How to set up IDA as the system's JIT Debugger?

Question

I'm trying to trace a system timeout (probably RPC related) that kills the debugging session. It occurs right after IDA loads and rebases an executable. It happens only when debugging a 64-bit program using IDA's remote debugger in the same machine as the IDA cient. This on a Windows 7 SP1 system.

I believe the JIT option in IDA (though it refuses to 'stick') takes effect only for the current executable. Assuming it even gets activated, it doesn't trap this particular error since it happens in some other non-debugged routine.

I'm still not sure how a JIT debugging would help in this case, but I'd like to give it a try. So, is there a way to set up IDA as the system's JIT debugger?

HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS NT\CURRENTVERSION\AEDEBUG points to vsjitdebugger now but I'm not sure if and how IDA can be defined there instead.

Thanks for any pointers.

Answer 1

From an elevated command prompt, run IDA with the command line switch -I1.

Answer 2

In Windows 10 you have to do the following

1) Execute (As admin)

"c:\Program Files\IDA 7.0\ida.exe" -I1 

2) Open the registry

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug

you should see a REG_SZ with this content:

"c:\Program Files\IDA 7.0\ida.exe" -rwin32+%ld,%ld

Copy that value and create one identicaly in this other registry path:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug

And that is all.