I have created a small c# program in visual studio 2012, I used two external dll libraries. When I build the project for release, it creates the release file with a bunch of other files, including the external dll's I used. It works on my computer, but if I copy that whole release file to another computer it just gives me an error message and exits.
What else does the program need to run?
The error message is:
The application was unable to start correctly(0x000007b). click OK to close the application.
I suspect that your error code is actually 0xC000007B (STATUS_INVALID_IMAGE_FORMAT), rather than 0x0000007B (INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE). The former is common when your application encounters a runtime mixup between the 32 and 64 bit versions of a DLL.
What could be happening is that your application (say it's 32 bit) has a dependency on a certain DLL, call it FOO.DLL. When run on your local machine, you are picking up the correct version of the 32 bit version of FOO.DLL on your path. But when you deploy to the other machine, you are picking up a 64 bit version from somewhere on the system path. The INVALID_IMAGE_FORMAT error is thrown when the loader finds a 64 bit DLL trying to be loaded into your 32 bit app.
One way to fix this is by identifying the DLL and redistributing the correct version with your application.
Related
I have a C++/CLI DLL that uses some C++ DLLs (both built for 32 bit). I want to test it within a C# DLL by using NUNit 2.5.8.10295 (changing to 2.6.4 did not change the outcome)
I use a batch file which in the end gets expanded to this:
nunit-console-x86.exe "someUnitTests.dll" /framework=4.0.30319 /xml=NUnitResult_someUnitTests.xml
The tests run fine on my development PC (64-bit Win 10 Enterprise Visual Studio 2013) with this command. When starting nunit-console-x86.exe from Visual Studio Professional 2013 and setting working directory to the output folder of the two DLLs it works fine as well.
When executed on the build server (Jenkins running on Windows Server 2012 R2) the test fail with this message:
SetUp : System.IO.FileLoadException : Could not load file or assembly 'some.DLL' or one of its dependencies. A dynamic link library (DLL) initialization routine failed. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007045A)
I tried comparing the installed frameworks and runtimes on both machines (don't see obvious big differences) except buildserver using VS 2013 Express. I also experimented with SysInternals ProcessMonitor, but without success. The output of depency walker I do not understand.
Any hints on techniques or tools to use?
Update:
If I add /noshadow it doesn't run on my development PC anymore as well. In Visual Studio then nunit-console-x86 crashes, while on command line I get the same message as on the buildserver. While there it doesn't make a difference if is run with or without /noshadow
Did a closer look on test PC with Windows 7 without any Visual Studio but with vc_redist 2013: With shadow copying enabled (= without /noshadow) I get this:
SetUp : System.IO.FileNotFoundException : Could not load file or assembly 'some.DLL' or one of its dependencies. The specified module could not be found.
With /noshadow the error turns into a BadImageFormatException
NUnit 2.x shadow copies files by default, but shadow copying does not copy native assemblies. I believe it is working in Visual Studio for you because you are setting the working directory.
To disable shadow copying in NUnit, pass the /noshadow command line option.
As an aside, the default behavior in NUnit 3 is to not shadow copy.
In the end I managed to reduce complexity by creating a console application without NUNit, ran into similiar problems and fixed it. See x86 console application doesn't run on 64bit machines except in debugger for details.
I have a C# application that uses AutoItX for automation. This application works fine in my Windows 8.1 x64 environment compiled with Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 release 3.
I pushed a copy of the app code to a bitbucket repository and cloned it to a computer running Windows 7 x64. AutoItX version 3.14.2 was installed and the 32bit calls were selected. The application was compiled using Visual Studio 2013 release 4.
