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Q193512: PRB: Can Not Initialize the Debugging Subsystem

Article: Q193512
Product(s): Microsoft C Compiler
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbide kbOAK kbVC500 kbOSWinCE210
Last Modified: 03-MAY-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows CE 2.10 Enhancement Pack for Windows CE Embedded Toolkit for Visual C++ 5.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

Attempting to debug a Windows CE 2.1 application using the CE Shell utility with
the Developer Studio IDE debugger causes the following error:

  Cannot Initialize the Debugging System

CAUSE
=====

The debugger can not communicate with the Cemon.exe process on the target
device.

RESOLUTION
==========

When using the IDE to debug through the CE Shell utility, the IDE verifies and
downloads the application and the Cemon.exe module to the target device, and
starts them. The IDE then communicates with the Cemon.exe process via a TCP/IP
connection. This additional connection is required regardless of the connection
type being used for the CE Shell utility.

To determine the cause of the problem, troubleshoot your system by using these
steps:

1. Ensure that the system's _FLATRELEASEDIR environment variable is pointing to
  the release directory that contains the operating system files. The CE Shell
  utility must use the same directory.

2. Ensure that there is plenty of disk space on the disk volume containing the
  _FLATRELEASEDIR directory. The application and Cemon.exe must be copied into
  this directory in order for the debug session to be established.

3. Ensure that the CE Shell connection is up. The command window that contains
  the CE Shell utility session should be showing Windows CE> if a connection
  has been established. If this is not working, some possible problems are:

   - Bad, incorrect, or loose cable.
   - Cable on wrong port.
   - Incorrect or misconfigured target device hardware.
   - Incorrect CE Shell command line.

  See the online documentation for proper configuration of hardware and use of
  the CE Shell command line.

4. Ensure the CE Shell utility is communicating properly with the target device.
  This can be done by executing a simple command that requires communications
  with the target device. An example is "gi proc" (without the quotation
  marks), which lists all of the running processes on the target device. If the
  command does not return a response, then you may have one of the following
  problems:

   - Bad or loose cabling.
   - Operating system hang.

  The demonstration operating system projects should operate reliably. If you
  experience operating system hangs on your own project, use the kernel
  debugging tools to resolve the problem before using the IDE debugger.

5. Verify that the CE Shell utility is referencing the release directory
  correctly. This can be done by verifying that Cemon.exe is in the release
  directory, then running Cemon.exe from the CE Shell with the following
  command line: s cemon.exe. If this runs successfully, kill the process before
  continuing. If this fails, double-check all of the preceding steps.

  a. For Serial TCP/IP Connection:

  Ensure that a Remote Networking connection has been established. If this
  connection is established, the target device will have a "Connected to..."
  program window for the connection showing "Connected" status. With
  shell-enabled samples, you can press CTRL+ESC on the target device to get a
  list of program windows. If you can not establish a connection, it may be due
  to one of the following problems:

      - Bad, incorrect, or loose cable.
      - Cable on wrong port.
      - Incorrect or misconfigured hardware (target or device).
      - Incorrect Remote Networking parameters.
      - Incorrect Windows CE Services parameters.

  b. For Ethernet TCP/IP Connection:

  Ensure that the target device and host can communicate by attaching via the
  Windows CE Network Redirector or one of the sample client/server TCP/IP
  programs. If you can not establish a connection, it may be due to one of the
  following problems:

      - Cable on wrong adapter.
      - Incorrect or misconfigured hardware (target or device).
      - Incorrect TCP/IP parameters.
      - General network failure.

6. For ethernet, ensure that the following registry key contains the name of the
  host machine:

  [HKEY_CURRENT_USER]\Software\Microsoft\Cemon

7. Ensure that Cemon.exe is not already running on the target device. By
  executing the "gi proc" (without the quotation marks) command from the CE
  Shell utility, you can determine whether Cemon.exe is running; it should not
  be running when a debugger session has not been established. If Cemon.exe is
  running, use the kp command to kill the process(s).

If all of these items verify correct, the IDE should be able to establish a
debugging session.

STATUS
======

This behavior is by design.

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbide kbOAK kbVC500 kbOSWinCE210 
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbWinCESearch kbWinCEEnh210ETKVC500
Version           : :
Issue type        : kbprb

=============================================================================

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