I have a console application that dies very quickly, and upon inspecting the code, I can't tell exactly where it'll die (I've basically narrowed it down to a 10 line radius) so that I further debug it.
For reasons I won't go into, I can't execute the process from VS (I have the binaries, source, and pdbs though, but I can't build outside of the build server's environment), and would like to attach to the process... but when I start the process, it dies much sooner than I could ever hope to refresh the attach to process dialog.
Ideas?
One possibility for doing this is to use any existing Visual Studio project and specify the application as the application to debug. The steps (in Visual Studio 2010) are:
Go to the project properties.
Choose Debugging (under Configuration Properties)
Edit the Command and fill in the path to the binary
Then it should be possible just to start debugging (e.g., F5 or Debug\Start Debugging).
Another option that might be a bit quicker if you have the debugging tools installed would be to use WinDbg.exe. It would avoid needing to use a Visual Studio project. You can open the executable, specify command line parameters, etc. and then type g<ret> in the command line to fire it up.
Related
Since Visual Studio 2017 version 15.8 we have on some computers in my team the following really weird build error.
Additionally Visual Studio recognizes it
but the IDE itself doesn't crash.
To check if it only happens to our own solutions I created a new simple, plain command line tool project which shows the same build behavior. So it isn't exclusive to our solutions.
I tried to get help from Microsoft but it seems they don't know what to do about it. The thread doesn't show all the material I provided to them. They got a lot of logs and a sample project from me. A crash dump wasn't possible to provide, because Visual Studio itself doesn't crash.
Repair and full uninstall, new install of Visual Studio didn't help either.
Edit: It is not only occurring on my development machine but on our build servers (there are two of them), too. Interestingly our VMs on the development machines does not seem to have this issue.
To me it seems, the problem has something to do with loading assembly from GAC, so I would suggest to try reinstalling Microsoft.CodeAnalysis assembly and see if it helps.
To Do that:
Install Microsoft.CodeAnalysis package to your project with it's required dependencies, make sure to note down all assemblies being downloaded.
Run Visual Studio Developer Command prompt as an Admin
Uninstall existing assemblies from GAC by using command gacutil /u [name of assembly] (do this for all assemblies from step 1)
Install newly downloaded dll using command gacutil /u [Path to Dll] for all dlls (do this for all assemblies from step 1)
Remove package from your project
I hope this helps!
Unfortunately in this case you have only three two options:
You could try to describe all the steps to reproduce this crash so much detailed as you could with a lot of screenshot images from this steps. Use for this DOC file format, PDF or some like that. This file you have to send to Visual Studio support.
You could try to create the crash dump. Each time Visual Studio crashes, it will create a dump file devenv.exe.[number].dmp file in the configured location. Each dump file produced by this method will be up to 4 GB. in size. Make sure to set DumpFolder to a location with adequate drive space or adjust the DumpCount appropriately. I know, you wrote already on MS forum that this error doesn't create one dump. But would you like to imagine that you have 10 crashes on a day and on each crash one dump file in size 4 GB. will be written? The dump creating is disabled normaly and you have to enable it. How to enable it you could find using search string in Google: "How to enable dump files in Windows" or for Windows 10 you could see this video. Alternatively or additionally you could use the programm tool "ADPlus" for creating memory dump files and log files with debug output from one or more processes. This tool is very detailed describen on this MS Support page.
You could try to debug by yourself. But in the case if you want do it you have to see "Tools listing Included in Debugging Tools for Windows".
Normaly by Visual Studio support do not work the Visual Studio developers. You have to be nice to them and they do what they can do. You could not expect from them that they all know. They do their job using some given instructions.
In your case the support worker has gived you the link Reporting Visual Studio crashes and performance issues in which you have to read the following part:
Directly reproducible crashes
Directly reproducible crashes are cases which have all of the
following characteristics:
Can be observed by following a known set of steps
Can be observed on multiple computers (if available)
If the steps involve opening a project or document, can be reproduced in sample code or a project which can be linked to or
provided as part of the feedback
For these issues, follow the steps in "How to Report a Problem"
and be sure to include:
The steps to reproduce the problem
A standalone repro project as described above. If this is not possible, then please include:
The language of the open projects (C#, C++, etc.)
