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STATUS_DEBUG_ATTACH_FAILED
The live-process debugger attach sequence failed
Attaching to a running process is more than opening a process handle. DebugActiveProcess establishes debugger control and causes debug events to be reported to the attaching thread. This status reports an unexpected failure while Windows is processing that attach request.
Capture the debugger process, target process, debug privilege state and any earlier debugger already controlling the target. The thread that attaches becomes responsible for the debug-event loop, so premature thread exit or broken event handling can make the attach lifecycle fail in ways unrelated to symbol loading. Preserve the first failing status before higher-level tools convert it to a generic attach message.
What to inspect
- Record debugger and target process IDs plus enabled SeDebugPrivilege state.
- Check whether another debugger or debug object already controls the target.
- Trace DebugActiveProcess through the first WaitForDebugEvent result and debugger-thread lifetime.
References
- Microsoft: DebugActiveProcess
- Microsoft: WaitForDebugEvent
- Microsoft: Debug privilege
- Microsoft Open Specifications: NTSTATUS values
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