Complete Crash in 64 bit Windows 7

Hi Dan,

I have an updated version of the Toolbox in the works which actually does run on Win64. One big problem persists however: The 64-bit version of the FreeImage library, which is required to export high-resolution charts, is technically different from the 32-bit version, and I am currently having trouble reconciling the two. I'm working on it.

Kind regards

Daniel

BTW, you can download the current beta version at http://sourceforge.net/projects/xltoolbox/files/beta/XL_Toolbox_4.09.exe/download -- it runs under Windows 64, but as I wrote, the export function does not work.

Thanks, Daniel. I will work with the beta version for now and I look forward to your upcoming improvements.

Best,
Dan

Hi Dan,

I've released version 5.00 which works with 64-bit Excel 2010 -- at least on my system... You can get it via auto-update (from the About dialog).

Best

Daniel

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for the update! I tried this new version and the first time I tried to export an image I got a message saying the "DLL is unavailable" or something like that and it suggested reinstalling or contacting you. It didn't really crash but just gave the message and no chart export occurred. I tried the reinstall but that didn't help. Then after I re-opened Excel a couple more times it stopped working all together and forced me to quit. I am running Windows 7 64 bit and Excel 2010. Any idea what might be happening?

Thanks,
Dan

By the way, this is what I get when Excel crashes:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: EXCEL.EXE
Application Version: 14.0.6117.5003
Application Timestamp: 4f622dbc
Fault Module Name: VBE7.DLL
Fault Module Version: 7.0.16.27
Fault Module Timestamp: 4f863856
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 000000000000251a
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.48
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
LCID: 1033
skulcid: 1033

Hi Dan,

hm, that's tricky. There are three possible combinations of Windows and Excel: Win32 & Excel 64, Win64 & Excel 32, and Win64 & Excel 64. By default, Office will install itself as the 32-bit version (at least that's what my setup DVD does). For the 64-bit version of Office, one needs to navigate to the "x64" folder on the DVD, and run the setup program that resides in there.

Nonetheless, I have tested the chart export function on all those combinations (plus Win XP with a very old Excel 2000!), and they all work nicely.

My suggestion would be to attempt to reinstall it... Since you already tried that and it did not work, you could try the following: Uninstall the toolbox, then locate the addins folder (type "%appdata%\Microsoft\Addins" in the Windows 7 start menu), and manually delete all traces of the XL Toolbox. Maybe the old DLL still lingers, for whatever reason (the deinstall procedure really should remove every trace of the toolbox on the system, but who knows...).

This seems to be a tough nut.

Regards

Daniel

I tried to uninstall it and re-install it again but no luck. I also tried manually deleting everything as you suggested, but the folder was already empty. I decided to try to run the toolbox in Windows XP Mode (virtual machine), which I think is a 32 bit application, but I received the same error message there. So perhaps it's no longer 64-bit related? The error message says the "FreeImage DLL is unavailable."

Dan

Just an update. I tired to install 5.01 on another computer at home using Windows XP (32 bit) and I got the same "Free Image DLL Unavailable" error. Now I am really confused. I used to have an older version of the toolbox on that computer.

Well I'm really sorry that this new version is such a pain. At least I am now able to reproduce the problem. Interestingly, when you click "About", then dismiss the About box by clicking "Close", afterwards the export function will work. I don't know why yet and need to investigate further tonight.

So, as a workaroung: After starting Excel, click "About XL Toolbox", dismiss the dialog, then export your graphs.

Very strange, but it does seem to work after clicking the "About" button, at least on my 32 bit XP system at home. I will test the 64 bit Windows 7 system at work tomorrow. Now I just need to figure out why my equation inserts don't export properly...

Thanks a lot,
Dan

Version 5.02 is out now which fixes this problem!

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for working on the issue. I just tried 5.02 and received the following error message. Any idea why I am having so much trouble?

Dan

Please send this information to: Daniel Kraus [xltoolbox@gmx.net]
or add a new bug report at http://xltoolbox.sf.net/bugs

Report ID: 5QMAH8
Error: 453 (Can't find DLL entry point FreeImage_GetScanline in FreeImage.dll)

Call stack:
Module_UI_2007.XLTB_Ribbon_Action
Form_ExportForPublication.cb_Export_Click
clsGraphicExport.ExportSelection
clsGraphicExport.ExportAsBitmap
clsGraphicExport.GenerateFreeimagePictureUsingGDIplus

Application.Workbooks.count: 1
Application.AddIns.count: 5
ActiveWorkbook.Sheets.count: 4
ActiveWorkbook.Charts.count: 0
ActiveWbIsUndoWb: False
Chart active: 0
Selection: DrawingObjects

XL Toolbox version: 5.02
Debug mode: 0
Updates: n/a
Excel version: 14.0 (Build 6117)
Excel bitness: 64-bit
User control: -1
Excel UI Language: 1033
OS: Windows (64-bit) NT 6.01

Memory load: 57
Physical memory: 1682 MB free
Virtual memory: 7536 MB free

Hmm... I tested it again on my 64-bit/64-bit setup, it works perfectly. Did you try the usual Windows troubleshooting-- restart the system, uninstall/reinstall the Toolbox?

Yeah, I tried all of that. For what it's worth, it works well now if I run it on my Windows XP Mode 32 bit (virtual machine). It just crashes on my main 64 bit OS...

More info:
I have narrowed the problem down to having something to do with the resolution setting. For example, if I export at a resolution of 250 or below, everything works. If I export at a resolution of more than 250 (even 251), it crashes with a DLL error. I can export pure black and white at 300 dpi, but none of the other color options work at 300 dpi.

Dan

Is it possible that you have another software installed on this system which uses a FreeImage DLL?

It is very strange that the error occurs depending on the dpi settings. Finding or not finding a DLL entry point is something static, it should not depend on a variable setting. That's what's confusing me right now. Is there any other pattern in the error. Could it be that the error occurs very second time you call the function, or only if another program is running at the same time?

I agree the dpi thing is weird but I am definitely seeing some correlation there. Unfortunately I need at least 300 dpi for my publication and it crashes beyond 250 dpi :)

I checked my entire hard drive for other files called FreeImage but found only the one associated with the XL toolbox.

I can't identify any other pattern on the error. I also tried to close all other programs and run the export and it still errors.

The other interesting thing is that once the error occurs, if I close excel and try to reopen it, it will crash before opening. I then have to unistall and re-install the program and excel will open again until the error occurs and I close the program, at which point the crash cycle starts over...

Dan

Do you think this might have something to do with me not being an administrator on my system at work? I always install the toolbox as a user but not an administrator.

Dan

I don't think it has anything to do with administrator rights. I've installed the Toolbox on many computers where I am just a normal user, and it just works.

Since DPI settings do affect memory usage, I am wondering if it has anything to do with memory allocation. If Windows cannot reserve enough memory for the entire graphic to be drawn at once, the Toolbox will draw the graphic as separate tiles. Maybe when you set the DPI to a high value, the Toolbox attempt to do just that, and then it fails.

Did you ever experience a crash with a very large chart at a low DPI setting? Or, vice versa, with a very small chart at a very high (2400?) setting? This might give us a clue if 'tiling' is the problem.

Hi Daniel,

Yes, I think you are onto something! I just ran a test and I can export a very small chart (~1 inch x 1 inch) at at least 800 dpi with no problem. On the other hand, if I try to export a large chart (~10 inch x 10 inch), it crashes with a dpi setting of only 100. Like you said, it seems to be related to the total memory required to export the chart.

Is there something I can do on my end to prevent the tiling or would it require a fix in the code?

Thanks much,
Dan