i am trying to run an exe file on another computer that doesn't have visual studios installed.
When i try run the file i get the error : This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.
I tried searching for the answer and i lot of websites mention static link run-time assemblies
but i have no idea how to add them into my project.
(Program is in visual studios 2008 in c++ console)
It is hard to tell exactly what libraries are missing. Here are some ideas.
You are deploying a debug version. As non-development computers typically don't have debug libraries deployed (mfc*xxxd.dll & co.) your app cannot start. You should deploy the release version.
You app is built with newer version of C runtime or MFC which is not available on target machine. You should install Visual C++ redistributable package for your version of VS / development tools.
If you can't install this, you should statically link runtime/MFC libraries to your app. Depending on your version of VS, you need to go to project settings and check correct version of runtime libs (static vs dynamic)
If still there are issues, you should check exactly which dlls are missing by using a tool like Dependency Walker on the target machine (actually this should always be the first thing you should do instead of guessing). It will show you which dlls are missing. If everything seems OK, then you are missing some delay-loaded or COM dll - this are not loaded on startup but on demand. You can use DependencyWalker to profile the startup of the app to see exactly what's missing.
Related
I recently came up with an issue. I had a project created on visual studio 2015, using allegro5 library which executed on Debug and Release mode correctly.
When I changed visual studio versions though and started using 2019 version (In the mean time I had to format my PC and re-installed only VS19) and loaded the project, the execution had a missing msvc110d.dll error shown up.
I tried to find a way in order for my project to be "upgraded" and instead of looking into the old version of msvc to try and look up the newer version, but couldn't find anything.
So is there a way for me to change some settings in order for my project to expect newer versions of msvc, or do I have to create a new project and copy paste all the configurations and files/assets inside that new project?
Thank you all
P.S I know that the error can be resolved If I get the .dll file inside that directory, but that is bad practice for sure. Also could you give me a tip on how to setup a project correctly in order to prevent those kind of issues in the future?
I think you need to find the VS2015 redistributable on Google and install it on your machine. That should solve it.
Windows dynamic library files are installed under c:\windows\system32 directory. A 32 bit dll file in a 64 bit windows can be found under c:\windows\syswow64. When your VC++ developed application searches for the dll it first checks in the application folder and then the system folder. If it is not found in these locations, a "missing dll file" error will be shown.
Normally, installing the right VC++ redistributable does the trick. But at times the mismatch persist as the sdk you're using is not in conformity with the system dll. You shouldn't replace the existing dll in the system directory manually with a downloaded( download only from www.microsoft.com) one as other installed software may also failed in the process.
In such worse case scenario, you can however directly copy the downloaded dll files in your application folder itself and distribute along your software so that it runs on a remote host too. Normally these compatible dll files, for both debug and release versions, are also available in your VC++ sdk directory which can be copied for a perfect match.
I created a client server application in C++ using Visual Studio.
Now I want to run the client EXE file on another computer (which doesn't have Visual Studio installed),
but when I try run the EXE file, it gives the following error message:
This application has failed to start because the application
configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this
problem.
How can I run the EXE file without installing anything on the computer?
Applications built with Visual Studio depend on Visual C++ Redistibutable (VCRedist). When the program is being linked dynamically, then your binaries will need
MSVCR**.dll (Microsoft C Runtime Library).
On MSDN, there is a nice article called Redistributing Visual C++ Files (for Visual Studio 2008), that states that there are Potential run-time errors in case that required Visual C++ library is not installed:
you may get one of the following error messages depending on the version of Windows on which you try to run your application:
The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135).
This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling application may fix this problem.
The system cannot execute the specified program.
Basically you have two options:
The simplest possible solution is to change the dynamic linking of runtime libraries to static linking. Go to project properties and under C/C++ → Code Generation you will find Runtime Library option. You need to change it from Multi-threaded DLL (/MD) to Multi-threaded (/MT).
Another possible solution is to make sure that the right version of Microsoft VC++ Redistributable Package is installed on the target machine.
But your application might depend on other DLL files as well. In case you want to find out what are the dependencies of your program, there is a great utility called Dependency Walker that will help you in this and many other situations :)
Background:
C++ applications need run-time assemblies (DLL files) to run in any Windows computer.
Normally these run-time assemblies are located at C:\Windows\Winsxs directory.
All the Windows operating systems by default comes with several run time assemblies.
But if your application is developed in a newer version of the run-time assembly environment, the target computer also needs the same version of the run time to exist there.
When you're installing Visual Studio, most newer versions of the run-time assemblies comes to your computer.
Solution:
Finally by anyway the target computer should have the exact run time assemblies. There are a few ways to do this (for more details search each in Google).
