the target device
  • Monitor status of processes and threads on the target device
  • Measure performance of the target device
  • View and edit information in the target device file system and registry
Core Connectivity The Core Connectivity infrastructure manages the communications between a desktop computer and a Windows CE-based target device. Core Connectivity allows you to download an application or run-time image to a target device, and to connect to that device for development and debugging.
Windows CE Test Kit The Windows CE Test Kit (CETK) is a tool that you can use to test device drivers that you develop for the Windows Mobile operating system (OS).

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