I have a simple Windows Form application(WPF) with entity framework. After compiled, only a few files generated:
EntityFramework.dll
EntityFramework.xml
MyApp.exe
MyApp.application
MyApp.exe.config
...
Then I just copy following files to a network shared folder:
EntityFramework.dll
MyApp.exe
MyApp.exe.config
Then I can double click on MyApp.exe from developer computer the launch the app, but can not launch from another end user computer.
How to resolve this problem?
When you double click, app is not launching means certainly it is crashing so type the command eventvwr in run or cmd it'll open the Event viewer in that go to Windows Logs and Click on Application, you can see different levels of logs in that just find the last error log view the details it might help you
Have a look in the event log on the target computer and look at the error that is actually being reported.
It could be a missing installation of the correct version of the DotNet framework as suggested in the comments above, or it could also be that the execution policy of the target computer is preventing the user from running from a network drive (As a developer you probably have admin rights on your local pc allowing you to do this).
Whatever the actual cause you are always better to use some form of installer, rather than this form of putting files on the network (commonly known as xcopy deployment).
Probably the best solution is to use Visual studio to generate you a click once installer and publish it to your network drive. This will then copy the application locally on the users pc and run it from there.
Related
I have tried to create an .exe file to my WPF App and SQL Server related databse with EF Core using Windows Setup Installer Project.
I included all the dll's files from /bin/Release and built it for any CPU.
The Setup Project has been created successfully and it worked on my PC as I expected.
Otherwise when I try to install the Setup File on another PC, I can't even open it up and see what's wrong.
I guess the problem comes from the database but I can't find anything helpful on the internet.
So you get the application installed, run it and nothing happens, right? Here is what you do:
Run it. Watch nothing happen
Hit the Windows key and type "Event"
When "Event Viewer" appears in the list of applications, run it
In Event Viewer, go to Windows Logs >> Application
Near the top there will probably be an error entry. It will probably be related to your application. And if you were missing a key file needed to run your application, like a DLL, the name of the file will probably be in there in the details section
Go back to your installer and add that missing file. Or if that file is part of some support package (like, say, MS Redistributable for Visual C++) then add the installer for that too.
Using Visual Studio 2017 on Windows 10, I have a WPF application with an installer created using the Visual Studio Installer extension. When I install it on another PC, the application starts but then exits within the same second. Nothing in logs.
If I add a manifest to force admin mode, its starts correct.
If I copy the files to another folder (outside program files) it starts correct.
Apparently the "program files" is restricted or something? Am I missing something in my setup/installer project? Any other ideas more than welcome!
EDIT:
I've tried to create the installer using WIX and then it runs fine. Seems to be some settings in the VS Installer extension.
You can modify the ACLs on the folder in question to allow write access by regular users (not great) or you could write the settings file somewhere else where write permission for users is standard.
There are many ways: Resolve lacking permissions.
There is another, similar answer here.
Adding a couple further links:
WiX and deployment links, various topics.
I have a program that needs to run with normal privileges. To prevent piracy, at the launch of our application we launch a License Manager application that needs to run with Elevated Privileges. Upon enquiring with our vendors, the License Manager seems to have this elevated privileges added in its app.manifest file which is necessary to read some kind of Disk ID information, so it is mandatory (we cannot reduce its privilege requirements).
<requestedExecutionLevel level="requireAdministrator" uiAccess="false" />
The application successfully launches the License Manager if it is placed in a normal folder. However when it is placed in Program Files folder, it seems to close at launch with no intimation.
We also checked running the application with normal credentials without adding the License Manager (it works fine).
Do we need some sort of settings to be changed either in registry or in some other windows settings to enable launching elevated privileged application from normal account. Or perhaps some code snippet needs to be added at the code launch section which can enable this scenario.
We have even tried pasting the folder created in Program Files to the Desktop (it also runs fine).
OS: Windows 7
Please let me know if any additional information is needed form my side. Any help in this direction is appreciated.
My Humble appologies for assuming problem with Program Files Directory.
It turned out that the logs written by the License Manager were being written in the current application execution folder. The problem was caused by trying to write the log to Program Files folder when the appliction did not have the permissions to write a text file to this folder.
The logging logic was shared between the License Manager (from the program we called a function that was defined in the License Manager, which was writing logs) and the application running from the Program Files folder.
We changed the log creation folder to AppData folder. This has caused the applicaiton to launch successfully.
Cause Conclusion:
Writing log file in Program Files folder from an application that did not have admin privilege.
Note: I have added this post and this answer purely to help other like me, in case they dont have a solution in this type of scenario.
I wrote a Win-32 desktop application in 1999 and have maintained it through the various iterations of Windows ever since. It didn't need a 64-bit address space so I never bothered to migrate it to the 64-bit apis.
Until Win 10 came along, I could type < the first few letters of my app's name> and the app would run.
In Win 10, I have to double click on the app to get it to run. If I try the app's folder and its contents show in the start menu but not the app itself. I look under all apps and the app isn't there. I've added a shortcut to the start menu but even that hint isn't enough for Windows to find the app. I tried creating a bat file that would fire off the app and placed the bat file in Programs Folder but that failed.
