The Windows Debugger for Advanced System Analysis
WinDbg is a powerful, user-mode and kernel-mode debugger for Microsoft Windows. It is an essential tool for developers and system administrators who need to diagnose and resolve complex issues in applications, operating system components, and drivers.
Developed by Microsoft, WinDbg provides an extensive set of capabilities for examining the state of a system, including memory, registers, threads, and modules. Its advanced features make it suitable for debugging anything from simple user-mode applications to the deepest kernel-level problems.
Diagnose boot failures, driver issues, and system crashes (Blue Screen of Death) by attaching to a running kernel or debugging a crash dump.
Debug applications, services, and processes running in user space. Identify memory leaks, unhandled exceptions, and performance bottlenecks.
Analyze memory dumps generated during system crashes or application failures to pinpoint the root cause of the problem.
Supports scripting with JavaScript, Python, and C++ extensions, allowing for automation and custom analysis.
Offers a rich command-line interface with commands for examining memory (dd, dq), registers (r), call stacks (k), loaded modules (lm), and much more.
Provides a user-friendly graphical interface for managing debug sessions, viewing data, and setting breakpoints.
WinDbg is part of the Debugging Tools for Windows, which can be downloaded as part of the Windows SDK.
To view the current call stack:
kd> k
To examine 32 bits of memory at a specific address:
kd> dd 0x1000
WinDbg is an indispensable tool for deep system diagnostics, offering unparalleled insight into the inner workings of Windows.