The Symbol Lookup tab allows you to specify how and where symbolic information is retrieved for your application or service.

 

The default settings are shown below, although the Visual Studio version may vary.

 

 

 

Symbol lookup for Microsoft / Intel compilers

 

Symbols for your application are read using an appropriate symbol handler for the type of debugging information you have.

 

A selection of different DbgHelp.dll versions are provided by Performance Validator:

 

•We can provide a DbgHelp.dll... automatically provides the appropriate (most recent) version of Visual Studio (the default)

 

You can manually override which of the provided handlers is used via the list of Visual Studio versions.

 

Alternatively, you may wish to specify a DbgHelp.dll from disk, rather than use the provided ones.

 

•...locate a version of DbgHelp.dll that best matches your build enter a path or Browse to a location to specify your own handler

 

 

Visual Studio DbgHelp.dll version compatibility

 

For Microsoft Visual Studio users, each VS version provides different debugging formats which are readable by the appropriate DbgHelp.dll supplied with Visual Studio.  

 

These handlers are usually backwards compatible, but not forwards compatible. For example Visual Studio 2005 (version 8) can read Visual Studio 6 debug information but cannot read Visual Studio 2008 debug information.

 

Visual Studio 6.0 doesn't supply a DbgHelp.dll so we have provided one for use with Visual Studio 6.0.

 

Visual Studio 10 is unusual in that the DbgHelp.dll (6.12) supplied by Visual Studio cannot read the debug information created by Visual Studio! To solve this problem we supply version 6.11 as an alternative.

 

To see the order in which the DbgHelp.dll process checks directories to find symbols, see the diagnostic tab with the filter set to DbgHelp debug.

 

 

Symbol lookup for other  compilers

 

If you are using the MinGW compiler or the Delphi or C++ Builder, choose the appropriate option.

 

 

After selecting the compiler, clicking the links will show the information below

 

For MinGW:

 

 

For Delphi or C++ Builder:

 

 

 

Reset All - Resets all global settings, not just those on the current page.

 

 

Reset - Resets the settings on the current page.