Hi all,ããI've been looking for a utility that will let me step through a dos program and look at the instructions while also being able to see what is displayed on the screen. I've not had much luck in finding anything that'll do the job and open to suggestions if anyone knows of something that'll do the job.ããThanks,ã---ã þ Synchronet þ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.comã

Re: Debugging 16 bit dos programsã By: Nelgin to All on Fri Jul 21 2023 05:17:38ããNE> I've been looking for a utility that will let me step through a dosãNE> program and look at the instructions while also being able to see whatãNE> is displayed on the screen. I've not had much luck in finding anythingãNE> that'll do the job and open to suggestions if anyone knows of somethingãNE> that'll do the job.ããJust brainstorming:ãã1) Use a serial port connected to a terminal emulatorããDOS console:ãctty com1ããTerminal emulator:ãdebug.com prog.exeãã2) Dosbox debuggerããhttps://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=3944ãã3) Bochs debuggerããhttps://wiki.osdev.org/Bochs#Bochs_debugging_facilitiesããI have also seen utilities that support multi-headed PC configurations,ãcommonly a combination of CGA and Hercules adapters. Unfortunately, iãdo not remember which debugger supports that.ã---ã þ Synchronet þ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.comã

Re: Debugging 16 bit dos programsã By: Nelgin to All on Fri Jul 21 2023 05:17 amãã > Hi all,ã >ã > I've been looking for a utility that will let me step through a dos programã > and look at the instructions while also being able to see what is displayedã > on the screen. I've not had much luck in finding anything that'll do the jobã > and open to suggestions if anyone knows of something that'll do the job.ããdebug.exe is included with MS-DOS, isn't it?ã-- ã digital man (rob)ããRush quote #64:ãHe's cleaning up his systems to keep his nature pure .. New World ManãNorco, CA WX: 86.1øF, 50.0% humidity, 10 mph SSW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrsã---ã þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.netã

Re: Debugging 16 bit dos programsã By: Nelgin to All on Fri Jul 21 2023 05:17 amãã Ne> I've been looking for a utility that will let me step through a dosã Ne> program and look at the instructions while also being able to see what isã Ne> displayed on the screen. I've not had much luck in finding anythingã Ne> that'll do the job and open to suggestions if anyone knows of somethingã Ne> that'll do the job. ããIf you do that, you'll be seeing assembly code, and it will be without any meaningful variable names, etc.. IMO it tends to be more challenging to debug that than with higher-level code.ããNightfoxãã---ã þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.comã

On 21 Jul 2023, Bencollver said the following...ã ã Be> 2) Dosbox debuggerã Be> ã Be> https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?t=3944ããi use this to crack stuff/generate keys for doors all the time lolããon linux at least you just build the version with the debugger enabled:ãã./configure --enable-debug=heavy (i use slackware and just edited the slackbuild to include that param)ããlaunch it from an xterm with the window pretty big, and inside dosbox when you run the door you just do 'debug door.exe' like the other example. that'll load the program and then stop at the entry point. then you just press F10/F11 repeatedly for the rest of your life.ããas a really easy example, for arrowbridge 2 you can generate a custom key by stepping through until it shows the registered message from the free key, dumping the entire memory with MEMDUMPBIN 0:0 640000 and then searching for the free key in that file and writing down the addresses of each instance.ããthen put in your bbs name and sysop name, a junk key, and then dump the memory again.. one of the locations you wrote down will now have the correct key to use for your sysop/bbs name.ãã"Betrayal of the Obsidian Baboon" also worked out almost the same way.ããif you have the free version of IDA (linked somewhere on the dosbox website)ãit's also definitely helpful. for example if you find a place where an unregistered message shows, and it checks a variable to decide whether to show that message, you can search everywhere that variable is used in IDA and find where it's set. often it's something really easy like:ããif (reg key is good) thenã registered = trueãelseã registered = falseãã.. you can change one byte in the .exe so both of those are 'true'ããcongrats, you wasted potentially a lot of time ;)ãã--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)ã * Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, miã

Nightfox wrote to Nelgin <=-ãã Ni> If you do that, you'll be seeing assembly code, and it will be withoutã Ni> any meaningful variable names, etc.. IMO it tends to be moreã Ni> challenging to debug that than with higher-level code.ããUnless the program you are debugging was compiled in debug mode, there won't beãany meaningful variables names anyway.ããã... Rudolph changed his nose to 500 watts. Blew a fuse.ã--- MultiMail/Linux v0.52ã þ Synchronet þ ** The Gate BBS - Shelby, NC - thegateb.synchro.net **ã

Re: Debugging 16 bit dos progã By: Dr. What to Nightfox on Sat Jul 22 2023 08:21 amãã Ni>> If you do that, you'll be seeing assembly code, and it will beã Ni>> without any meaningful variable names, etc.. IMO it tends to beã Ni>> more challenging to debug that than with higher-level code.ãã DW> Unless the program you are debugging was compiled in debug mode, thereã DW> won't be any meaningful variables names anyway.ããYeah, but who releases a program built in debug mode? Normally, a debug build would only be used by developers while developing the program. When releasing it, a release build makes the most sense. A release build runs faster; also, many software companies wouldn't want people to easily reverse-engineer their binaries.ããNightfoxãã---ã þ Synchronet þ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.comã

Nightfox wrote to Dr. What <=-ãã DW> Unless the program you are debugging was compiled in debug mode, thereã DW> won't be any meaningful variables names anyway.ãã Ni> Yeah, but who releases a program built in debug mode?ããNobody, which was my point.ããIf you want to step through someone else's software in a debugger, it will beãin assembly language.ããã... Fools and their money become popular quickly.ã--- MultiMail/Linux v0.52ã þ Synchronet þ ** The Gate BBS - Shelby, NC - thegateb.synchro.net **ã

Re: Debugging 16 bit dos programsã By: Digital Man to Nelgin on Fri Jul 21 2023 12:27:46ãã > > I've been looking for a utility that will let me step through a dosã > > program and look at the instructions while also being able to see what isã > > displayed on the screen. I've not had much luck in finding anythingã > > that'll do the job and open to suggestions if anyone knows of somethingã > > that'll do the job.ã >ã > debug.exe is included with MS-DOS, isn't it?ããI don't think that also shows you the program running in real time along with the debug lines.ã---ã þ Synchronet þ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.comã

Re: Debugging 16 bit dos programsã By: Nelgin to Digital Man on Wed Aug 09 2023 11:33 pmãã > Re: Debugging 16 bit dos programsã > By: Digital Man to Nelgin on Fri Jul 21 2023 12:27:46ã >ã > > > I've been looking for a utility that will let me step through a dosã > > > program and look at the instructions while also being able to see whatã > > > is displayed on the screen. I've not had much luck in finding anythingã > > > that'll do the job and open to suggestions if anyone knows ofã > > > something that'll do the job.ã >ã > > debug.exe is included with MS-DOS, isn't it?ã >ã > I don't think that also shows you the program running in real time alongã > with the debug lines.ããIt lets you set break points, examine registers, memory, stack. Those are the pretty standard features of a debugger. "Debug lines" aren't really a standard thing, certainly MS-DOS had no such concept.ã-- ã digital man (rob)ããSling Blade quote #13:ãKarl: He lives inside of his own heart. That's an awful big place to live in.ãNorco, CA WX: 67.5øF, 91.0% humidity, 0 mph ESE wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrsã---ã þ Synchronet þ Vertrauen þ Home of Synchronet þ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.netã