SOLVED inno/windows hangs during C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s "C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll

[PBMCMLXXI]

2017 17.00.40 - Hung during install. It stuck on registering files.
The icon had appeared on the desktop, so after a few mins I clicked that.
PA opened ok, but the installer was still hung.

[Brian Gregory]

@PA_Fan FYI I can make the installation finish by using Task Manager (in all users mode) to kill the offending regsvr32.exe which makes the PA setup pop up an error box which and I can then click on, if I remember correctly, “Ignore” and installation then finishes. I think the PA DLL has even been registered correctly after this, though I’m not 100% certain.

[Brian Gregory]

I had that with 17.00.39 on Windows 7 64 bit.
Haven’t tried 40 yet.

[spwolf]

interesting guys, i wonder whats causing it… we will have to check better next week but it seems like it might be something we dont control.

Good thing about using InnoSetup is that it will work regardless, even in failure… while previous MSI based setup would roll back to previous version and leave you with old PA version.

[Brian Gregory]

Does Inno, as you’ve configured it for PA, always require the shell explorer.exe to be stopped and restarted? Because I’m pretty sure I saw it kill the wrong one (I have the option selected to run a separate instance of explorer.exe for explorer windows).

[spwolf]

@Brian-Gregory thats not up to Inno, it is up to windows restart manager that decides what needs to go. But which explorer is right though? Each instance will load our shell?

For some reason version checking does not work well, so it does it each time… we will check it out to see if we can improve it. So restarts would be much less common in that case. There is also a way to rename and then copy workaround that we would have to manually script in inno.

thanks!

[Brian Gregory]

@spwolf I watched .41 trying to install with Sysinternals Process Explorer and Process Monitor and it actually seems to be regsvr32.exe that is sticking on the following command line:
“C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s “C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll”
Weird.

[spwolf]

@Brian-Gregory said in 2017 17.00.40 - Hung during install:

@spwolf I watched .41 trying to install with Sysinternals Process Explorer and Process Monitor and it actually seems to be regsvr32.exe that is sticking on the following command line:
“C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s “C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll”
Weird.

@Brian-Gregory so what happens when you try to do it manually? (copy and paste it) Good info!

[spwolf]

@Brian-Gregory another thing, is this always reproducible for you? Thanks!

[Brian Gregory]

@spwolf Executing it in a cmd.exe windows looks like it’s working in that I don’t see any error message. Yes it’s reproducible on my main PC (running 64 bit Windows 7 with quite a bit of other stuff installed, including some unusual stuff). I will try my laptop which has less stuff installed on it.
Edit: Just realized I should try in the cmd.exe windows without the /s to see if it’s working.
Edit: Nothing visible without the /s either.
Edit: It installs okay on my laptop. So I guess the problem is probably one of the many bits of software installed on my main PC.

[spwolf]

@Brian-Gregory said in inno/windows hangs during C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s "C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll:

@spwolf Executing it in a cmd.exe windows looks like it’s working in that I don’t see any error message. Yes it’s reproducible on my main PC (running 64 bit Windows 7 with quite a bit of other stuff installed, including some unusual stuff). I will try my laptop which has less stuff installed on it.
Edit: Just realized I should try in the cmd.exe windows without the /s to see if it’s working.
Edit: Nothing visible without the /s either.
Edit: It installs okay on my laptop. So I guess the problem is probably one of the many bits of software installed on my main PC.

if it happens for both of you, it will happen to more people as well… we will try to investigate. Thanks!

[Brian Gregory]

It’s getting weirder…
"C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s “C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll”
runs okay if pasted into a cmd.exe window BUT it hangs if run from a batch file in the same CMD.exe window!?!?!

Edit: Okay, now I see what’s happeneing. Actually although it looks like this works when pasted into a CMD prompt it actually doesn’t, a hung regsvr32.exe is still visable in task magaer afterwards! I don’t understand how or why the cmd.exe prompt appears ready for another command though.

Also, and this could be the important bit, if I do the same without the /s (either from the prompt or in a batch file) no success message appears.
Registering a different dll, such as “C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\PASHLEXT.DLL” confirms there should be a success message without the /s.

Edit: regsvr32.exe works correctly in all cases mentioned above on my laptop. So everything odd I’ve seen is restricted to my main PC.

[Brian Gregory]

This seems to be fixed by renaming the file “C:\Program Files\Box\Box Sync\IconOverlayClient.dll” which is part of BoxSync for Windows available from https://app.box.com/settings/sync

I already thought BoxSync for Windows was utter rubbish compared to DropBox or even GoogleDriveSync but unfortunately I have 50GB free for life on Box and don’t really want to pay for an alternative. But it’s still fairly usable without IconOverlayClient.dll.

