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Unable to Attach to the Process

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Unable to attach to the process. Debugger component on server received access denied while connecting to this machine.

There are two common scenarios that cause this error:

Scenario 1: Machine A is running Windows. Machine B is running Windows Server. The registry on Machine B contains the following DWORD value:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MachineDebugManager\AllowLaunchAsOtherUser=1

User 1 starts a Terminal Server session (session 1) on machine B and starts a managed application from that session.

User 2, who is administrator on both machines, is logged onto Machine A. From there, he or she tries to attach to an application running in session 1 on Machine B.

Scenario 2: One user is logged onto two machines, A and B, in the same workgroup, using the same password on both machines. The debugger is running on Machine A and trying to attach to a managed application running on Machine B. Machine A has Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts set to Guest.

To solve Scenario 1

  • Run the debugger and managed application under the same user account name and password.

To solve Scenario 2

  1. Open Windows administrative tools.

    • From the Start menu, choose Control Panel, then System and Security, and then Windows Tools.
    • For older versions of Windows, from the Start menu, choose Control Panel. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative tools.

  2. In the Administrative tools window, double-click Local Security Policy.

  3. In the Local Security Policy window, select Local Policies.

  4. Select either Security Options or the Policies column, whichever is present, and then double-click Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts.

  5. In the Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts dialog box, change the local security setting to Classic, and click OK.

    Caution

    Changing the security model to Classic can result in unexpected access to shared files and DCOM components. If you make this change, a remote user can authenticate with your local user account rather than Guest. If a remote user matches your user name and password, that user will be able to access any folder or DCOM object you have shared out. If you use this security model, make sure that all user accounts on the machine have strong passwords or set up an isolated network island for the debugging and debugged machines to prevent unauthorized access.

  6. Close all windows.

See also