diff --git a/src/plugins/debugger/gdbengine.cpp b/src/plugins/debugger/gdbengine.cpp
index 5ba169f92934c38112fa10532ffc6f8e82e041b2..d7fc76f107c3de710a4fab6a6a7c4e78be0d05ec 100644
--- a/src/plugins/debugger/gdbengine.cpp
+++ b/src/plugins/debugger/gdbengine.cpp
@@ -1616,7 +1616,7 @@ bool GdbEngine::startDebugger()
         sendCommand("attach " + QString::number(q->m_attachedPID));
     }
 
-    if (q->startMode() == q->startInternal) {
+    if (q->startMode() == q->startInternal || q->startMode() == q->startExternal) {
         sendCommand("-file-exec-and-symbols " + fileName, GdbFileExecAndSymbols);
         #ifdef Q_OS_MAC
         sendCommand("sharedlibrary apply-load-rules all");
diff --git a/tests/manual/gdbdebugger/simple/app.cpp b/tests/manual/gdbdebugger/simple/app.cpp
index 5156e6fb5fd2e58944a397033a2fdc2aff7ab815..3243e9c70e2c3b50d959fe7751b28108d414172b 100644
--- a/tests/manual/gdbdebugger/simple/app.cpp
+++ b/tests/manual/gdbdebugger/simple/app.cpp
@@ -868,7 +868,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     testQVectorOfQList();
 
 
-    *(int *)0 = 0;
+    //*(int *)0 = 0;
 
     testQObject(argc, argv);