Screen saver applications cannot be debugged properly in the Visual C++ development environment
Article ID: 123871
Article Last Modified on 12/8/2005
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Visual C++ 2.0 Professional Edition, when used with:
- Microsoft Visual C++ 2.1, when used with:
- Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 Standard Edition, when used with:
- Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0 Standard Edition, when used with:
- Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 Service Pack 5, when used with:
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2003 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2002 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition
This article was previously published under Q123871
SYMPTOMS
You may run into problems when debugging screen saver type
applications in the Visual C++ development environment. For example, when
attempting to debug the SCRNSAVE application included with Visual C++ version
2.0, the program starts correctly, but then may fail to return control and the
focus to the debugger.
CAUSE
This is expected behavior. Screen savers don't use the same
desktop as normal applications. When a breakpoint in the screen saver is
encountered, the operating system doesn't switch desktops. Thus, there may be
no screen in which to display the Visual C++ user interface and the breakpoint
is essentially ignored.
RESOLUTION
There are two possible workarounds to this problem:
- Try debugging your application without using the
Always-on-Top feature. Add the feature when the application is ready to be
released.
- Use remote debugging. For more information on remote
debugging, see the "Debugging Remote Applications" section in the "Using The
Debugger" chapter of the "Visual C++ User's Guide," or search for "remote
debugging," in the Visual C++ Books Online.
Additional query words: 9.00 Always Top HWND_TOP hung frozen not
responding
Keywords: kbtshoot kbbug kbdebug kbide kbprb KB123871