Can you attach a PDB in VC++ once you already started the app running?

Question

It's easy to have your PDB in the wrong place, normally you want to simply sort things out and run the app again. But what if an app crashes and you attach a debugger to investigate, and the symbols aren't loaded? Can you point VC++ at the PDB at this point?

Answer 1

Here is one easy way:

Take a look at the Modules (docking) window (Debug menu, under Windows). This should list all currently debugging DLLs/EXEs. Right-click on the module you want to load a PDB for and select:

Load Symbols From > Symbol Path

This will let you browse for the PDB via a standard Windows open dialog.