Statically link run-time assemblies with your application (troublesome for large application).
Install the C++ redistribution environment on the target computer (the easiest way).
Creating a setup project to deploy the run-time on the target computer when installing the application (not bad).
For deploying run-time assemblies as private assemblies (professional), see here for more details
Conditions:
You must not use .NET framework in your application.
You must not use the common language run-time support for your application
I deployed my program in release instead of debug, and the EXE file now works on the other computer.
I haven't seen that specific error before. Usually it's an error around a missing DLL (Windows redistributable). Assuming there isn't actually a problem with the configuration, you have two choices:
Change the compile mode from Multithreaded DLL to Multithreaded. This can be done from the C++ section of project properties under code generation. In multithreaded mode your binary will be statically linked against the Windows redistributable. This is probably what you want.
Install the Windows redistributable on the target machine. This probably isn't OK, because you state that you don't want to install anything on the target machine.
A warning about option 1: Different versions of Windows have different versions of the redistributable. It's possible to encounter a highly specialized environment in which a statically linked program will not behave as expected.
It look like you're missing some DLL files. Be sure to copy appropriate DLL files along with EXE file.
I am running Visual Studio 2019 and I found a very helpful configuration property to address the problem of moving a simple application to another computer without an installation package.
Open the project Property Pages.
Choose which configurations this change should apply to, I used “All Configurations”.
In the left-hand window click to expand the top node called “Configuration Properties”.
Click on "Advanced". In the right-hand window look for the property called “Copy C++ Runtime to OutDir” and set that to “yes”.
Click OK to close the Properties window.
Rebuild your project. All the necessary dlls will be copied to the project’s output directory. Copy your exe and all dlls to another computer. The exe should find everything it needs to run.
I have a C++ .exe compiled with /MDd (since I can't use CLR with /MTd). At first I was getting couldn't find x.dll that is installed when installing the VC++ runtime. After I installed the VC++ 2010 runtime, I still get the error. I've verified that the .dll it's looking for (msvcpsomethingd.dll) is located in the correct folder ([SystemDrive]\Windows\system32). Has anyone run into this problem before?
How to deploy debug CRT .dlls
How to deploy CRT .dlls in general to the application local folder
The short answer is you have to explicitly install the CRT debug runtime for VS 2010 with a custom setup project on the target machines OR ensure the CRT .dlls for the platform are in the same folder as the application.
You will have to explicitly install the CRT if you are using multiple versions of the debug CRT (i.e., x86 and x64).
The best way to solve these issues is to use the depends.exe tool. Profile the program and it will tell what you are missing.
Compile with release mode and run on different PC. It seems like one/more of your DLLs are compiled using Debug build or dependencies.
It could be your referenced library as well..
Ensure that correct Redestributable of VC++ 2010 is installed:
32-bit OR 64-bit, depending on your application, not as per target OS.
Appropriate RTM or Service Pack version.
When I try to open released .exe file (which I wrote in Visual Studio 2008) in VMWare Workstation 6.5 with Windows Server 2008 32bit OS, got "The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect." error all time even if the code is;
#include <stdio.h>
int main ()
{
printf ("HELLO\n");
return 0;
}
Is anyone faced that king of problem or does know how to cope with it?
You probably forgot to deploy the runtime support DLLs or copied the Debug build of your program. For a small program like this without DLLs that export C++ classes or pointers it is better to link the static version of the CRT. Project + Properties, C/C++, Code Generation, /MTd. Repeat for the Release configuration, now choose /MT.
It has nothing to do with VMWare -- it has to do with not having the correct side-by-side assemblies for the C runtime installed. You need to know which ones you require, and then install the runtime. You can also control it with a manifest.
There is some info here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side-by-side_assembly
One easy way (for C/C++ programs) to get around this is to change to linking to the C-runtime statically. Go to your project properties, then Code Generation, and choose static linking for the C Runtime. Then you won't have a dependency on the runtime dlls. All libraries you might be using need to be linked this way for it to work.
I generally get this error if the C/C++ runtime that the program was built with was not installed in the VM. You can download the CRT for Visual Studio 2008 SP1 at Microsoft's website. Make sure to download the correct version of the CRT based on the versions of Visual Studio used to build the app.
My C(++) program, written and compiled using Visual C(++)/Visual Studio, runs fine on my own machine, but refuses to run on another machine. The error message I get is "This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem."
If you write a C++ program, it links dynamically to the C Runtime Library, or CRT for short. This library contains your printf, your malloc, your strtok, etcetera. The library is contained in the file called MSVCR80.DLL. This file is not by default installed on a Windows system, hence the application cannot run.
