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MultiScope Debuggers for Windows Release 1.01 READ.ME 6/18/91 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This READ.ME file contains important information about the MultiScope Debuggers for Windows and DOS. Please be sure to read each of the sections below before using the debuggers. This file is divided into eight sections: I. Tutorial Notes II. Installation Notes III. The MultiScope Launcher IV. General Debugger Notes V. Windows Debugger Specific Notes VI. DOS Debugger Specific Notes VII. General Documentation Notes VIII. XGA Adapter Cards I. Tutorial Notes ================= Please note that you need to specify the option /DOS for performing the Tutorial as described in Section 2.1.1, Using the Windows or Presentation Manager User Interface, of the manual. II. Installation Notes ====================== Two installation programs are provided with this release of the MultiScope Debuggers for Windows. One (INSTALL.EXE) operates under Windows 386 Enhanced mode, and the other (INSTALLT.EXE) operates under DOS. If your system cannot operate under Windows 386 Enhanced mode, you can install the MultiScope Debuggers by using INSTALLT.EXE from the DOS command line. III. The MultiScope Launcher ============================ Included in this release of the MultiScope Debuggers for Windows is the MultiScope RTD Launcher. This program operates under the Windows environment and allows you to more easily execute (or "launch") the MultiScope Run-Time Debuggers. With the MultiScope Launch program you can quickly select the debugger configuration you want to execute, and the particular application you wish to debug. Your selected options are automatically saved when you press the "Ok" button, and will reappear the next time you execute Launch. IV. General Debugger Notes ========================== * Each of the MultiScope Run-Time Debuggers for Windows and DOS support the interruption of the debuggee's execution with the Ctrl-Alt-SysReq key sequence. Pressing Ctrl-Alt-SysReq will stop the application and return control to the debugger. Note: In order to for Ctrl-Alt-SysRq to work with the Windows application debuggers, you must have WINDEBUG.386 in your Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) base directory. In addition, for Windows, you can use this sequence of keys to trigger a dump of your Windows application when monitoring with MED. This is particularly useful when your application is in a dead loop. * The debug information generated by the Microsoft C 6.0 compiler is not as complete as that generated by the 5.1 compiler. For example, pointer type names are not output, so the data window will display a '*' for the type, rather than the complete pointer type ('* BaseList', for example). Microsoft C 5.1 does, however, output complete debug information. * For the Microsoft compilers, it is important to always compile with the /Od switch when preparing a program for debugging. This switch disables several optimizations, including code reorganization and stack frame elimination. It is possible to debug programs that have been completely optimized, but variables, line number information, and the call chain may not seem correct (when in fact they are, according to how the code has been re-organized by the compiler). * If you experience low-memory problems with Windows when debugging very large applications, or when debugging DOS or single-system Windows Real mode applications with the WRTDP debugger, try adding the following lines to your Windows SYSTEM.INI file (in the [386Enh] section): MaxPagingFileSize=3000 PagingDrive=x where "x" is the drive letter of a drive that contains at least 3 megabytes of free disk space. (Also see the next note immediately below.) * It has been found that when using certain versions of QEMM386.SYS (version 5.12, for example) as a replacement for Windows' HIMEM.SYS, you may experience memory problems with Windows when debugging very large applications. If you experience problems, use the original Windows HIMEM.SYS rather than QEMM386.SYS. V. Windows Debugger Notes ========================= * If you are debugging multiple applications that require synchronization between each other (using DDE, for example), or if you are debugging a system-modal dialog box routine, you should debug them using the RTDWP debugger. This debugger provides greater control in dealing with these types of applications than the WRTDP debugger does. This is due to the fact that the character-mode RTDWP debugger actually freezes the entire state of Windows when execution is at a breakpoint. Note, however, that the WRTDP debugger works for most Windows applications without any problem, and provides a more convenient Windows graphical user interface than that of the character-mode RTDWP debugger. * Windows sometimes has trouble properly redirecting the input context back to the debugger in certain situations. Here are workarounds for two known cases of this limitation of Windows: - If you are debugging a DLL, and this DLL is unloaded during execution, you may have to press the Esc (escape) key to reset the input focus of Windows back to the debugger. - If you are using the RTDWP debugger, and seem to experience the loss of the keyboard after hitting a breakpoint, press Alt+Tab. This problem can occur depending on the particular operating context Windows is in when you hit the breakpoint. Pressing Alt+Tab in the RTDWP forces a keyboard input focus change back to the debugger. * If you experience problems when performing single-system Windows Real mode debugging (WRTDP /WINREAL - with no /REMOTE option), try the following: - Ensure that the MultiScope Debugger directory is in your PATH before you start Windows - Make sure you are using the standard Windows VGA driver (not a third-party Super VGA driver). Note: not all third party display drivers support the execution of Windows Real mode under the Windows 386 Enhanced mode environment. - Read the notes in Section IV above about dealing with memory problems under Windows (as the problem may be related to a Windows low memory situation) - Remove or comment out the "load=" and "run=" statements in your Windows WIN.INI file If you do not want to make any of these changes to your Windows configuration, you can use the RMSERWR and RMNETWR debuggers to remote debug your Windows Real mode applications. * If you cannot establish a remote connection when using the WRTDP debugger to debug remotely via a Novell network (using the Novell NetBIOS emulator), try the following: - add or modify the following statements in your Windows SYSTEM.INI file: NetHeapSize=16 NetAsynchFallback=TRUE NetAsynchTimeout=25.0 (refer to your Windows documentation for more information on these settings) - add or modify the following statements in your Novell SHELL.CFG file: NETBIOS BROADCAST COUNT = m NETBIOS BROADCAST DELAY = n (refer to your Novell documentation for more information on these settings) * The WRTDP and RTDWP debuggers included in this release contain an additional set of Spy window commands