INFO: Install a Subset of the Windows NT System Symbol Files After Installation of Visual C++ 6.0 (250843)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual Studio, Enterprise Edition 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Enterprise Edition 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Professional Edition 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Learning Edition 6.0
This article was previously published under Q250843

SUMMARY

During the last stage of the Visual C++ installation, the following message appears:

Setup has installed an icon in the Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 Tools program group that will allow you to install a subset of the Windows NT system symbols (.DGB) files from your Visual C++ CD-ROM. If the symbols are not installed, the Visual C++ debugger is not always able to determine the content of called functions.

For easier application debugging, it is strongly recommended that you install these files.
See the Visual C++ Readme for more information.

You can access the default launch point for this function from the Windows Programs menu: Point to Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0, then point to Microsoft Visual Studio and select Windows NT Symbols Setup.

Following the initial instructions, the following message will appear:

Please insert the VC 6 CD_ROM disk into Your CD-ROM drive. Select Continue to Proceed with the installation

Directory Name: <Installation Source>:\VC98\DEBUG\

The CD requested is installation disk Number One from Visual Studio or Visual C++ stand-alone.

Even with a clean installation, the following error messages will be returned:
The version of the file '<see list in the "More Information" section>' does not match the
corresponding dll on your machine. Do you want to copy it?

Select Exit to stop the installation program.

Followed by:
Not all symbol files are successfully installed on your system.

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

This article addresses the Windows NT symbol files only from an installation perspective, not from a developer or user perspective. The assumption is that the developer using the system will have an understanding of which .dll files will be used and which will not. Unless system level development or driver development is being done, the debug files in question will not be required. The use of these Windows NT symbol files also depends on which debugger the developer decides to use.

An administrator or installation manager should know that some of these *.dbg symbol files will report being mismatched. Some installations of Internet Explorer will not have debug symbols available. If development work requires these particular files, a Checked build version can be used. A Checked build is a special version of an operating system such as Windows NT that contains additional debugging information (but is much larger and slower than the normal version). If a Checked build is used, the versions of the Internet Explorer and Internet Explorer Service Pack must also be Checked build versions.

Please see the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles listed in the "References" section of this article for information on sources of other Windows NT debug symbol files and methods to verify the matching of the Windows NT debug symbol files to their respective system files.

List of Windows NT debug symbol files from the Visual C++ installation CD: 

USER32.DBG
GDI32.DBG
KERNEL32.DBG
NTDLL.DBG
SHELL32.DBG
COMDLG32.DBG
COMCTL32.DBG
OPENGL32.DBG
ADVAPI32.DBG
RPCRT4.DBG
WSOCK32.DBG
OLE32.DBG
OLEAUT32.DBG
OLECNV32.DBG

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

141465 How to Install Symbols for Dr. Watson Error Debugging

148659 How to Set Up Windows NT Debug Symbols

148660 How to Verify Windows NT Debug Symbols

138258 Windows NT Debug Symbol Setup Information

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/15/2005
Keywords:kbinfo KB250843
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