How to Disable the Dr. Watson Debugger

The Dr. Watson for Windows debugger is a Windows tool that collects information about errors that occur on your system, saving the data into a text file and sending it to a support group for evaluation. The Dr. Watson debugger is a part of older Windows operating systems, such as Windows XP Home and Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. If the debugger causes issues within your system, you can disable it by removing its registry entries.

Instructions

1. Click the "Start" button. Type "Regedit" in the "Run" dialog box. Press "Enter."

2. Navigate to the following registry path on the left pane of the window:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug

3. Click "AeDebug" and click "Export Registry File" on the "Registry" menu.

4. Save the file as "AeDebug."

5. Right-click "AeDebug" and click "Delete." Exit the Registry Editor.

Tips & Warnings

• Follow the steps exactly because modifying the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems.

References

• Microsoft Support: How to Disable Dr. Watson for Windows
• Microsoft Support: Description of the Dr. Watson for Windows (Drwtsn32.exe) Tool