How to remote debug with Visual Studio without debugging tools installed on remote machine

If you need to debug a remote machine and do not have any type of debugging tools installed you can launch the Visual Studio Remote Debugger console via a UNC path back to your Visual Studio Instance.

Steps

1) Ensure you have the latest code base in VS and the latest debug build (must have .PDB files).

2) Launch Visual Studio

3) On the remote machine – launch the Remote Debugging Utility via UNC path back to your machine

Example \\myMachine \Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\Remote Debugger\x64\msvsmon.exe

Note: This file will differ based on installation type and OS (32 / 64 bit).

4) Launch the application to debug

5) In Visual Studio Under Tools select Attach to Process

6) In the following screen put in the machine name of Remote System you are connecting to and hit refresh

7) Now select the application and click attach.

You should now be able to debug without installing any tools on the remote system.

Note:  If you get an error or can’t attach to the process you need to do one of the following things.

1.  Setup an account on the target machine and login to both Development and target machine as the same account

2.  An easier method is to use anonymous authentication where anyone can connect.  This is less secure but can be done if not on a production machine.