The kind of project (Console Application, ASP.NET, etc.)
Any extensions that are installed.
Most valuable feedback: For this case, the most valuable feedback is the set of steps to reproduce the issue along with sample source
code.
Unknown crashes
If you're not sure what's causing your crashes or they seem random,
then you can capture dumps locally each time Visual Studio crashes and
attach those to separate feedback items. To save dumps locally when
Visual Studio crashes, set the following registry entries:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Error Reporting\LocalDumps\devenv.exe]
"DumpFolder"="C:\\Crashdumps"
"DumpCount"=dword:00000005
"DumpType"=dword:00000002
⚠️ Each dump file produced by this method will be up to 4 GB. in size. Make sure to set DumpFolder to a location with adequate
drive space or adjust the DumpCount appropriately.
Each time Visual Studio crashes, it will create a dump file
devenv.exe.[number].dmp file in the configured location.
Then, use Visual Studio's "Report a Problem..." feature. It will
allow you to attach the appropriate dump.
Locate the dump file for the crash you are reporting (look for a file with the correct Creation time)
If possible, zip the file (*.zip) to reduce its size before submitting feedback
Follow the steps in "How to Report a Problem", and attach the heap dump to a new feedback item.
⚠️ Do not attach heap dumps to existing feedback items. Please create a new feedback item for each heap dump you would like to
submit. If you were requested to provide a heap dump in order to
resolve a previous feedback item, simply reply to the request with a
link to the new feedback item where the heap dump is attached.
Most valuable feedback: For this case, the most valuable feedback is the heap dump captured at the time of the crash.
Please read it very carefully and in best case two or even tree times successively.
I hope it will help you and I wish you good luck!
As suggested with Dipen in another answer problem seems to be in Microsoft.CodeAnalysis try reinstalling nuget package for that & re-register in GAC if missing.
If Issue still exists, you can try disabling code analysis on your project like:
In Project in VS 2017, open References & right click on Analyzers and click on Open Active Rule Set like:
Uncheck all rules so that no code analysis is done on your project like:
3 .Save All files and now try rebuilding & run the project to see if issue is resolved.
The issue was an older JustMock version installed. Could only solve it with the help of the Roslyn team.
I'm developing a Visual Basic application using Visual Studio. My application worked fine with command line arguments until I compiled a "Publish" the first time. Now if I try to run the executable file generated in the debug folder I get a System.IndexOutOfRangeException thrown. If I try to run it inside Visual Studio I get this warning:
The current project settings specify that the project will be debugged with specific security permissions. In this mode, command line arguments will not be passed to the executable. Do you want to continue debugging anyway?
And then the code run without errors, but it does not create a new .exe file in the debug folder.
What have happened? How can I fix this problem? My code worked just fine until I tried to "publish" it. I haven't changed a single line.
The "Publish" feature in Visual Studio uses ClickOnce deployment technology. There's a pretty good overview of ClickOnce, and how it differs from MSI deployment, at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/142dbbz4(v=vs.90).aspx.
The MSDN topic "How to: Retrieve Query String Information in a ClickOnce Application" at https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms172242(v=vs.90).aspx confirms that "It is not possible to pass command-line arguments to a ClickOnce application. If you want to supply arguments to the application, you must deploy it over the Web and supply query string parameters in the URL."
You can create still create File Associations for a ClickOnce application, but it requires specific configuration steps as well as modified code. The following blog posting walks you through this:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mwade/archive/2008/01/30/how-to-add-file-associations-to-a-clickonce-application.aspx
Overall, unless you have a specific need to use ClickOnce, I would suggest sticking with XCopy or MSI deployment.
When running a project in Test or Debug configuration in VB.NET using Visual Studio 2012, sometimes it gives the following error as the reason for "Build Failed"
Error 1 Could not copy the file "obj\Debug\MyProgram.exe" because it was not found. MyProgram
There are no issues with the code as it was just compiled seconds before this (sometimes I start the program again just to see how everything gets laid out visually and then go back to the code to make Location adjustments)
What I found is this. If I wait , when I go to test compile again -- it just magically starts working again -- Only to fail again later.
