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Application Error with WinBatch and Wise

 Keywords: Crash GPF application error exit close script exe

Question:

After installing Wise Package Studio 3.0, I am consistantly getting an application error that occurs at the end of every Winbatch compiled EXE launched. Also, if I create a .WBT file on an affected PC, the error occurs at the end of that script as well. Again, scripts seem to run flawlessly up to the exit, then display an application error. The problems seem to occur on NT 4.0 and 2000, but not on Windows 95.

I have attempted to install Winbatch on a 'clean' machine. - WinBatch runs fine I then install WISE (which doesn't even prompt for a reboot) - WinBatch runs fine. I reboot the machine - WinBatch now gets the application error on exit.

I have spoken with WISE support and they seem to indicate it's not their problem, because in only seems to affect WinBatch and I should contact you.

What is your exit processing doing that might cause the problem?

Answer:

Sounds like the classic 'passing of the buck'. We are not really doing anything unusual upon exit. It sounds like from your message that WISE is installing something after the reboot that maybe causing the issue. It would be interesting to find out from them, what their install is doing at the reboot. Installing any files?

User Reply

I figured it out. I built a fresh install of NT4 Sp6 and verified that WinBatch was working, then I just started the WISE install and waited for it to prompt me to install a runtime component (MSI 2.0 from Microsoft) and clicked "Cancel". This stopped the installation cold. I was running a setup discovery tool in the background to detect any changes that the install made to my PC and it only found a single registry entry and a single new dll called setuphook.dll, under c:\winnt\system32.

the registry entry made was:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows[AppInit_DLLs]="setuphook.dll"
I rebooted and Winbatch started to die again.

I was on the phone with WISE at the time and the guy in their prime support group had no idea what the DLL was for (even though the properties of the file referenced WISE) or why it would cause a problem, but he said there are two solutions: delete the file or blank out the data of the registry value that was modified (it's bad form to simply delete it, apparently). I tried both and both worked. He said that one of their developers noted the problem on his own PC with some other 3rd party app and deleted the DLL and all of his WISE products still work, so their happy giving me that work around for now.

To reproduce the problem on any NT4 or Win2k machine, drop the setuphook.dll in c:\winnt\system32 and update the registry with the value above and reboot. Violla, broken WinBatch! You should probably create a KB article for others who may use WISE products and unwittingly damage their system.


Article ID:   W15142
File Created: 2002:09:05:13:49:58
Last Updated: 2002:09:05:13:49:58