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Steps:
1. Download extract
2. Launch program
3. Splash screen
Defect: program does not start.
Some suggested workarounds:
* Reinstall C++ runtime - done, both x86 and 64 with no effect
* Try running audacity.exe directly - no effect, nothing happens
Any suggestions?
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If running audacity.exe doesn't work for you then there is really very little (possibly nothing) we can do to help you.
First of all what version of Windows are you using?
A few additional details... What operating system? What is the full install path? What antivirus do you have running?
And, could you please try a couple tests. Have you tried running it with your antivirus disabled (after scanning all the files, of course)? Could you try it temporarily removing the Microsoft.VC90.CRT.manifest and msvc???.dll files from the AudacityPortable\App\Audacity directory?
Also, to be sure you don't have a corrupted Visual C runtime locally, please install the current Visual C 2008 Update (x86). You'll likely need to run Windows Update after to update it to the .6161 release. This will help ensure you don't have a corrupted local VC runtime interfering with the included one in the app. Although corrupted VC runtimes can occur, it is rare.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I apologize for leaving out details about my setup. That was sloppy work:
* Win7x64 Enterprise
* McAfee A/V
Location: Saved to C:\Users\USERNAME\Desktop\Audacity Portable
Don't have access to the machine in question at the moment but will follow up in the days ahead with results from the suggested workarounds.
Thanks
Moderator at portablefreeware.com
I lost access to the machine to test this, but continuing from my above post:
Attempted work arounds:
1. Disable security software -
Same defect.
2. Combined two of the steps requested: remoted files Microsoft.VC90.CRT.manifest and MSVC*.* files were removed from App\Audacity and then updated to vcredist_x86.exe .... didn't get any notice of needing to run Windows Update.
Same defect.
3. Next, just trying things, I moved the Microsoft.VC90.CRT.manifest and MSVC*.* files back tot he App\Audacity folder and ran App\Audacity\audacity.exe and got a new message:
---
audacity.exe - Application Error
---
The application was unable to start correctly (0xc000007b). Click OK to close the application.
-----
Anyway I hope that's useful or informative.
Moderator at portablefreeware.com
Have you tried running audacity.exe directly? Have you tried a local install and the zipped version they make available? If not, please do. If it fails, you're likely just out of luck until the publisher fixes the bug. If it succeeds, we'll have to work further. But it is something specific to your setup, especially if it is across multiple machines. Something is interfering. Antivirus, software firewall, windows start menu replacement, something.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
> Have you tried running audacity.exe directly? Have you tried a local install and the zipped version they make available?
No, the WPP and native Audacity versions work fine, but my preference was for the PA version for ease of update. I did not try to do a standard install.
> But it is something specific to your setup, especially if it is across multiple machines. Something is interfering. Antivirus, software firewall, windows start menu replacement, something.
Unknown. My machine is not the best candidate for an effective test because there is, as you point out, security software and a unique setup (work computer). I was hoping someone else would chime in at some point about this, but it may easily be all me.
Moderator at portablefreeware.com
Ok, we're gonna solve this. If you could please try the following:
1. Remove the 3 msvc*.dll files from the AudacityPortable\App\Audacity as well as the Microsoft.VC90.CRT.manifest file.
2. Download this 7z pack of files and unzip it to the AudacityPortable\App\Audacity directory.
3. Try running AudacityPortable.exe. If that fails, please run audacity.exe directly and report the error.
The above will place the DLLs bundled with Audacity itself into Audacity Portable but with the corrected manifest that allows it to work on Windows XP without the current VC runtimes install (long-standing bug in Audacity's zip file).
Now, if that fails, please this second 7z pack and extract the manifest to to your AudacityPortable\App\Audacity directory. This will replace the manifest with the one included with Audacity which does not match the versions included in Audacity.exe and the wx*.dlls. In theory, this should not work, but it may. This will make your copy of Audacity within Audacity Portable the same as the one in Audacity's zip file. If AudacityPortable.exe fails to launch, please try running audacity.exe itself and report the error.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I just released Audacity Portable 2.0.4. The only change from the official released files is to fix the errors in the manifest (it's version doesn't match the one requested by audacity.exe and it references a 3rd file which is not included). Without those changes, the VC++ runtimes are ignored and not used, making their inclusion pointless.
If this release works on your system, then the issue is solved. If it does not, then something on your system doesn't like side by side DLL setups for some odd reason and there is likely nothing further we can do to address it. If that is the case, I'll include a bit of custom code in the installer so you can remove the manifest file (thereby causing the DLLs to be ignored) and it will stay removed on upgrades.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Sorry for the slow response here ...
> just released Audacity Portable 2.0.4
Retested: see a splash screen, no startup.
> If that is the case, I'll include a bit of custom code in the installer so you can remove the manifest file (thereby causing the DLLs to be ignored)
Sounds good. Let me know and I'll retest again.
Moderator at portablefreeware.com
Until then, just delete the .manifest file. That will disable the side by side DLLs and stop triggering the bug on this specific PC. Note that it will also prevent them from being used on Windows XP machines that lack the runtime installed locally (making them completely unnecessary), just like the broken official and WinPenPack packages.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
As per my earlier comment, I've added the ability for the installer to not re-add the manifest that is causing an issue on this specific PC. In your existing Audacity Portable install, head to the AudacityPortable\Data\settings folder. Edit the AudacityPortableSettings.ini file. In the [AudacityPortableSettings] section at the top, just below the LastDirectory= line, add a new line that reads:
RemoveCManifest=true
This will cue the Audacity Portable installer to remove the file as it completes each upgrade. This way, you only need make this change once and it will be preserved on each upgrade or reinstall. At the same time, a user whose Audacity Portable install is corrupted or who loses the manifest inadvertently will still have it restored on upgrade/reinstall.
As this is not a 'fix' perse, I'm marking this bug as Closed now that a viable workaround is available for the affected PC.
For full background if we come back to this later, we have tried all other viable solutions. The manifest included with Audacity's own zip file does not match the version Audacity.exe requests within its own embedded manifest, so the included VC++ runtime files are ignored and will not be used. This is why the base Audacity zip file and the WinPenPack version based on it will fail to run on Windows XP without the VC++ runtimes locally installed. The runtimes should be on Vista and higher by default. We have tried to reproduce this issue on multiple PCs of Vista, 7 and 8 without success. Strictly technically, it should work without issue on the affected PC but does not for some reason. The only other thing I've noticed is a discrepancy in the manifest of audacity.exe that lists the Windows Common Controls twice, but that should not affect things either.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!