not described in the documentation. These commands appear in the Spy window Bpt menu, and allow you to set breakpoints on messages sent to window procedures in the debuggee application(s). Here is a summary of these commands: Spy Window Bpt Menu (Windows debuggers only) Set Breakpoint on Message - Alt+Z This command allows you to quickly set a breakpoint on any message that has been spied by the Spy window. Simply select the line containing the particular window and message in the spy window, and execute this command. A breakpoint will be set at the entry point of the window procedure corresponding to the window handle of the spied message, and execution of the application will break to the debugger when that message is received by the window procedure. Set Breakpoint... - Alt+B This command allows you to specify a particular window, and a message (or set of messages) to break on when received by the window procedure of the specified window. Simply execute this command, and specify the window and message(s) to break on. Clear All Breakpoints - Alt+K This command allows you to clear all of the breakpoints set in the application. Note: Breakpoints can only be set on the window procedures of applications currently being debugged. If you attempt to set a message breakpoint on a window of an application that is not being debugged, you will receive the message "Unknown window procedure". * This release of the RTDWP debugger for Windows applications contains an additional option not described in the documentation: /SVGA. This option controls the repainting of the Windows desktop when switching from the debugger screen to the Windows application. Depending on your particular video card type, and the video mode you are operating Windows in, you may notice that areas of the Windows desktop are not properly repainted when the debugger switches to the Windows application context (this can typically occur in some Super-VGA modes). If this occurs, you can specify the /SVGA option, and the RTDWP will cause a repaint message to be sent, thereby "cleaning up" the display. Note: Use of this option will cause WM_PAINT messages to be sent to the application, which can interfere with the debugging of the application's paint procedures. This option has no effect when the /DUAL option is specified. * The WRTDP and RTDWP debuggers included in this release contain an additional option not described in the documentation, /CACHE. This option controls the internal file caching of the debugger, allowing for greater speed of operation. This option takes an argument that specifies the size of the cache in kilobytes. The default setting of this option is /CACHE:256. To disable caching entirely, specify /CACHE:0. VI. DOS Debugger Notes ======================= * If you are going to use the RTD386 or SRTD386, and are using a mouse, you should replace your existing mouse driver with the mouse driver in the MOUSE subdirectory of the main MultiScope installation directory. This driver provides additional support for these debuggers. * If you have configured VRTD386.SYS for high memory, and are are using high memory for TSRs and device drivers, you can get a list of the programs loaded high by executing the LH.EXE program without any arguments. * The RTD386 or SRTD386 debuggers use the non-maskable interrupt of the processor for performing the virtual machine communication. Your application should not use the NMI when being debugged with either of these debuggers. * When configuring VRTD386.SYS for use with RTD386 and SRTD386, keep a DOS boot disk handy. VRTD386.SYS performs memory remapping for creating high memory and expanded memory, and if memory is remapped over a disk controller ROM or a network card, the machine may hang the next time you boot. VII. General Documentation Notes ================================= * The MultiScope Run-Time Debuggers for Windows provided in this release include an additional command in the Program menu, Exit Windows. The Exit Windows command allows you to exit Windows quickly, without having to first close the debugger, then the application, and then Windows. It can be quite useful in situations where it is known that the debuggee application is going to crash (perhaps even Windows), and want to exit Windows without executing the application any further. * The Assembly window View menu has been changed. It now contains three menu items: Symbols, Source, and Opcodes. Each of these options toggles on/off, and their state is saved in the debugger configuration file. The Symbols entry allows you to select whether or not to view the variables and procedure names in the assembly decode. The Source entry allows you to select whether or not view the source code intermixed with the decode. The Opcodes choice is the same as described in the manual. For maximum speed of operation when viewing the assembly window, turn both the Symbols and Source entries off. * The Data window Others menu now contains a new command, Show Char Ptrs as Strings. This option is a toggle, and its state is saved in the debugger configuration file. When this command is on, all character pointers (char * in the C language) will be displayed in the Data window as string object they point to. When this command is off, pointers will be displayed with their address value. * The Memory window Others menu, Set Memory Address command now prompts you with an expression dialog box instead of and address dialog box. You can entry an address- compatible expression to specify the memory address to view (i.e. ES:BX, DS:0x123, and so on). * Errata: Chapter 2 - Tutorial Page 2-11 (step 11), and page 2-22 (step 8), respectively, will initally display the global Help index. To view help for step 12 (page 9), scroll down until the line "Child/ Contents" in the paragraph titled "Data Window" is selected, and double-click or press Alt-H. Page 2-54 (step 1, Keyboard): from the local Show menu, select All. Page 2-73 (step 1): You might get an error message that you don't have enough memory to display the output of the application. If this occurs, close the application window by double-clicking on its system icon, and then exit the debugger. * Errata: Chapter 3 - Preparing Your Program Page 3-35 (in the "After" box), the #include statement should read "#include <med.h>". Page 3-37 (in the "After" box), the "CALL" is missing from before the "MEDDump(1)". VIII. Notes for XGA Adapter Cards ================================== * MultiScope Debuggers for Windows fully support the XGA adapter card, and allow you to debug your Windows applications using either the character mode or the Windows interface debugger. * If you have installed Windows using the XGAHI Windows display driver (allowing you to display 256 different colors), you should copy the file WMS-XGA.CFG to WMS.CFG. This will give the debugger nicer default colors for this configuration. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (C) 1990, 1991 MultiScope, Inc. All Rights Reserved. MultiScope is a trademark of MultiScope, Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.