Application crashes in debug mode

I've been having a general issue with applications crashing, while in debug mode. The problem occurs when I attempt to analyze a variable's value, using the Eclipse IDE. A strange thing is, the issue isn't always consistent or repeatable. Sometimes when I attempt to view the value or memory space, I don't have a problem, other times, I'll click on the variable in the window and the program seems to attempt to find the value, but hangs. After this happens, I'm unable to communicate with the hardware over the jtag and I have to reboot the board and reload the .sof image.

What causes this behavior and how can it be resolved?

Environment:

Cyclone III

uc/osii

nios ii

eclipse ide

Thanks, in advance, for any help.

Drew