The app compiled fine, but the first use of the AutoIt functions resulted in an error:
An unhandled exception of type 'System.DllNotFoundException' occurred in AutoItX3.Assembly.dll
I tried the following steps. The app was tested after each of these steps
Attempted to register the .dll manually using regsrv32
regsrv32 "C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3\AutoItX\AutoItX3.dll"
Uninstalled VisualStudio 2013 R4 and attempted to reinstall VisualStudio 2013 R3 {The installation of R3 failed because it required internet explorer version 10 and version 11 has already been installed on this computer} so R4 was reinstalled
Uninstalled AutoIt and reinstalled selecting the 64 bit library preference. Compiled the app with x64 Platform option
Uninstalled AutoIt and reinstalled using the 32 bit library preference
Compiled the app with the X86 Platform option
Manually copied AutoItX3.dll to the C:\windows\System32 directory
Manually copied AutoItX3_x64.dll to the c:\Windows\SysWOW64 directory. Compiled the app for x64 platform
Wiped computer clean and reinstalled windows 7, AutoIt (32 bit preference), Visual Studio 2013 R4
Installed AutoIt v14
Installed the beta version of AutoIt v15
Performed a Windows update - 213 updates (!) installed
Installed Internet Explorer v11
Performed a Windows update - 4 updates installed
Installed AutoIt version 3.10.2 that worked on the Windows 8 system
I would appreciate suggestions on what to try next. I'm probably missing something very basic, but I just can't find a solution
Manually copied AutoItX3.dll to the C:\windows\System32 directory
Manually copied AutoItX3_x64.dll to the c:\Windows\SysWOW64 directory. Compiled the app for x64 platform
That's the only thing you did wrong, you reversed the copies. There are no other DLLs you could be missing, the AutoItX3.dll and AutoItX3_x64.dll files themselves have no other dependencies that are not already available on any Windows machine. Just operating system DLLs, they've been around forever. Something you can see with Dumpbin.exe /imports.
And the exception message comes out of .NET, it is caused by a [DllImport] attribute. You can see the content of AutoItX3.Assembly.dll with a decompiler like ILSpy or Reflector. There is very little to it, only two DLLs are ever used. AutoItX3.dll for 32-bit code and AutoIt_x64.dll for 64-bit code.
Fairly tragic btw, otherwise a side-effect of ab/using the operating system directories for non-operating system DLLs. The only real way to make sense of why this is backwards is to know the history of Windows.
Back in the early days of Windows when it was still a 16-bit operating system (versions 1 through 3.11), c:\windows\system was the home directory for the operating system executables. Starting with NT 3.11 and Windows 95, the first 32-bit versions, that directory was renamed to c:\windows\system32. When the 64-bit version became available, Microsoft could not rename it to c:\windows\system64 anymore. Too many programs hard-coded the name of that directory in their source code. Breaking those programs would have been a good idea, just not a good strategy to get customers to move to the next version.
The 64-bit version has an emulator that can run 32-bit programs, it is called WOW64. "Windows on 64-bit Windows". The c:\windows\syswow64 directory is therefore the home directory of the 32-bit executables.
Exactly backwards from what the names would suggest. Just reverse the copies and that runtime error will disappear.
Generic advice applies:
The official way to get the loader to tell you about missing DLLs is to enable loader snaps. It is the most reliable way, albeit a bit clumsy.
Dependency Walker has not been maintained for a very long time and produces far too many false warnings. It also has a problem with .NET programs like this, it cannot see the dependency on AutoItX3.dll. You should still get something out of it when you use its Profile mode.
Process Monitor was always the best tool to troubleshoot missing DLLs. You'll see your program searching for the missing DLL, you can tell its name and the directories it looks in from the trace. Start near the bottom working backwards to avoid drowning in the data. I should however note that its been unreliable lately on the machine I use since ~Win81, the trace is just missing stuff I know should have been there. YMMV.
Such an issue can be caused by a missing DLL or a dependency of a missing DLL. I never got good results with Dependency Walker but I have successfully tracked down such issues with Process Monitor.
It should not be a 32/64 bit issue directly, since that would result in a BadImageFormatException instead.
You can debug missing DLL issues like this:
Start Process Monitor
Set a filter for your executable
Reproduce the issue (i.e. run your application)
Save the log in XML file format
Open the XML in Process Monitor Log Analyzer (Disclaimer: I'm the author of that free tool)
Check from top down which DLL is really missing. There may be some where the program can gracefully degrade, so not all of them are necessarily required.
Short solution
Copy and paste the AutoItX3.dll file to /bin/Debug or /bin/Release folder.
