Skip to main content
AHugh.2
AHugh.2
Associate III
May 18, 2026
Question

Attempting a debug connection to a device with RDP protection gives misleading error message

  • May 18, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 102 views

I just spent some time trying to get a debug session going in VSCode ony to be given the rather obscure error message: "bound doStepConnectToTarget Failed: could not connect (error 138): The system tried to join a drive to a directory on a joined drive."

Eventually I realised what it was - I had enabled RDP protection on the device (STM32C5) so of course it could not connect.

May I suggest that a more appropriate error message is given in such circumstances?

 

(this is with stlink gdb debugger, latest version.)

    1 reply

    Andrew Neil
    Andrew Neil
    Super User
    May 18, 2026

    This seems to be a generic GDB issue - nothing specific to ST.

    A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked.A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work.
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement