title: No Symbol Table using GDB on Compiled Programs
body: <p>Let me preface this by stating this is for a project for my first C programming class.  I'm not going to give my code since it is working, but just need assistance with an error I receive from GDB during execution.</p>
  
  <p>With that said, the first portion of my project was to write a program that will take any file in byte form, and locate strings of a certain length.  This works.  The next portion is I'm provided (3) compiled C files and I need to use GDB along with a hex editor and my program to figure out the hidden password to unlock the program.  I got the first one, but the second and third are increasing in difficulty and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.</p>
  
  <p>Here is my issue:</p>
  
  <p>When I use GDB to start running the compiled file, I'm immediately met with a blinking cursor in GDB.  I press <code>cntrl c</code> to interrupt the program which pauses the program in its tracks.  I then enter <code>back</code> and get a list of (9) lines, their memory locations, and the names of their methods.  Here is  where my problem lies, if I want to go to <code>main()</code>, and I try to enter a break, it tells me <code>No symbol table is loaded.  Use the "file" command</code>.  </p>
  
  <pre><code>Starting program: [program path on university server] 
  ^C
  Program received signal SIGINT, Interrupt.
  0x00110430 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
  Missing separate debuginfos, use: debuginfo-install glibc-2.12-
  1.132.el6_5.3.i686
  (gdb) list
  No symbol table is loaded.  Use the "file" command.
  (gdb) back
  #0  0x00110430 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
  #1  0x00c8f8d3 in __read_nocancel () from /lib/libc.so.6
  #2  0x00c2972b in _IO_new_file_underflow () from /lib/libc.so.6
  #3  0x00c2b44b in _IO_default_uflow_internal () from /lib/libc.so.6
  #4  0x00c2ca5a in __uflow () from /lib/libc.so.6
  #5  0x00c1f36c in _IO_getline_info_internal () from /lib/libc.so.6
  #6  0x00c1f2b1 in _IO_getline_internal () from /lib/libc.so.6
  #7  0x00c1e1ea in fgets () from /lib/libc.so.6
  #8  0x0804851c in main ()
  (gdb) 
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I've looked at other threads like <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9245685/gdb-no-symbol-table-is-loaded">gdb: &quot;No symbol table is loaded&quot;</a> and I don't think that this pertains to me since the files I'm attempting to "crack" are already compiled and provided to me.  So I'm not exactly debugging a C source file, but the compressed file after.  </p>
  
  <p>This is my struggle right now, and would appreciate any explanation or help with how I can solve the <code>No symbol table is loaded.</code> issue I'm having.</p>