c++ - App does not run with VS 2008 SP1 DLLs, previous version works with RTM versions

Question

Since our switch from Visual Studio 6 to Visual Studio 2008, we've been using the MFC90.dll and msvc[pr]90.dlls along with the manifest files in a private side-by-side configuration so as to not worry about versions or installing them to the system.

Pre-SP1, this was working fine (and still works fine on our developer machines). Now that we've done some testing post-SP1 I've been pulling my hair out since yesterday morning.

First off, our NSIS installer script pulls the dlls and manifest files from the redist folder. These were no longer correct, as the app still links to the RTM version.

So I added the define for _BIND_TO_CURRENT_VCLIBS_VERSION=1 to all of our projects so that they will use the SP1 DLLs in the redist folder (or subsequent ones as new service packs come out). It took me hours to find this.

I've double checked the generated manifest files in the intermediate files folder from the compilation, and they correctly list the 9.0.30729.1 SP1 versions. I've double and triple checked depends on a clean machine: it all links to the local dlls with no errors.

Running the app still gets the following error:

The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0150002). Click on OK to terminate the application.

None of the searches I've done on google or microsoft have come up with anything that relates to my specific issues (but there are hits back to 2005 with this error message).

Any one had any similar problem with SP1?

Options:

• Find the problem and fix it so it works as it should (preferred)
• Install the redist
• dig out the old RTM dlls and manifest files and remove the #define to use the current ones. (I've got them in an earlier installer build, since Microsoft blasts them out of your redist folder!)

Edit: I've tried re-building with the define turned off (link to RTM dlls), and that works as long as the RTM dlls are installed in the folder. If the SP1 dlls are dropped in, it gets the following error:

c:Program Files......X.exe

This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.

Has no-one else had to deal with this issue?

Edit: Just for grins, I downloaded and ran the vcredist_x86.exe for VS2008SP1 on my test machine. It works. With the SP1 DLLs. And my RTM linked app. But NOT in a private side-by-side distribution that worked pre-SP1.

Answer 1

I have battled this problem myself last week and consider myself somewhat of an expert now ;)

I'm 99% sure that not all dlls and static libraries were recompiled with the SP1 version. You need to put

#define _BIND_TO_CURRENT_MFC_VERSION 1
#define _BIND_TO_CURRENT_CRT_VERSION 1

into every project you're using. For every project of a real-world size, it's very easy to forget some small lib that wasn't recompiled.

There are more flags that define what versions to bind to; it's documented on http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc664727%28v=vs.90%29.aspx . As an alternative to the lines above, you can also put

#define _BIND_TO_CURRENT_VCLIBS_VERSION 1

which will bind to the latest version of all VC libs (CRT, MFC, ATL, OpenMP).

Then, check what the embedded manifest says. Download XM Resource Editor: http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/d10resourceeditor.htm. Open every dll and exe in your solution. Look under 'XP Theme Manifest'. Check that the 'version' attribute on the right-hand side is '9.0.30729.1'. If it's '9.0.21022', some static library is pulling in the manifest for the old version.

What I found is that in many cases, both versions were included in the manifest. This means that some libraries use the sp1 version and others don't.

A great way to debug which libraries don't have the preprocessor directives set: temporarily modify your platform headers so that compilation stops when it tries to embed the old manifest. Open C:Program FilesMicrosoft Visual Studio 9.0VCcrtincludecrtassem.h. Search for the '21022' string. In that define, put something invalid (change 'define' to 'blehbleh' or so). This way, when you're compiling a project where the _BIND_TO_CURRENT_CRT_VERSION preprocessor flag is not set, your compilation will stop and you'll know that you need to add them or made sure that it's applied everywhere.

Also make sure to use Dependency Walker so that you know what dlls are being pulled in. It's easiest to install a fresh Windows XP copy with no updates (only SP2) on a virtual machine. This way you know for sure that there is nothing in the SxS folder that is being used instead of the side-by-side dlls that you supplied.