Project solution
What you can do is to put in the project's Post-build event command line:
copy /Y "$(SolutionDir)\packages\AutoItX.3.3.12.0\AutoItX3.dll" "$(ProjectDir)\bin\Debug"
copy /Y "$(SolutionDir)\packages\AutoItX.3.3.12.0\AutoItX3.dll" "$(ProjectDir)\bin\Release"
3 Days of hair pulling. It just doesn't make any sense. I can't figure out what I've missed.
So I have this C#/WPF VS2013pro project I'm building that works fine on my Visual Studio machine: Win 8.1 x64 but fails due to 'dll not found' on any target PC I transplant it to.
It uses FreeImage, which has two DLLs:
FreeImage.dll - C++ that does all the work
FreeImageNet.dll - .NET wrapper to make like easy in C#
The two need to be in the same directory and preferably the same as the .exe - so they are.
My project is 64bit. I downloaded the source for FreeImage and compiled both DLL's for x64: First the CPP one, then the .NET one. Then copied them to the solution.
The .net DLL is referenced in my solution. The CPP does not reference, of course. Both are part of the solution and copy to the %outputdir% (Bin/Debug or Bin/Release) when the solution is built. The program runs fine in DEBUG and in RELEASE on my Development PC and the DLL methods do their job.
I copy the entire BIN directory to another PC running the same version of Windows, same updates, the works... The program runs but when a method is needed from the FreeImage.dll it fails with "unable to find dll".
To make sure I'm right about it using the dll from the BIN directory (and not from System32 or SysWOW64) on my VS machine I pull it out and run the app: Yep it fails.
I put it back and move the entire directory: It works
I pull it out: It fails
I put it back and move it to a thumbdrive: It works
{you get the idea}
So at this point it sure seems like it is really using the one in the same directory as the .exe and the .NET wrapper dll
I move the thumbdrive with the code that just worked on my VS machine to the other PC: It fails.
Next I try remote debug to the other PC: All the files copy to a matched directory, debugging starts and works, I get output and breakpoint behavior from the remote PC: Only the calls that require the DLL again fail because FreeImageNet.dll cannot locate FreeImage.dll
I did nothing special on my Visual Studio machine to make FreeImage work: I downloaded the source and compiled then copied the DLLs to the solution and referenced the .NET dll - That's it.
I have Googled, and researched and opened questions on SourceForge about it.
Every previous question I have found on this issue are cases of someone thinking FreeImageNet.dll was self-contained and not realizing it had to be located along side of FreeImage.dll
I have checked registry for I have checked registry for HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/SessionManager/KnownDLLs/
I have tried to register it with regsrver32 (yes, the 64bit flavor)
I have tried setting an environmental variable to it.
I have tried copying the DLL to every directory that is part of the DLL search order.
I have tried it on Win8.1x64pro (same as my Visual Studio pc) and two Win7x64pro machines.
I have assumed it was some weird quirk in 3.16 of FreeImage and done this again and again with previous releases as far back as 3.6, all with the same results.
I have built an installer for the solution and installed it on the VS machine where it worked, and installed it on the test machine where it failed.
I am trying for the first time (and not so successfully) to virtualize my physical PC. VMware has always been good to me for test environments and at this point I want to see if a total clone of the Visual Studio machine will succeed or fail with this project.
So... Anyone have an idea?
Darn it, I missed one: vcomp120.dll
Seems it is part of the Visual C++ redistributable that was installed with Visual Studio.
It should have dawned on me that I would need to include this, but with the entire EMGUcv package working... and the fact that I hate C++ and haven't used it in a dozen years... It totally never occurred to me.
Can you please try to import the dll with DLLIMPORT. Copy and place the dll to the directory same as of exe and use following code in Code behind:
[DllImport("FIBITMAP.dll")]
public static extern void Load(string param1,string param2,...);
Here Param1, Param2,... will be your parameters to the function Load.
Hope this helps.
I have a 32bit dll (compiled in Matlab for .Net, so it's a .Net dll). I am on a 64bit machine, only 32bit MCR (Matlab compiler runtime) is installed (I actually had both, but uninstalled them both and reinstalled only 32 bit version to be sure that 64 bit version is not interfering somehow).
