Help troubleshooting CabWiz.exe failure
ttrentham
software calls CabWiz to build deployment files for applications on a
PocketPC device. We generate the inf file and command arguments to CabWiz
dynamically.
We've recently come across a customer's Windows 2000 Server on which CabWiz
will not generate CAB files. The server in question belongs to the military
and I suspect that I'm having some sort of permissions problem, but the error
message from CabWiz, "Error: CAB file <FILENAME> could not be created" isn't
very descriptive.
I've run the exact same configuration on other Win2k server boxes and had
the CAB file builds without error. I've tried executing CabWiz under
different accounts with different permissions. I've also tried writing the
CAB file out to different locations on the machine. The .DAT file is created,
but I don't get a .CAB file. If I specify a log file, I get a couple of
warnings that can safely be ignored and the "Error: CAB file <FILENAME> could
not be created" message at the end.
In attempting to troubleshoot, I can't get access to the command window that
flashes by as CabWiz is executing to try and figure out why the CAB files
aren't being created on this particular machine. As far as I can tell,
CabWiz.exe calls makecab.exe with makecab.ddf and that's the program that
must be failing. It looks to me like CabWiz just returns 0 if it succeeeds
and 1 if it fails?
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get CabWiz or makecab to pause
during execution to allow me to see the command window output and
troubleshoot why CAB files cannot be created on this machine? Or perhaps just
be able to give me some idea as to why it's failing to create the CAB file?
Ilya Tumanov [MS]
build several CAB files at the same time?
If so, it might fail as some versions of CabWiz would create temporary file
in the working folder with a fixed name.
Another copy if CabWiz would be unable to create that file and will fail.
Solution is to create unique folder for each configuration, build CAB file
in this folder and copy CAB to wherever is should be.
Best regards,
Ilya
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> Subject: Help troubleshooting CabWiz.exe failure
> Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 14:23:02 -0800
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ttrentham
It's a single processor machine and I'm only creating one CAB file at a time.
Any other suggestions?
Ilya Tumanov [MS]
Can you build from the command line manually?
Best regards,
Ilya
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> Subject: RE: Help troubleshooting CabWiz.exe failure
> Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 14:45:03 -0800
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ttrentham
CabWiz.exe using the System.Diagnostics.Process.Start() and passes command
arguments and the path to a dynamically generated inf file.
It doesn't build manually from the command line or from the WinForms app. I
use the same parameters and inf file in both cases and get the same result.
I know that the command line arguments are good. I know that the inf file is
good. I know that I can run the exact same arguments with the same inf file
on a different Win2k server machine and it succeeds. I know that it's
creating the .DAT file and creates a log file if I specify the /err option.
As I mentioned, that log file shows warnings that are irrelevant and the
generic error message. From the command line, I get that same generic error
message in a dialog box.
Unfortunately, I have to get it running on this particular machine, so I
need to know what's causing the CAB build to fail.
The only way I can see to troubleshoot is to somehow get the command prompt
that flashes by when CabWiz calls makecab to remain on the screen instead of
going away or to figure out how to call makecab directly with the same
arguments and parameters that CabWiz uses to call it.
Is there some sort of undocumented parameter I can pass or is there a way to
tell all command windows to remain or pause? Or perhaps you can let me know
what other resources CabWiz.exe and/or makecab.exe use when creating the CAB
file? It seems pretty clear that I'm able to write to the target directory
since the DAT file and the log file appear. Is a temp folder somewhere being
used that might have restricted permissions or something?
Thanks again for your help.
Tim
Ilya Tumanov [MS]
there were a lot of versions.
If you log in as administrator, can you build a CAB? Can you build any CAB
on this machine, say small test CAB with no files in it?
Do you have enough free space on a disk? Perhaps, quota limits? Are source
files accessible?
Best regards,
Ilya
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> Subject: RE: Help troubleshooting CabWiz.exe failure
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ttrentham
Administrators group. I've also tried with the machine added to our NT Domain
and using the Domain Administrator account. I seem to be able to to most
things that I want with either account.
It's not a disk space issue. The files being added total less than 1 MB and
there's roughly 2.5 GB free on this drive.
I tried building with just one file listed in the inf. It still fails. I'm
not sure how bare I can make the inf file and still have it run without
complaints. I can play with that some tonight or perhaps you have an example?
I did try calling makecab directly at one point with a single file name and
cab destination as arguments, something like "makecab detail.ico test.cab".
That runs successfully, but I suspect that when CabWiz calls makecab, it does
a lot more than that.
I suppose there's no way to access what's happening in MakeCab? I really
think the problem is there. The command window that it spawns disappears much
too quickly and doesn't appear to have the output that you usually see with a
successful cab build. Something that Cabwiz is directing to makecab is
failing in makecab.
Thanks again,
Ilya Tumanov [MS]
I would suggest getting filemon from http://www.sysinternals.com/ to see
what's going on.
As to MakeCab, I think CabWiz is using DDF file to pass file list to it.
Best regards,
Ilya
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> Subject: RE: Help troubleshooting CabWiz.exe failure
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Ilya Tumanov [MS]
proper attention.
Before you do that, please compare environment variable settings (you can
diff output of 'set' command).
See if you have C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\ or its parts somewhere.
May be this folder does not exist, but specified in the path or something.
Best regards,
Ilya
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>
> Ilya,
>
> > I'm out of ideas, sorry.
> > I would suggest getting filemon from http://www.sysinternals.com/ to
see
> > what's going on.
>
> Thanks for the suggestion. I ran filemon on the problem Win2k box and on
the
> one that works. Makecab exits much sooner on the problem box. The
relevant
> sections of the filemon log for both boxes are below. I cut the section
where
> makecab is first called in both. You can see that they start out the
same,
> but the problem box after the FILE NOT FOUND error on makecab.exe.local
> starts to look in C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\, gets a NO SUCH FILE and then exits.