Sometimes, I can get 10-15 good compiles before it wigs out.
About my system configuration:
I do not have any other version of Visual Studio or standalone .NET language installed
The paths are set correctly (else it would never compile in the first place.. not just occassionaly fail)
The program can be a simple program with absolutely no code added (aka... New > WinForms Project > Compile)
The project, language (and all requirements), and project output path are on a local drive that is connected directly to the PC internally (using C:\code* for projects and the standard install location for Visual Studio 2012)
I checked the smart data and scanned my hard drive for any errors ... none ever encountered. The temperature of my system (CPU), and the drive is around 25-30 degrees C.
I am really baffled as to why this happens and at random. I have also tried completely clearing out the bin/ folder, and even Moving the project or repointing where the compiled output path is.
Deleting the .suo file helps sometimes, but not all the time.
I believe this is something that may be able to be tweaked in the UI somehow, however I do not know anything about manually linking and compiling programs.
Lastly -- it does not matter whether I run VS in "Administrator" mode (elevated privileges) or as a user.
Some methods that may help you
Have you tried to reinstall Visual Studio. If that does not work you may need to install some of Windows Updates, the compiler may be missing some essential libraries/references to compile your application.
Check your .Net Target Framework, setting your application to a new framework that you don't have installed can stop the application from compiling yet even stop it from being debugged, having a compiler that is to low, this may come with errors for the compiler but not for the IDE/Visual Studio to notice.
Try cleaning your project solution's output folder by right clicking your solution then try to rebuild your project/solution.
Check your compilation references in your project's properties, check if a reference added is not on your computer
Reinstall/Update .Net Framework, same here some requirements may be missing from your installation
Try installing a newer version of Visual Studio, try Vs2013 - this contains various improvements and fixes, Visual Studio 2015 is fast approaching, a recommendation install VS2015 when the full version gets released it will contain a lot of useful features for future .net programming.
Create an new Administrator account and Run VS with Administrator rights and try compiling then, this fixes some of problems in vs and other microsoft products, it might work here.
Install all of the .Net Frameworks from the lowest to current 4.5, this may help when some of the used references/libraries are not on your local hard drive.
if none of these methods work, i would not know of the problem one last thing you could try is installing Windows to another hard drive and try using that installation of windows and see what happens... Hope this helps.
Best regards!
I faced this kind of problem because of my virus guard
blocked my application(but it is not have any harmful code :) )
exclude your project folder from virus guard
or
simply disable it(not recommended)
Any way to replace visual studio's usage of msbuild and still get error reporting in the IDE? I think I might want to compile in VS with NAnt or Rake or PowerShell, or something that is just as smart but uses a scripting language instead of XML. My build is fairly straight forward -- find all the .cs and compile them and put the dll in a Debug/ or Release/ etc.
I'd like to add a number of other steps that just seem easier from the command line:
Like hit the server to prime certain caches.
Compile with Closure
Minify CSS
Generate some metrics after build (in a certain config)
Run NUnit (or custom) testing framework and send an email
etc....
However, I'd still like to get the "error on line" feed back inside of the IDE. Is this a possibility?
You could write some extension for Visual Studio (Macro, AddIn, Package, etc.) that can augment Visual Studio to let other build tools run. The simplest form is probably just using "Tools\External Tools.." and add your Build Tool there. As long as you format your "build messages" as described here, the should show up the output window as if they were generated by MSBuild.
However, I don't think it is possible (nor desirable, BTW) to completely replace MSBuild in Visual Studio.
Visual Studio not just executes MSBuild.exe and parses it's output. The integration is very tight and a lot of GUI aspects rely directly on the content of the MSBuild file.
For example, when you change some project properties in the Visual Studio UI, the changes are (eventually) written to the MSBuild file of the project.
Also, there are some performance improvements, for example Visual Studio "replaces", so to say, the call of csc.exe (the C# compiler) from an MSBuild file by using an in-process compiler, which safes some compile time, because less external processes need to be launched (also described in the above mentioned document)
While all this, from a architectural point of view, is quit likely wrapped and encapsulated by some "interfaces" inside Visual Studio, I haven't yet found a way to have those "interfaces" implement something else that, for example, uses NAnt behind.
