[WPF] FileNotFoundException sometimes when launching application

Question

Hi all,

for automatic update of my WPF application, I've this strategy :

• (1) process.exe starts
• process.exe looks for update => there's an update
• process.exe makes a copy of itself => process_copy.exe
• process.exe launch process_copy.exe with "update" parameters
• process.exe exits
• (2) process_copy.exe starts
• process_copy.exe see the "update" parameters, download update to process.exe
• process_copy.exe launch process.exe
• process_copy.exe exits
• process.exe starts

Note that my application use a dll.

this strategy is working, except some times (not everytime) when the application is launched at startup in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Sometimes it crashes at (2), with a

System.IO.FileNotFoundException was unhandled Message="Could not load file or assembly 'ManagedWinapi, Version=0.3.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null' or one of its dependencies.

I don't understand why it can crash. If it can start in (1), why can't it (sometimes) start in (2) ?

Do someone have an explanation ?

Thanks in advance for your answer

Answer 1

Option 0: Do you know the dependencies of 'ManagedWinapi'? If not, use Reflector to determine them. There may be an issue with finding one of those?

Option 1: Try running ProcessMonitor to determine what specifically your application is missing occasionally. ("or one of its dependencies" - that coulod be any number of things.

Option 2: It's an intermittent issue. Is your copy operation asynchronous, or are you absolutely sure that "process_copy.exe" PLUS whatever additional components you may be copying have been updated?

Answer 2

Try using the AppDomain.CurrentDomain.AssemblyResolve event to see what and where its looking for the file

Answer 3

Finnaly, I've integrated this dll in my application, so I have no dll more ... that's ugly but working