The solution? Either install the DLL on the target machine through VCREDIST.EXE (the Visual C++ Redistributable Package), or link to the CRT statically (plug the actual code for the used functions straight into your EXE).
Distributing and installing VCREDIST along with a simple application is a pain in the arse, so I went for the second option: static linking. It's really easy: go to your project's properties, unfold C/C++, click Code Generation, and set the Runtime Library to one of the non-DLL options. That's all there is to it.
The problem here is a missing DLL dependency, such as the CRT (C Runtime Library). A good tool for diagnosing this sort of problem is Dependency Walker (depends.exe), which you can find here:
http://www.dependencywalker.com/
You would run this program on the computer that generates the error message you posted, and use it to open the exe that's generating this error. Dependency Walker will quickly and graphically indicate any DLLs that are required but not available on the machine.
Chances are high that you miss the runtime libraries of Visual Studio (CRT amongst others), you can either get rid of those dependencies (link statically) or install the VC redist packages on the target computer.
Depending on the Visual C++ version you use, you have to install different packages :
Visual C++ 2005
Visual C++ 2005 SP1
Visual C++ 2008
Warning : those packages only contain release versions of the libraries, if you want to be able to distribute debug builds of your application you'll have to take care of the required DLL yourself.
It is much the simplest to link to the runtime statically.
c++ -> Code Generation -> Runtime Library and select "multi-threaded /MT"
However, this does make your executable a couple hundred KByte larger. This might be a problem if you are installing a large number of small programs, since each will be burdened by its very own copy of the runtime. The answer is to create an installer.
New project -> "setup and deployment" -> "setup project"
Load the output from your application projects ( defined using the DLL version of the runtime ) into the installer project and build it. The dependency on the runtime DLL will be noticed, included in the installer package, and neatly and unobtrusively installed in the correct place on the target machine.
The correct VC Redist package for you is part of your Visual Studio installation. For VC 8, you can find it here:
\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\SDK\v2.0\BootStrapper\Packages\vcredist_x86
POSSIBLE SOLUTION........
EDIT: (removed most of my post)
Long story short, I was having similar problems, getting the "Application Configuration Incorrect" messages, etc etc.
Depends.exe was only finding ieshims.dll and wer.dll as possible issues, but this is not the problem.
I ended up using the Multithreaded (/mt) compile option.
What HAS worked though, as a workable solution, is making an installer with InstallShield.
I've selected several merge modules in installshield builder and this seems to have fixed my problem. The modules selected were:
VC++ 9.0 CRT, VC++ 9.0 DEBUG CRT, and the CRT WinSXS MSM merge module.
I'm pretty sure its the WinSXS merge module that has fixed it.
DEBUG CRT: I noticed somewhere that (no matter how hard I tried, and obviously failed thus far), my Release version still depended on the DEBUG CRT. If this is still the case, the InstallShield merge module has now placed the DEBUG CRT folder in my WinSXS folder :) Being somewhat of a novice with VC++ I assume that this would normally be used to distribute debug versions of your programs to other people. To test if this is what fixed my problem I removed the DEBUG CRT folder from the WinSXS folder and the application still worked. (Unless something is still running in the background etc etc - I'm not that into it)
Anyway, this has got things working for me on an XP SP3 fully updated machine, and also on a VMWare XP SP3 machine with the bare bones (.net 3.5 and VC++ 2008 RTM basically) - and also on a mate's XP machine where it previously wasn't working.
So give these things a try, you might have some luck.
First thing you must use
#define _BIND_TO_CURRENT_VCLIBS_VERSION 1
or add _BIND_TO_CURRENT_VCLIBS_VERSION=1 to the preprocessor directives.
The problem is related to binding and the manifest types, you can find more http://www.nuonsoft.com/blog/2008/10/29/binding-to-the-most-recent-visual-studio-libraries/
By doing this your application will run with a larger range of runtime libraries versions.
Often times this error is the result of attempting to run the debug version of an application that uses .NET. Since the .NET redistributable package doesn't include the debug versions of the dlls that are installed with Visual Studio, your application will often get this error when running it on any other machine that doesn't have Visual Studio installed. If you haven't already, try building a release version of your application and see if that works.
Note also - that if you change to static runtime, you will have to do the same for MFC if your app uses MFC. Those settings are in properties->Configuration/General
I ran into this problem and was able to fix it very simply.
Visual studio gives you the option (on by default) to build a manifest for each build.
The manifest was put in the release folder, but it was a different release folder than the exe.
Even when using the setup utilities it was not packaged.
You should look for a file names something like myprogram.exe.indermediate.manifest
If this is in the same folder as the exe (and you have all the dlls) it should run