Once control has been given to the debugger, the prompt character used will provide the protected mode status of the processor. The following list shows what prompt characters may be displayed and the meaning of each:
> | The processor is in real mode |
# | The processor is in protected mode |
- | The processor is in virtual 8086 mode |
The mode the processor is in will be a good indication of what code is being executed. For example, if the prompt is a "#" (number sign), protected mode code is running. This can be a Windows-based application, DLL, or even the system itself. Stopping in ring 0 code may or may not be desirable. It is useful for VxD developers who need to examine and control execution of their VxDs, but it is not particularly useful for application or DLL developers.
Regardless of the state of the processor, you can use the following command keys and the debugger prompt:
Key | Action |
CTRL+A | Repeats the previous command. |
CTRL+C | Cancels the current command. |
CTRL+S | Freezes an System Debugger display. |
CTRL+Q | Restarts the display. |
If the target system is executing code, CTRL+S and CTRL+Q are ignored.