ARX applications in various operating systems

[Tyke]

We have an ARX application that we have been using for ages in Windows XP Pro without any problems and in various versions of AutoCAD.

 

We now want to use this application in Vista and Windows 7 on the same versions of AutoCAD as in XP Pro. The German versions of AutoCAD just give out a warning that the ARX could not be loaded. The English versions of AutoCAD give the equivalent message but in the text window it also says a DLL or another file that is needed by the ARX is missing. I tried contacting the company from whom we bought the application, but they no longer exist.

 

Does anyone know of a solution?

[SEANT]

Does the software use an installer? It sounds like some additional libraries (DLLs) required by the ARX cannot be found. Perhaps the file structure in the newer OSs hampers the ARX’s ability to find these files

There is a utility, Dependency Walker, which will analyze software files (EXE or ARX) and list all the additional files required. That will give, at least, the identity of the problem files. Quite often the missing DLLs will also have dependant files that may need to be addressed.

[Tyke]

The software doesn't use an installer.

 

I'll look into the Dependency Walker.

 

Thanks for the advice.

Edited April 18, 2011 by Tyke

[Tyke]

I downloaded the Dependency Walker, ran it on the ARX and it reports missing files, but I can see all of them in Windows Explorer. I ran it also on an XP machine where the ARX works and it just reports that acad.exe is missing (that could be a forward dependency and not a real problem, according to the help files). The set up and software are identical on all machines, its just the OSs that are different. Not quite sure where to go from here.

 

I spoke to someone who was there when they upgraded from W2K to XP and he remembers a similar issue then, but the company who wrote the software fixed real quick.

 

Just out of interest I ran DW on an ARX of a working version of AutoCAD 2011 and it reported missing files there too

[SLW210]

Have you checked your search paths and file locations? Did you try searching for the missing dll?

[SLW210]

OK see if this helps, In Windows XP the path to Support was C:\Documents and settings\Users\ etc. in Windows 7 the path starts C:\Users

[Tyke]

Have you checked your search paths and file locations? Did you try searching for the missing dll?

 

The DLLs that are reported as missing are all there and all in the same directory as in XP.

 

The standard search paths all reflect their respective OS and there are none missing, that is to say the extra ones that are there in XP are also there in the other OSs.

[SEANT]

I had to employ Dependency Walker (DW) for a similar situation. I don’t recall exactly how DW flagged an incomplete reference structure but it may have been by listing the parent files as missing.

 

For my situation, I had to open each of the “missing” dlls in DW to determine if they also referenced libraries that were missing (see the last line in my previous post). The true missing file was a nested a couple of levels deep.

 

I’m not sure if that is the same issue you are dealing with, but it may be worth trying it on at least one of the flagged dlls.

[Patrick Hughes]

Vista and even more so Windows 7 are much more restrictive in file permissions. I've noticed even if I am only trying to read files in certain directories where I have read permissions granted that the read request does not function and the error message is "file not found"

 

If the files exist where they should be but the program or the dll is not finding them try to grant yourself or the "User Group" full permission to the folder.

[Tyke]

Vista and even more so Windows 7 are much more restrictive in file permissions. I've noticed even if I am only trying to read files in certain directories where I have read permissions granted that the read request does not function and the error message is "file not found"

 

If the files exist where they should be but the program or the dll is not finding them try to grant yourself or the "User Group" full permission to the folder.

 

 

Thanks Patrick, I'll give it a go.

 

@ SEANT

Did you open the DLLs in DW or in another way?

[SEANT]

I believe that is what I did, though it may be that I just drilled down further in the “tree view” to determine which other elements were missing.

 

I do remember that the search was on at least the third nesting level (a point where I was precariously close to giving up) that the “missing” flag stopped showing, and the functionality was restored.

[Tyke]

Just for info:

 

I copied the "missing" files into the Windows folder and now it all works fine.

 

Thanks for the help guys.