Why Does My Program Only Crash in Release Mode When Run from the Command Line?

How to Debug Release Build Crashes that Only Occur on Command Line

When a program only crashes when built in release mode and launched from the command line, it can be a frustrating debugging problem. Here's how to get more meaningful information and potentially resolve the issue:

Suspect Out-of-Bounds Array Writes

In many cases, crashes like these are caused by writing past the end of a function-local array. The debugger's stack space may prevent such errors from occurring during debugging, while the smaller stack size when running from the command line can trigger them.

Enable Structured Exception Handling (SEH)

By default, SEH is disabled in release builds. Enabling it will allow Windows to generate crash logs and show more detailed information about the crash. To enable SEH, add the following line to the project's linker settings:

/EHa

Use Debugger Logging

If SEH cannot be enabled, consider adding logging statements to the code using __except or __try blocks. These blocks can catch exceptions and provide more detailed information about the crash location.

Inspect Assembly Code

Using a disassembler, you can examine the assembly code to identify potential problems. Look for suspicious or unusual code patterns, such as uninitialized pointers or incorrect array indexing.

Use Memory Analysis Tools

Tools like Process Explorer or Visual Leak Detector can help identify memory allocation errors that may cause crashes. Use them to check for memory leaks or invalid memory accesses.

Consider Code Optimization

Release builds may optimize code aggressively, which can introduce subtle behavior changes. Try removing or disabling optimizations and rebuilding the project to see if the problem persists.

By following these steps, you can gather more information about the crash and potentially identify and resolve the underlying issue. Remember to re-enable SEH after debugging to maintain the release build's performance and stability.

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