Getting an error on startup with Altdesk 1.6 - 0xc0000005

[gabrielf]

Hi all,

I'm desperate! I've just purchased AltDesk 1.6 and when I tried to run it after installing the version I downloaded from the main site, I get the following error:

Altdesk.exe - Application Error
The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000005). Click OK to terminate the application.

I reluctantly click OK, the error appears again, and I click OK again, and then it closes.

I've tried uninstalling, reinstalling, rebooting, removing all mention of Altdesk and Gladiators from my registry before reinstalling, but, I've had no success. It appears that someone else has the same problem, and they started a thread in your forums, although I think it might've been in the wrong section: http://www.astonshell.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3635

Anyway, if this might help, I had previously run the demo version for both 1.5.5 and 1.6 beta1 - and they both worked fine (which is why I went and bought 1.6 final).

My system specs are WinXP SP2, fully patched. I have 1G of memory that's running at about 60% free, and my swap file is doing good too. DirectX 9.0c is installed, and I'm using the latest Catalyst Omega Drivers (I have to use the Omega drivers for my video card, as Dell hasn’t updated their laptop drivers, ever).

I'm running Windowblinds 5, but I've completely excluded Altdesk from being skinned, wrt anti-virus, I'm running McAfee ViruScan 8.0, fully updated. I've switched off my personal firewall, and don’t really have any resident applications that could be interfering with AltDesk.

All in all, I have a seemingly optimal environment for running AltDesk.

I don’t know if you need to know the version of the .Net framework, but, if you do, it's 1.1.

It also writes a log message to the system log, but, its exactly the same error message that is show when I attempt to start the application.

I've tried to find an older version of Altdesk to run in the meantime, maybe 1.5.5, but, it seems to be wiped completely off the internet. I've also mailed a request for help to support@astonshell.com, but have received NO REPLY!

[Liderc]

It sounds like you know what you are doing. Have you tried to completely reinstall? I'd download Altdesk again (SLIGHT possiblity of a corrupted file), and try installing it again (of course, after running a registry cleaner and complete registry backup). Another thing you can try is a great utility called Process Explorer found here (You'll have to go to the very bottom of the page to find the download links).
This little baby is an aid/replacement for task manager. This bad boy will give you a list of the running processes AND the process/threads it relies on. If you can successfully install and run Altdesk on another system, I'd use Process Explorer to check out it's dependencies and then compare them to the processes running on your system. See what's missing.

[Kess]

Sorry for not answering you right away. The matter is we're testing the compatibility of AltDesk 1.6.1 with Windowsblinds, which you've mentioned, and it looks like there really is some trouble with Windowsblinds. We're trying to find the solution to it right now and as soon as we come to any definite conclusion, we'll immediately inform you.

[gabrielf]

Hi all,

Liderc - thank for the tips - they kinda helped out a bit, at least with understanding how far down this problem goes. wrt ProcExp - I love that app, been using it for years, just completely forgot to bring it into the mix this time.

Ok - here's what I've found out... Altdesk works fine on my other machine, but, they're so different, its kinda pointless to compare.

There was one thing I did notice with altdesk on my secondary machine: It was using a comctl32.dll found in C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.0.0_x-ww_1382d70a, which is the only one present in the WinSxS dir.

On my machine, altdesk crashes before it could start using any DLL's and subsequently, procexp cant interrogate it. However, my machine has three different versions of the comctl32.dll in the WinSxS directory. They are 6.0.0.0, 6.0.10.0 and 6.0.2600.2180. Maybe the problem lies therein?

I did attempt to run altdesk in safe mode, and lo and behold, it worked great!!! Although, I can hardly run my machine in safe mode 24/7 just to use altdesk - haha.

Once I was back in normal mode, I systematically killed all my resident apps and stopped all my services, trying to run Altdesk after I shut down an app or service, and restarting it once it proved it wasnt interfering with altdesk (due to the fact that altdesk would still crash). Windowblinds 5 doesnt look like its the problem (directly, at least) as I completely unloaded it, and the problem persisted.

I managed to track down an old version of altdesk 1.5.5 from some obscure website. Luckily, my key worked on that version as well. I'm using that right now, so, the urgency of my problem has been taken down a notch.

If there is anything you'd like me to try to aid you in sorting this issue out, please let me know and provide explicit instructions on how to perform it for you.

[SacRat]

That's what is called DLL hell. Most probably there's a trouble with your PC and AltDesk has been the first to notice that. Maybe, try cleaning it or doing sfc /scannow?

[gabrielf]

Hi all,

Unfortunately, the sfc command didnt find anything strange, however, I've made some really good progress!

I've managed to get altdesk 1.6 working!!!!!

Here's what I did (although, at the time, I didnt know this would work) - I installed it, went into safe mode, set it to load on startup, and restarted into normal mode. To my great surprise, it started up fine. However, if I close it, and try open it again, I get the same error.

I've saved the output of process explorer's dll interrogation for the three different scenarios. 1) Altdesk working fine on my secondary machine. 2) Altdesk running in safe mode on my primary machine. 3) Altdesk running fine on startup on my primary machine in normal mode.

If you would like the three files to help in your bug fixes, please let me know, and I'll forward them to your support @ astonshell address. Unfortunately, phpbb doesnt allow the attachment of files to posts.

[SacRat]

Feel free to do this.