ehardin
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:10 pm

trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:14 pm

In my installations that I build I include the Trial.dll from the Caphyon\Advanced Installer 8.0.2\stubs\x86u\trialware.dll

For a build last month there was no problem, bot on a build recently everything installed but when trying to run the program I get the error that Trial.dll could not be found even though it was there in the application directory were it always was.

I copied a copy of trial.dll that I had in my Visual Studio\Release directory over to the Program Files (x86)\ installed program file and everything worked. So the copy that I have in my Release\ directory which was over a month old, worked, but the original copy in the AI folder did not.

Has this happened before to anyone? I'm fine now as long as I point to the source for Trial.dll being my Release directory but I thought this was really odd since everything else seems to work.

Ed

Catalin
Posts: 6511
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:00 pm

Hello Ed,

This is quite strange, indeed.

Is there anyway you could check if some process is keeping the trial.dll file in use - perhaps an AntiVirus?

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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ehardin
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:10 pm

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:02 pm

I don't think that is going to be it because I was notified of this problem by a customer who had downloaded our program but couldn't start it. To verify the problem, thinking maybe he got a corrupted download, I downloaded the same file and installed it but got the missing Trial.dll error message when I tried to run it. The verify that some corruption didn't happen on the upload, I used the original file compiled by AI to do an install and got the same error. I verified that the Trial.dll was, indeed in the main application directory but the error was saying that it couldn't be found. I then copied the copy that I had in my main developer directory over to the main installed application directory and I could then run the installed copy.

I haven't updated or changed AI in any way since last month when AI produced a valid Trial.dll and I hadn't changed the source of the Trial.dll from the previous version to the current version.

When I get time I will play around with it some more but I was thinking that you had heard of such a thing happening in the past. It was just very odd. I will, for the hell of it, turn off any anti-virus and install the bad copy just to see what happens.

Ed

Catalin
Posts: 6511
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Tue Sep 28, 2021 5:13 pm

Hello Ed,
I was thinking that you had heard of such a thing happening in the past
Unfortunately, I did not.

If you would like me to have a look over this, please send me the required resources and a step-by-step test case which I can follow in order to reproduce this by e-mail at support at advancedinstaller dot com.

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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ehardin
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:10 pm

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Tue Sep 28, 2021 5:32 pm

I really appreciate that. Since I had the workaround of using my own copy as the "source" I have been putting out other fires and haven't had time to get back to this. I will be looking at it again next week and let you know what I find. It could have just been one of Bill Gates' little hiccups.

Ed

Catalin
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Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:46 am

Sure thing, Ed!

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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ehardin
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:10 pm

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:41 pm

I just finished compiling a new update for my software and so I was going to change the source of the trial.dll back to
C:\Program Files (x86)\Caphyon\Advanced Installer 8.0.2\stubs\x86u

Originally, when I first ran into this problem I deleted the file from the "Files and Folders" list and added it again but using the copy I had in my developer directory.

Now when I go to delete the trail.dll from the "Files and Folders" it will not let me because it is referenced by the "Licensing" section. It looks like I would have to delete the whole "Licensing" section and start from scratch in order to delete the current Trial.dll and select it again but from the original source in C:\Program Files (x86)\Caphyon\Advanced Installer 8.0.2\stubs\x86u

I really don't want to do that because I'm sure something will get screwed up with the Licensing section if I do.

I have no idea of why I was able simply to delete and add the Trial.dll before but now I can't. Do you know of a simple way to do this that won't risk what I already have setup in the Licensing section?

Ed

ehardin
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:10 pm

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:30 pm

PS,

I went back to a backup copy of my AI project that still had the source as the
C:\Program Files (x86)\Caphyon\Advanced Installer 8.0.2\stubs\x86u
and compiled my new version and installed it. When I go to run I get a system error that the program was unable to properly start.

I uninstalled that and went back to the AI project that had the Trial.dll source as my developer copy of the file and compiled that with my new version and installed that and it ran fine.

I've checked several times and the 2 AI projects have everything the same other than the source for the Trial.dll

What is odd is that, for customers who have already installed a previous version, I have an update file that contains just about everything that the installer has except for a bunch of large video files. That update file has the source for the Trial.dll as the Caphyon\Advanced Installer 8.0.2\stubs\x86u and, after installing the update, the program will run fine. Odd, unless there is a property somewhere to not overwrite the original Trail.dll. I have no idea.

Ed

Catalin
Posts: 6511
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Fri Oct 01, 2021 5:19 pm

Hello Ed,

Thank you for your followup on this!

This is indeed quite a strange behavior.
Odd, unless there is a property somewhere to not overwrite the original Trail.dll
Perhaps you have the "Do not overwrite existing file" on the "Trial.dll" file in your project?

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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ehardin
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:10 pm

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Fri Oct 01, 2021 9:53 pm

I was looking for the "do not overwrite" setting in the project but could not find it. I remember it from maybe back when I first set things up but could not find it again. Where is it?

Ed

Catalin
Posts: 6511
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Tue Oct 05, 2021 8:17 am

Hello Ed,

Than option can be found in "Files and Folders" page --> right click on trial.dll --> "Properties" --> "Operations" tab.

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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ehardin
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:10 pm

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Tue Oct 05, 2021 3:00 pm

My version is older and does not have an "operations" tab but I see in the "Version" tab that there is a box to "Ensure that this file overwrites any installed target file". For my "update" project that box is not checked so I see why having the "official" source in the update project does not cause any problems. I have the "developer" copy as the source in the "install" project and so far that seems to be working fine.

Ed

Catalin
Posts: 6511
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: trial.dll suddendly corrupted or something

Tue Oct 05, 2021 3:43 pm

Hello Ed,

Thank you for your followup on this and for sharing your solution with us!

I am sure this will be of help for further users facing a similar scenario.

Please let us know if there is anything else we could help you with and we will gladly assist.

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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