I have a solution I'm working on that has many Class Library projects and one Windows Appication project - the main executable. It was set to "Any CPU" with "Prefer 32 bit" checked, as are all the libs "Any CPU" (32 bit check is unavailable for them).
I tried to use the dll in one of the Class Libraries and encountered a problem that I explained here Problems using Matlab compiled lib in .Net (32bit app on 64bit system) (the error message that happens when I try to call constructor of a class from the dll is "An attempt was made to load a program with an incorrect format. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8007000B)").
Now, thiking this may be related to "Any CPU" setting, I've changed the "Target Platform" for the Class Library project that uses the dll and for the Windows Application project to "x86". It didn't help. The error persists!
So, here I have a solution that consists of ~20 Class Libraries (all set to Any CPU), my Class Library that uses the dll (set to x86) and Windows Application (set to x86). When I try to debug my application, it throws an exception.
Now I have made a new test solution in Visual Studio 2012, using .Net 4.5 , that consists of 2 projects: a Windows Application and a Class Library. I've added the usage of the dll to the Class Library, and set both target platforms to x86, and IT WORKS! No exception.
I checked the Output page and they're both loading the same dlls - my dll (exact copy) and MWArray dll (from exact same spot in GAC_32). And exactly same method is called (constructor from my dll).
Now, my question is, why does it work in my test solution, but not in the other solution? What can be different? From what I inspected in project properties, they are identical! Both applications are 32 bit, their Class Library DLLs are 32 bit (I double-checked that with Exe64bitDetector app).
And, here is the wierdest part:
Above I was talking about debugging. Meaning - pressing F5 or clicking Start Debug.
If I actually manually run the program from the disk (from \bin\Debug folder), it works all right! There will be no exception. However, if I use "run without debugging" option, it will still throw an exception!
I double checked the fact that there is no exception by making code like this:
try
{
MyClassInstance = new MyClass();
System.IO.File.Create("APPLICATION.HAS.NOT.FAILED.LOL");
}
catch
{
System.IO.File.Create("APPLICATION.FAILED.LOL");
}
Then I check which file appears in the bin\Debug folder.
That is talking about the main solution of course, in the test solution either of three options work fine without exception.
What is this? I am seriously out of ideas as are all my colleagues. What can be happening here? Where do I look in order to try to solve this mystery?
I do not know anything about C++, but I figured out enough to get a .dll written for a specific purpose, because there was some code I could not get C# to do.
So I created this DLL using Visual Studio 2013 -> Win32 Project -> Dynamic Link Library as the type, selected "Empty Project", etc.
Now I go over to my C# program and I have pinvoke sections to call this dll by name (Legacy.dll). I compile the DLL from C++, and copy/paste it from the /release folder to the /bin/release and /bin/debug folder of my C# application, and run the C# application.
It works fine. I have no issues.
However, when I send the files - the .dll and the .exe to other people, it tells them it cannot find the very same DLL. But it is clearly there, it is clearly working for me....
So what could be the problem? I am compiling both the C# program and the DLL to 32-bit.
UPDATE
The problem was that my users had the C++ libraries, but it had been sneakily updated to need the 2013 ones, which did not appear in my first search. I had to do an EXPLICITLY specific search to find this.
What's your operating system? Are you running a 32 bit or a 64 bit version of Windows? For .NET programs to load 32 bit native DLLs you'll have to ensure that you set the architecture of your .NET project to "32 bit" as well. By default it's on "Any CPU", which will pick the architecture based on the computer running the program. If you run the program on a 64 bit system, it will expect the native DLL to be 64 bit as well (which will cause the problem).
I know this sounds silly, but are you checking for the DLL in your C# program? (Sometimes users can be... 'interesting')
For example:
void Initialize()
{
var path = Path.Combine(Environment.CurrentDirectory, "Legacy.dll");
if(!File.Exists(path))
{
// Alert the user that the accompanying DLL is missing...
}
}
Other than that I would check architecture. Are you on 32-bit while they are on 64-bit OSes?