Can you no longer use windbg to attach to a running kernel on a remote box, and debug the remote box from your development machine? I believe that's how kernel debugging is generally done.
Tools like windbg probably work great until you are debugging the code that runs when windbg tries to take over. Or you’re debugging something sensitive to interrupts and it’s literally impossible to keep up with a tool like windbg. Or you a debugging something that overwrites windbg in memory because you have a corrupt pointer. Or you triple-fault the machine and it reboots with so much prejudice that windbg doesn’t have a chance. Or you’re poking at hardware that the debugger can’t usefully interact with. Etc.
Basically, in the kernel, a lot of the things that a working kernel does to hold your hand aren’t available. So there’s a lot of time spent just thinking or adding logging statements or otherwise using low tech tools. (Or using high tech instrumentation or sanitizers!)
Kernel development is great :)
https://designintools.intel.com/Silicon_View_Technology_Clos...
Most of the time you can do kernel dev with a serial port and printf though.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/de...
These days I mostly use gdb (which is incredibly buggy for such things) attached to QEMU’s gdbserver. It works except when I doesn’t.