[RESOLVED] How to investigate "System.InvalidOperationException"?

[fredtheman]

Hello

A GUI application I wrote with VB.Net 2008 Express works fine on the XPSP3 host I use to develop, but fails starting on a fresh Windows 7 host with the following error:

Description: Stopped working
Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: CLR20r3
Problem Signature 01: myapp.exe
Problem Signature 02: 1.0.0.0
Problem Signature 03: 4eb2a385
Problem Signature 04: myapp
Problem Signature 05: 1.0.0.0
Problem Signature 06: 4eb2a385
Problem Signature 07: f
Problem Signature 08: c6
Problem Signature 09: System.InvalidOperationException
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033

The Windows 7 has .Net framework 4 by default, so figured maybe the framework isn't downward-compatible, but when I run the .Net 2.0 framework installer (dotnetfx.exe), it says it's already installed. Weird :-/

I also tried running the app as Admin, with no change.

Next, I found this thread here, that says to "Try handling the UnhandledException event of your application, which all VB.NET WinForms apps should do. Hopefully it should be able to tell you exactly what's happened.".

So following this article, I added a "Private Sub OnThreadException()" and a "Public Sub New" to Form1 thusly:

Public Class Form1
    Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form

    Public Sub New()
        AddHandler Application.ThreadException, AddressOf OnThreadException
        InitializeComponent()
    End Sub

    Private Sub OnThreadException(ByVal sender As Object, _
                       ByVal e As ThreadExceptionEventArgs)
        ' This is where you handle the exception
        MessageBox.Show(e.Exception.Message)
    End Sub

Next, after a successful build, I downloaded the app on the Windows 7, and re-ran this new version... but get the exact same error with no extra help.

Any idea what I could try to understand why the application doesn't start at all?

Thank you.

[formlesstree4]

Do you get any other information in the Exception? Such as, a routine or a stack trace that shows where the Exception originated from?

If the error happens when your application first runs, you should post the Load() routine of the application here so we can see where an Exception might possibly derive from.

[Shaggy Hiker]

The exception might derive from earlier than Load. It actually sounds like it might be coming from the initialization of a global or Shared object, which initialization is executed prior to the contructor of the startup form.

[fredtheman]

Thanks for your help. Indeed, more googling showed that it's possible to have the application handle earlier, deeper issues by adding another exception handler:

Public Sub New()
    AddHandler Application.ThreadException, AddressOf OnThreadException

    'Added this
    AddHandler AppDomain.CurrentDomain.UnhandledException, AddressOf UnhandledExceptionEventRaised

    InitializeComponent()
End Sub

'Added this
Sub UnhandledExceptionEventRaised(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As UnhandledExceptionEventArgs)
    If e.IsTerminating Then
        Dim o As Object = e.ExceptionObject
        MessageBox.Show(o.ToString) ' use EventLog instead
    End If
End Sub

It showed that I was missing a component that is not part of the .Net framework:

System.IO.FileNotFoundException: Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.VisualBasic.PowerPacks.Vs, Version=9.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.
File name: 'Microsoft.VisualBasic.PowerPacks.Vs, Version=9.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a'

That's when I realized that the application had an OvalShape from the Microsoft.VisualBasic.PowerPacks.

So I installed VBPowerPacks 2.0 and 3.0, but still get the error. Apparently, the VB PowerPacks provided with Express 2008 ((microsoft.visualbasic.powerspacks.vs ) is different from the one available for download (microsoft.visualbasic.powerspacks).

I'll read up on what is involved in distributing a VB.Net application, what "Copy Local" means, what the GAC is, and report back.

Thank you.

[fredtheman]

Solved the issue by copying the missing DLL in the application directory.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Good detective work.

[lenmartx]

Someday Shaggy Hiker I will owe you a huge Margarita! I had this error - read the post - was able to download PowerPacks 2 and 3 to my 64x server - still had error researched - They now have a PowerPack 10.0. The moral of the story with Microsoft - don't expect consistency.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Wasn't me. Seems like Fredtheman solved his own problem. I might have nudged him in the right direction, or not. In any case it IS kind of funny that the lack of an Oval caused his program to go all pear-shaped.