Anyway, I think even if technically possible, it would not be technically feasible.
For rake, check out Rake Runner extension. You can run the rake tasks from the solution explorer and check the errors and other output in the Output pane. I have little experience developing vs packages so if anyone want to help, the project is open sourced here.
VB.NET: Can the .EXE built by VS2005 be deployed as a standalone EXE?
When I change the mode in VS2005 to "Release" and build the solution, the bin\Release directory then contains the solution .EXE file, but also a .pdb, vshost.exe and .xml file. What are these extra files and are they necessary?
I copied the .exe file to another machine and it executed properly, but there was a significant delay when it first executed - thereafter it was like any other program. What is the reason for this, and can it be helped? Is it because the other 3 files in the Release folder are not there with it?
The project template that you used to get the project started doesn't have very optimum settings. You'll get the clutter as a result. It is easily fixable. Start with Project + Properties, Compile tab. Make sure the Release build is selected, upper left combo box labeled Configuration.
The .pdb file contains debugging symbols. You don't need it for the Release build although you get slightly more informative exception messages. The stack trace will contain line numbers. You cannot trust them for a Release build though. Click Advanced Compile Options, Generate debug info = None.
The .xml file contains IntelliSense info, it will be generated when you use XML Documentation in your source code. Meant to be used for assemblies that are referenced in another project, quite pointless for an EXE project. Turn off the "Generate XML documentation file" option on the Compile tab.
The .vshost.exe file is a helper process for debugging your app. It hosts a custom version of CLR, configured differently to help with security issues while debugging. It also makes the output of Console.WriteLine() appear in the Visual Studio Output window. There's little point in having it created for the Release build. Select the Debug tab and uncheck the "Enable the Visual Studio hosting process" option.
After making these changes and rebuilding, you should only have the .exe file left in the bin\Release folder.
The slow startup is what's called a "cold start" of the .NET framework assemblies. It is caused by a slow or fragmented hard drive. Since the DLLs were never loaded before, the disk drive needs to dig through the GAC to find the files. You can probably improve it by defragging the disk. Cold starts are never as fast as warm starts though.
A classic trick, used by Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat, is to warm up the file system cache by loading their DLLs at login time. They are called "optimizer" in the Startup folder or Run registry key. Very annoying btw, they slow down other programs. You can do the same thing by writing your own little .NET program that doesn't do anything but create a few classes. Put a shortcut to it in the Startup folder.
You should be able to just ship the EXE. The PDB and VSHOST files are used for debugging, you should be able to configure your Release build to not generate these files. You can set this in the 'Advanced Compiler Settings' dialog from the Compile tab in your project properties.
alt text http://philippursglove.com/stackoverflow/compilerdebugoptions.png
(Hat-tip to Amissisco for pointing out it's the same dialog in VS2005/2008.)
I'd imagine the 'significant delay' you experienced when running the program for the first time was due to the .NET Framework being loaded into memory (and probably then paged back out to disk) - unfortunately there's not much getting round that one. You could try throwing hardware at it - memory and a solid-state disk would probably give an appreciable speed increase but may not be a cost-effective option if your application is going to be released on a significant number of PCs. However this should only take place the first time you fire up the application after a machine restart, which is why subsequent launches of your application are quicker.
Only .Exe file is required for deployment. But its better to create a setup. If you are using App.Config file / Application settings, you need to copy the exename.config file too.
Yes, you can deploy it as a standalone EXE, together with any third party DLLs that do not belong to the .NET Framework as well as other resources such as application.config. images and/or other media assets.
The .pdb contains additional symbolic debug info which is not necessary for your application to run. It's meant to assist debugging so that you see your source code instead of assembly code in the debugger.
vshost.exe is used by Visual Studio only, not too sure about the exact purpose of it though.
Whether these three files (.pdb, vshost.exe and the .xml) are present with the .exe should not affect the loading speed of your application. As .NET applications have to be compiled upon first run, the delay that you're experiencing should be partially due to that.