Yesterday a new release of “Debugging Tools For Windows” was released. Until now, it was possible to download the package as a single download of about 17 MB in size.

Starting with the new release, it seems that the Debugging Tools For Windows is now integrated in the WDK which means to download a 620 MB file.

Also it seems so, that the WDK does not install the Debugging Tools For Windows, it just installs a link to the setup…
So the question is: Why not provide the setup as a separate download as in previous version?

Here is a quote from the Debugging Tools For Windows download page:

This current version of Debugging Tools for Windows is available as part of the Windows Driver Kit (WDK). To download the WDK and install Debugging Tools for Windows:
1. Download and install the WDK.
2. Find the debugging tools link for Windows x86 version on the screen that appears and click to install the debuggers to a location of your choice.
3. After the installation is complete, you can find the debugger shortcuts by clicking Start, pointing to All Programs, and then pointing to Debugging Tools for Windows.

Conclusion: We will never understand marketing…