[SOLVED] GDB exec Error: No such file or directory

Issue

I have an executable, which I can read symbols from (so it seems.) My problem is this: when it comes time to run, I get the following error:

(gdb) run
Starting program: /home/usr/src/etcetera/etcetera/bin/theExecutable.exe
Cannot exec  -c exec /home/usr/src/etcetera/etcetera/bin/theExecutable.exe.
Error: No such file or directory
During startup program exited with code 127

obviously, I have edited the directories here. I searched how to fix this on SO, and tried some of the following solutions:

GDB cannot see source file

GDB can't find source file

GDB won't load source file

got onto this link:

https://sourceware.org/gdb/download/onlinedocs/gdb/Source-Path.html#Source-Path

and am trying to change the source file directory. (The source files are not in the same location as the executable, but instead are spread over a range of different places.) Unless I am mistaken, the way of doing this is to go:

(gdb) directory /home/usr/src/etcetera/etcetera/rootDirectoryForSourcefiles

and have the GDB search this directory. I have even tried changing directory into the source directory, and then running but still, it wants to try where the executable lives.

Am I completely missing the mark here in an obvious way, or is this likely to be quite obscure?

Solution

You are barking up the wrong tree. You problem has ~nothing to do with source files, and everything to do with your executable file.

It may be related to something in your ~/.gdbinit, or your ~/.bashrc, or the way you invoked GDB.

You should start by doing a basic sanity check:

env SHELL=/bin/sh gdb -nx /bin/date
(gdb) run

If that doesn't work, your GDB installation is screwed up.

If that does work, one of the three things I mentioned above is very likely the cause of your troubles.

Answered By - Employed Russian

Answer Checked By - Gilberto Lyons (WPSolving Admin)