How to start aspnet_wp.exe without firing Applicat

I'm trying to debug a web service (Windows XP SP3, VS 2008, ASP.NET 2, VB.NET).

For most of it, if the asp.net worker process is already loaded, I can start the Windows form that calls the web service, attach to aspnet_wp.exe in Visual Studio, and then debug to my heart's content, but catching the Application Start event in global.asax is a pain.

If I reset IIS, of course there is no process to attach to, until the Application start event is all over.

The only way I've found to do this is create a separate aspx page, set it as the start page, and run that - then I can stop on the break in the App start event, but it's a nuisance having to maintain a page that's essentially just a test stub.

Any ideas for something a bit neater? Kind of, "Attach to a process as soon as it starts".

Better still, of course, would be not to have to attach explicitly to aspnet_wp.exe in order to be able to debug the web service, but I haven't found a way of doing that either.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Try sticking this in your Application Start event, it should kick your debugger everytime. Just make sure you take it out when you're done :-).

System.Diagnostics.Debugger.Launch()

Or better yet, in the OnStart of your WebService:

Protected Overrides Sub OnStart(ByVal args() As String)
    ' Add code here to start your service. This method should set things
    ' in motion so your service can do its work.
    System.Diagnostics.Debugger.Launch()
End Sub

Update: Adding this comment to the answer since it's a good idea: