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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Seattle, WA U.S.A.
    Posts
    353

    The case of the Ghostly Apparitions

    This thread might be more appropriately titled "The case of the Shadowy Process"

    I have a C# application (running Visual Studio 2008 (version 9.0.21022.8) .NET (version 3.5 SP1) on a VISTA system) which appears to be running satisfactorily, but it's important to disclose that I DO update the source frequently, almost daily.

    Recently a problem has crept into view which SEEMS to be associated with a 'release' build exclusively; that is, I haven't YET seen it with the 'debug' build.

    Here's the problem .....

    When I first start the program, the program DOES begin, but the initial form which should appear immediately, does not appear. Doesn't matter HOW long one waits, that first form never appears. However, opening the task manager and viewing the list of processes shows that the program's running.

    At this point, the 'shadow' process (the program which is running) isn't doing much .... it's sitting there waiting for the user to issue a command through the non-visible form, and, POSSIBLY, it's marking time (literally .... a timer is set to a coming event unless there are no events or the event is too far in the future (more than a week)).

    Now, if the user invokes a SECOND instance of the program (clicks on "Start Debuggin" or "Start without debugging") while the first continues to run (invisibly), then THAT form, from the second process, does appear immediately as it should and operates normally ... accepting and acting on user commands issued via the form controls.

    At some point, the user will bring down the second instantiation, but the shadow process continues to run ... it still appears in the list of processes. If one attempts to change the source and rebuild, the source compiles just fine but the build fails because the *.exe file is still held inviolable by the 'shadow' process which continues to run, invisibly.

    Look all you wish, move windows around, look under the rugs, check out the task bar, do whatever you wish; you will N O T see the form associated with the shadow process, but make no mistake, that process is running and must be shut down with the task manager before one may have a successful build.

    I have not yet seen a 'debug' build exhibit this behavior. Debug builds SEEM to work as expected.

    So, anyone have any idea as to what I may have done to cause this "first executable don't work" problem?

    Also, I should point out that I am not sophisticated enuf to go deep into the bowels of VS 2008 (or even VS 1954) and throw a "create shadow process" switch somewhere, so this is not a result of an option I knowingly selected, but it's certainly possible that I did something inadvertently.

    Any suggestion you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

    thanks.

    OldFool
    Last edited by ThermoSight; May 17th, 2009 at 06:36 PM.

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