[spwolf]

@Brian-Gregory said in inno/windows hangs during C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s "C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll:

This seems to be fixed by renaming the file “C:\Program Files\Box\Box Sync\IconOverlayClient.dll” which is part of BoxSync for Windows available from https://app.box.com/settings/sync

I already thought BoxSync for Windows was utter rubbish compared to DropBox or even GoogleDriveSync but unfortunately I have 50GB free for life on Box and don’t really want to pay for an alternative. But it’s still fairly usable without IconOverlayClient.dll.

thats weird. @mili will test it today on his computer with Box installed and lets see.

[Mili]

lets take a look, downloading Box

[Mili]

no luck reproducing so far.
Smooth installation while having Box installed and active.

attempting on another machine today

[Brian Gregory]

@Mili Maybe it’s because I also have googledrivesync and dropbox installed.
BTW I’m using Windows 7 (64 bit).

[Mili]

@Brian-Gregory

Thanks! just tried with all 3 and no luck reproducint.
Although, it’s on a W10 64bit machine.
Will try on a W7 64bit machine and give it a go.

[PA_Fan]

@Brian-Gregory I have recently been trying to find out here whether a sudden rash of Sharpshell errors in my Win7 Event Viewer, which seem to roughly coincide with new releases of PA, are indeed connnected to PA or are caused by something else. The view so far is that there appears to be no possible connection.

Your post raises some interesting possibilities.

Sharpshell.dll is only in the Box Sync subfolder in Program Files on my system, and a number of the errors (which I’ve been trying to pin down via Process Monitor logging) refer to “IconOverlayClient”, “SyncIconOverlay” and so forth, all of which, as you say, are related to dlls in the Box Sync folder.

I’m going to rename Sharpshell.dll and see a) if it stops the errors, b) screws up Box (which I never have running automatically anyway) and c) what other effects it may have system-wide. As it happens, I’m in pretty much the same boat as you vis a vis Box, DropBox and GoogleDrive.

Other than that, my experience is that regsvr32.exe doesn’t go to end and close, and after some reinstallation attempts yesterday I ended up with about 6 instances of it running.

[Brian Gregory]

@PA_Fan FYI I can make the installation finish by using Task Manager (in all users mode) to kill the offending regsvr32.exe which makes the PA setup pop up an error box which and I can then click on, if I remember correctly, “Ignore” and installation then finishes. I think the PA DLL has even been registered correctly after this, though I’m not 100% certain.

[PA_Fan]

@Brian-Gregory Thanks for that info. I’ll try it next time (though I hope it won’t be necessary).

[spwolf]

@PA_Fan said in inno/windows hangs during C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s "C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll:

@Brian-Gregory I have recently been trying to find out here whether a sudden rash of Sharpshell errors in my Win7 Event Viewer, which seem to roughly coincide with new releases of PA, are indeed connnected to PA or are caused by something else. The view so far is that there appears to be no possible connection.

Your post raises some interesting possibilities.

Sharpshell.dll is only in the Box Sync subfolder in Program Files on my system, and a number of the errors (which I’ve been trying to pin down via Process Monitor logging) refer to “IconOverlayClient”, “SyncIconOverlay” and so forth, all of which, as you say, are related to dlls in the Box Sync folder.

I’m going to rename Sharpshell.dll and see a) if it stops the errors, b) screws up Box (which I never have running automatically anyway) and c) what other effects it may have system-wide. As it happens, I’m in pretty much the same boat as you vis a vis Box, DropBox and GoogleDrive.

Other than that, my experience is that regsvr32.exe doesn’t go to end and close, and after some reinstallation attempts yesterday I ended up with about 6 instances of it running.

as i suggested originally, connection might be that (now we know it is box) box is monitoring folder and setting icon overlays over these icons, or trying to.

It is kind of crazy that they are using some free sdk from internet that has been last updated 3 years ago to build their shell support (based on c#), they likely have several hundred people working there.

[spwolf]

if we could reproduce this issue here, we could workaround it… so far no go though.

[PA_Fan]

@spwolf As you say, it seems pretty sure that Box using Sharpshell is the problem. I see that there is a question about this error on the Box forum, but no-one seems to have tried to answer it in any shape.

I have disabled the .dll, and so far have no errors from Sharpshell. I’m still getting what I think is the associated .NET error, which is infuriating. I cannot see where any Box activity is initiated (Task Scheduler, Startup etc) but I’ll keep looking.

[spwolf]

@PA_Fan said in inno/windows hangs during C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s "C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll:

@spwolf As you say, it seems pretty sure that Box using Sharpshell is the problem. I see that there is a question about this error on the Box forum, but no-one seems to have tried to answer it in any shape.

I have disabled the .dll, and so far have no errors from Sharpshell. I’m still getting what I think is the associated .NET error, which is infuriating. I cannot see where any Box activity is initiated (Task Scheduler, Startup etc) but I’ll keep looking.

people are likely not checking their error logs :).

I just installed it on my main desktop, and i see that icon in taskbar is not set properly, so Win10 is showing their “empty” image there…

[Brian Gregory]

@PA_Fan I suspect Box has also done regsvr32.exe on some of it’s DLLs so that things going on elsewhere (I suspect mainly in explorer.exe) can cause activity in box’s DLLs.

