Visual C++ Runtime "This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way"

[Colin David Foster]

RoboHelp HTML 6 and RoboHelp HTML 8 (Trial)

A new technical author has joined the company and has been given an (domain based) login on the machine used by the previous technical author (now no longer with the company)

When using the new TA's login to open projects worked on by the previous TA we are getting the "This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way" error.

When using my login to open project there is no problem; when using the previous TA's still active login there is no problem.

All of this might point to a permissions issue.

I have created a copy of one of the projects and given the new TA ownership and full access permission of all the files in the folder tree, but that has made no difference.

We started out with RH6 and tried to uninstall and reinstall it (the new TA has admin rights on the machine), but too late realised that the RH6 version was an upgrade and we can't find the RH5 serial number, so we gave ourselves 30 days grace by installing RH8 Trial, but that behaves in exactly the same way. Of course we will end up paying the 6=>8 upgrade price in 30 days, but that is our problem.

No source code control is being used (yes I know, it will be in the future, I promise)

The same problem occurs when loading the sample RH8 HTML projects.

I have seen similar threads suggesting a Revo uninstall, but does that really make sense given that two out of the three previous users of the machine can still load projects?

The usual Google searches have shown that the Visual C++ runtime can show this behaviour with a number of different applications, but the implication is that it is the parent application that is the root cause and the solution tends to be specific to them.

[Peter Grainge]

You say you can open projects with your login and the previous author's. Using RH6 or RH8?

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[Colin David Foster]

Both.

Before we uninstalled RH6 it was possible for both the old TA account and my account to open the projects, but not for the new TA

Then we uninstalled RH6 and installed the RH8 Trial

Now If my or the old TA's account is used to open a project then RH8 prompts and can convert it. If the new TA's login is used we just get the same crash. This was the most depressing fact.

We had hoped that upgrading would solve the problem even if we had to pay the price, but it seems that the issue with RH6 is still there in RH8

PS. Of course, RH6 no long being on the machine prevents any further experimentation with it.

[Peter Grainge]

In theory RH6 had to be installed with the user's login and no one else. It might have been possible for other, such as yourself, to open it but certain actions would most likely have resulted in a problem.

I think it was the case RH could also only be installed for one user on a given PC, not sure.

The rest of this is guesswork but what I would do is use Revouninstaller as it will remove more. It has had good results so far but that is your decision.

Use it to uninstall RH8.

Then install RH6 as once it is installed, no matter how well, Revouninstaller can do its job. It cannot clean up uninstalled programs.

You might need to do that for both the previous users. Don't know as I haven't encountered this scenario before.

After that, install just RH8 for this new user. You can install it with your admin rights as that bit has changed.

Sorry I cannot give you anything firmer.

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[Colin David Foster]

We are about to experiement with Revo, but we've discovered a further bit of info. I logged in as the administrator of the machine itself (not the domain) and that login can open a project successfully. So far it seems that only the new TA is not capable of loading projects, i.e. the only one that actually does want to do so!

[Peter Grainge]

Here you have to understand my knowledge is RoboHelp, not domains etc. The user has to be a local administrator, I think that is what you are saying and finding?

However, attempting to install for more than one user per PC could be the issue. I don't know how that would work under the covers but it is not normal and my gut feel is that is what caused things to go bang.

Making sense?

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[Colin David Foster]

Further revelations: right clicking and running RH8 as Administrator seems to be the simplest work around at the moment. Why the new TA should need to do this since he has already successfully installed RH8 with Administrator right on the machine I don't know.

Until we re-install Windows (a likely task in the near future, anyway) this will suffice as a solution.

[Peter Grainge]

Weird. Another one to blame on the elves.

I've seen that happen with Captivate but not RH. Hmm. Isn't there a setting in the shortcut to "Always run as administrator"?

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