The
> good box never tries to access that directory. I cut off the log, but it
goes
> on for many more lines until it creates the CAB file. Is there any chance
of
> escalating this issue or passing it on to someone else at Microsoft? What
are
> my options?
>
> Problem box:
> ==========
>
> 291 9:38:40
> AM Makecab.exe:1992 OPEN C:\prototype\bin\Maintenance SUCCESS Options:
Open
> Directory Access: Traverse
> 292 9:38:40 AM Makecab.exe:1992 QUERY INFORMATION C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe.Local FILE NOT
> FOUND Attributes: Error
> 293 9:38:40 AM Makecab.exe:1992 OPEN C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\ SUCCESS Options:
> Open Directory Access: All
> 294 9:38:40 AM Makecab.exe:1992 DIRECTORY C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\ NO SUCH
> FILE FileBothDirectoryInformation: Local
> 295 9:38:40 AM Makecab.exe:1992 CLOSE C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\ SUCCESS
> 296 9:38:40 AM Makecab.exe:1992 CLOSE C:\prototype\bin\Maintenance
SUCCESS
> 297 9:38:40 AM Cabwiz.exe:2140 OPEN C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\Local
> Settings\Temp\wiz153.tmp SUCCESS Options: Open Access: All
>
>
> Good box:
> =======
>
> 1068 11:16:37
> AM Makecab.exe:1756 OPEN C:\prototype2\bin\Maintenance SUCCESS Options:
Open
> Directory Access: Traverse
> 1069 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 READ C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe SUCCESS Offset:
144896
> Length: 2048
> 1070 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 QUERY INFORMATION C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe.Local FILE NOT
> FOUND Attributes: Error
> 1084 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 READ C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe SUCCESS Offset: 57344
> Length: 32768
> 1085 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 READ C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe SUCCESS Offset:
129536
> Length: 15360
> 1086 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 READ C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe SUCCESS Offset: 24576
> Length: 32768
> 1087 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 READ C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe SUCCESS Offset:
122880
> Length: 2560
> 1088 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 READ C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe SUCCESS Offset:
125440
> Length: 4096
> 1089 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 READ C:\Program
> Files\@hand\Architect\Deployment\CabWiz\makecab.exe SUCCESS Offset: 4096
> Length: 20480
> 1090 11:16:37
> AM Makecab.exe:1756 OPEN C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\LOCALS~1\Temp\ SUCCESS
Options:
> Open Directory Access: All
> 1091 11:16:37
> AM Makecab.exe:1756 DIRECTORY C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\LOCALS~1\Temp\ SUCCESS
FileBothDirectoryInformation: wizD3.tmp
> 1092 11:16:37
> AM Makecab.exe:1756 CLOSE C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\LOCALS~1\Temp\ SUCCESS
> 1093 11:16:37
> AM Makecab.exe:1756 OPEN C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\LOCALS~1\Temp\wizD3.tmp
SUCCESS Options: Open Access: All
> 1094 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 READ
> C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\LOCALS~1\Temp\wizD3.tmp SUCCESS Offset: 0 Length: 4096
> 1095 11:16:37
> AM Makecab.exe:1756 OPEN C:\PROTOT~1\bin\MAINTE~1\ SUCCESS Options: Open
> Directory Access: All
> 1096 11:16:37
> AM Makecab.exe:1756 DIRECTORY C:\PROTOT~1\bin\MAINTE~1\ SUCCESS
FileBothDirectoryInformation: MAINTE~1.DAT
> 1097 11:16:37 AM Makecab.exe:1756 CLOSE C:\PROTOT~1\bin\MAINTE~1\ SUCCESS
>
>
> > As to MakeCab, I think CabWiz is using DDF file to pass file list to it.
> >
>
> Yes, I think Cabwiz.exe uses Cabwiz.ddf in conjunction with the
information
> passed in the inf file to run makecab.exe.
>
> Thanks again for all of your help,
>
> Tim
>
ttrentham
""Ilya Tumanov [MS]"" wrote:
> I would suggest using normal support channels so this issue would get
> proper attention.
>
> Before you do that, please compare environment variable settings (you can
> diff output of 'set' command).
> See if you have C:\DOCUME~1\Admin\ or its parts somewhere.
> May be this folder does not exist, but specified in the path or something.
Not long after I posted my last response, I checked that as well. The only
environment variable containing that path is HOMEPATH for the currently
logged-in user. I diffed the set output on both machines and it's the same,
so I guess that isn't the problem.
I also made sure that the permissions on every folder shown in filemon were
the same between the two machines. They are. The one difference I did notice
is that the logged-in user on the laptop was a member of Administrators, but
not Users. I added the user to the Users group, logged-out and logged-in
again. I still got the same result.
I guess I'll head for support now.
Thanks again,
Tim
ttrentham
> I'm out of ideas, sorry.
> I would suggest getting filemon from http://www.sysinternals.com/ to see
> what's going on.
Thanks for the suggestion. I ran filemon on the problem Win2k box and on the
Problem box:
==========
Good box:
=======
> As to MakeCab, I think CabWiz is using DDF file to pass file list to it.
>
Yes, I think Cabwiz.exe uses Cabwiz.ddf in conjunction with the information
ttrentham
Problem solved. The server that we were sent had 8.3 file name support
disabled as a security measure. This causes problems for Makecab.exe when
it's trying to write temporary files since it's an older exe. The workaround
in this KB:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;889506
solved the problem. Ilya's suggestion to use Filemon helped in diagnosing
the problem. Since this also mentions a security patch that may cause issues.
I thought I'd post for those that may have problems with CabWiz/Makecab in
the future.
Thanks again,
Tim