[spwolf]

i was just checking temp folder for pa debugs, and i see that box put overlay icons there… they are broken icons though, maybe thats why there is a problem. They show as unknown image in windows explorer but when you click on it, it is sync/notsync icons.

[PA_Fan]

@Brian-Gregory I see there are a host of logfiles for Box in my folder C:\Users\XXXX\AppData\Local\Box Sync\Logs, with entries like this:-
“2017-01-26 10:15:20,049 [1] INFO - IconOverlayClient.ProblemIconOverlay: BoxSyncProblem setting up its icon
2017-01-26 10:15:20,065 [1] INFO - IconOverlayClient.SyncedIconOverlay: BoxSyncSynced setting up its icon”

Even if the PA problems aren’t fully identified, it now seems to me that my Sharpshell problems are unquestionably down to Box. They also seem to date to the first of these logfiles. It’s still a bit of mystery as to what’s been happening with Box.

[PA_Fan]

@Brian-Gregory I managed to see some of what’s happening via Process Explorer. The Box DLLs are tied into Explorer, and the Free Commander (Explorer-type and based utility) context/shell FCcontextMenu64. There’s also a tie into Firefox, which I guess must also be somehow Explorer-related.

[spwolf]

@PA_Fan i would guess thats everywhere where you right clicked and got shell menu.

You can disable their dll from loading by using shellexview

[Brian Gregory]

I’m abandoning BoxSync. I’m fed up with it. It just decided it didn’t like me prodding and poking at it trying to get it to behave itself and needs to re-upload a big chunk of my stuff, which it says will take 17 hours. I know this isn’t true though. It’ll take ages and ages and will require me to restart it many times because it times out and says many files have failed to sync. It’d help if it didn’t try and upload dozens of files all at the same time but Box insist that’s how it’s supposed to be and if I don’t like it more or less making my internet connection unusable for any other purpose while it uploads then it’s just tough. I will pay for 100GB in Google Drive.

[spwolf]

we had @JRSPowerArchiver report something similar during installation. I would guess it is also due to box install then?

I have also moved thread from alpha forums to main forums so other users can see it.

[PA_Fan]

@spwolf I’m pretty sure that it is down to Box, as everything began working OK after I carried out the .dll renaming and other actions discussed above.

Sharpshell errors no longer appeared in the Event Viewer, either.

I’m still not exactly sure which elements of PA, Box and Explorer were causing this, why and how, but it’s no longer a problem for me (not that I use Box much anyway), and I think @Brian-Gregory has stopped using it altogether.

[spwolf]

@PA_Fan said in inno/windows hangs during C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s "C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll:

@spwolf I’m pretty sure that it is down to Box, as everything began working OK after I carried out the .dll renaming and other actions discussed above.

Sharpshell errors no longer appeared in the Event Viewer, either.

I’m still not exactly sure which elements of PA, Box and Explorer were causing this, why and how, but it’s no longer a problem for me (not that I use Box much anyway), and I think @Brian-Gregory has stopped using it altogether.

yeah, i am aware… but there are many other users who cant quite box even if windows version really does seem to be a shoddy piece of software, regardless of PA issue or not.

So next week we will be working around this problem to see if it is fixable from our end.

Thanks!

[spwolf]

Hello guys, please check this release to see if there are any changes to this problem:
https://forums.powerarchiver.com/topic/5738/fast-ring-powerarchiver-2017-17-00-64

[Carlos Martin Moreno]

Experiencing the same thing when trying to deploy PA 2017 with SCCM.
If i run the cmd file locally on the computer it runs the installation smoothly, but when io try to deploy it the deployment crashes.
I have about 600computers that i need to deploy this program to so it would be nice if you could try to fix it.

[Mili]

@Carlos-Martin-Moreno said in inno/windows hangs during C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s "C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll:

Experiencing the same thing when trying to deploy PA 2017 with SCCM.
If i run the cmd file locally on the computer it runs the installation smoothly, but when io try to deploy it the deployment crashes.
I have about 600computers that i need to deploy this program to so it would be nice if you could try to fix it.

Hi Carlos,

Please try with 65:
http://dl.powerarchiver.com/2017/powarc170065.exe

Let us know if that works OK

Thanks!

[spwolf]

@Carlos-Martin-Moreno said in inno/windows hangs during C:\Windows\system32\regsvr32.exe” /s "C:\Program Files\PowerArchiver\pashlext64.dll:

Experiencing the same thing when trying to deploy PA 2017 with SCCM.
If i run the cmd file locally on the computer it runs the installation smoothly, but when io try to deploy it the deployment crashes.
I have about 600computers that i need to deploy this program to so it would be nice if you could try to fix it.

keep in mind that PA 2017 is Beta 1 still… by final (in May?) there will also be MSI installation that will be easier to use for business/enterprise installations.