Software that shows how CPU registers are being used during execution

[pairofstrings]

Hello
Can any Assembly Langauge guru help me remember a software name which shows how registers of CPU are being used after execution of each ASM instruction? I vaguely remember that there used to be 16-bit program which showed me names/title like AX BX CX DX and values underneath those titles while I write my program using NASM. I also want to know if such software exists for 32-bit and 64-bit OS.
Please help me remember this. Thanks

 

[Borek]

Any serious debugger should give you access to the machine code and register values.

 

[DrZoidberg]

I know that DOS came with a very simple built in debugger called "debug"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debug_(command)
Maybe that's the one you used. However it doesn't work on modern Windows versions.
XP was the last version that had the debug program included.

 

[SteamKing]

Many of the better high-level language development packages include a debugger.

If you still program in assembly, there may be a third-party, non-Microsoft debugger which will allow you to peek under the hood.

 

[rcgldr]

In a Microsoft Visual Studio's debugger session, click on debug, windows, registers, to see the registers. There is also a window for assembler instruction view. The previous debugger, CodeView, also has a register window and the source window can be viewed in source only, source + assembly, or assembly only. For debug, use the "r" command to display the registers.

 

[SixNein]

Hello
Can any Assembly Langauge guru help me remember a software name which shows how registers of CPU are being used after execution of each ASM instruction? I vaguely remember that there used to be 16-bit program which showed me names/title like AX BX CX DX and values underneath those titles while I write my program using NASM. I also want to know if such software exists for 32-bit and 64-bit OS.
Please help me remember this. Thanks

Like Borek said, any serious setup is going to include the ability to watch registers. Just search through the debug menu after stepping into a program.

If you're using something like notepad++, you'll have to use a separate debugger.

 

[phinds]

If you're using something like notepad++, you'll have to use a separate debugger.

Uh ... huh? What does notepad or notepad++ have to do with using a debugger?

 

[Borek]

Uh ... huh? What does notepad or notepad++ have to do with using a debugger?

Notepad++ is reasonably good for working with code when there is no integrated environment (or you have reasons to not use it). If that's the setup you use to develop your software, you have to use a separate compiler and separate debugger. Been there, done that.

 

[phinds]

Notepad++ is reasonably good for working with code when there is no integrated environment (or you have reasons to not use it). If that's the setup you use to develop your software, you have to use a separate compiler and separate debugger. Been there, done that.

OK, thanks Borek, that makes sense. I've only rarely, and only decades ago, had to work in such an environment and had forgotten.

 

[voko]

WinDBG is a free standalone debugger for Windows. _The_ debugger for systems programming and random hacking on Windows, in fact.

 

[Nick O]

If you use Linux, there's a good chance that you already have GDB.