I never wrote an installer for the app. The app lives in its own folder which I create by dragging it from a CD or network drive as I have migrated between all the Windows iterations since Win-98.
Is there now some xml file I must create that says "This is an app. Please Microsoft, include it in the start menu?" I had thought *.exe would suffice but apparently not. Perhaps *.exe code must now reside in Programs Folder, no exceptions allowed?
If it makes any difference, the application is written in C and compiled in Visual Developer 2008. It reads kid's handwritten responses to arithmetic questions.
More info I've dug up...
I noticed that Python shows up in Windows search but PHP doesn't. IIRC, I installed python with an installer whereas php was unzipped into its current location.
That establishes that a program need not reside in C:\Program Folder to show up in Start-search.
Then I discover that Python has a shortcut in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs but PHP doesn't. "That's it!" I think. Nope. Start-search now shows the folder I placed there but not the shortcut to the program. So residence in the start menu folder doesn't do it.
I am obnoxed.
..even more info...
I recompiled the entire project and now search finds the executable which suggests start-search is broken. Moreover, start-search only displays the app if I completely type its name. In Win 7, just the first few letters suffice as is the case with most executables in win10.
The app still doesn't appear in the all apps section but then again, neither do the autodesk apps I have installed. OTOH, the autodesk apps appear by typing just a few letters.
At this point, it appears win10 start-search is broken.
Most .exe files don't appears in Windows Search under Win10 unless they are installed in program files folder... I try to find a way to circumvent this limitation cause lot of my files are portable applications on another drive.
In meantime here's a Workaround: Make a folder "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\DummyApps" and copy the shortcut of the app you want to be listed in "Search Results" in the DummyApps folder.
I've made a shorcut of "DummyApps" on my desktop to drop shortcut of programs I want to access by the search.
Regards
When you say
I've added a shortcut to the start menu but even that hint isn't enough for Windows to find the app
do you mean that you added a shortcut here: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs ?
If so, did you restart your pc (or at least explorer.exe)?
Adding a shortcut to the location above and restarting explorer.exe worked for me and it even added the app to the recently added apps section. Hopefully that helps.
step 1:win10 +x, open cmd adminstration mode
step 2:input 'start powershell' in cmd
step 3:input 'Get-AppXPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.Cortana | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}' in powershell
We have a silverlight(5) project, the source in TFS (2010) and Continuous Integration build has been setup and working fine. However, we are now at the stage where we are trying to release it to some users to get them using it and give feedback. I've set up the code so that it checks for updates and if there are any it downloads the latest xap file. However this requires the xap file to be signed. No problem when doing this from our dev machines, but when it comes to the automated build it fails, with the message
Xap packaging failed. Cannot locate the signing tool SignTool.exe.
I've tried numerous things to get the signtool to be recoginised and can't. However, we don't actually need this on the CI build, so I've then tried a second tack which is to make the postbuild event conditional on being run in VisualStudio. Followed various suggestions here on SO but can't gett them to work.
The post build event is
if "$(BuildingInsideVisualStudio)" == "true" (
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.1\Bin\signtool.exe" sign /f "$(SolutionDir)castle.pfx" "$(TargetDir)Castle.xap"
copy "$(TargetDir)Castle.xap" "$(SolutionDir)Castle.Web\ClientBin"
)
still no joy. Have tried multiple variations of this, but keep getting the same message from the automated build.
So can anyone help with either a) getting the signing tool to be recoginised on the build server or b) getting the automated build to skip the postbuild event?
Found the problem in the end...
I had been putting in place some features so the app would download and install the latest xap file. This requires it to be signed. As this wasn't working I followed some instructions on signing a xap file, not realising that one of the other developers here had put in place the code I described above in the post build event.
I had mistakenly thought that this was created as a result of me checking the 'Sign The Xap File' check box.
So first issue was that other developer had not shared his pfx file with us to add to our certificate stores.
Second, and main issue, was that we then had two attempts at signing going on. The one via the check box and the one via the post build event. I removed the check box and it worked fine.
The issue with the check box is that it expects the SignTool.exe to be in a particular location. On our development boxes with full VS it is where it is looking for it, but on the build server it wasn't. Think it may also have something to do with 64bit machines.
By using only the build event (once you have the correct certificates installed) you can specify explicitly the location that the signtool is going to be, and if necessary install the windows sdk to that location.
This is the top result in Google for this error so updating it with my steps to resolve.
The above didnt work for me but performing the steps below should fix it.
Install the Windows 8.1 SDK on the build server (Windows 2008 R2 for me)
Adding the Windows SDK BIN directory (that contains signtool.exe, on my server) to the Environment PATH variable - e.g. c:\program files (x86)\Windows Kits\8.1\bin - note: Do not add quotes around this
Restart all the Visual Studio Team Foundation services in services.msc after you add the file path to the PATH variable as it needs to reload these before building