Error - "side-by-side configuration" on Win XP

specifically error
ERROR_SXS_CANT_GEN_ACTCTX

Set "NO" to "Embed Manifest" setting in "Input and Output" section of "Manifest Tool".
Take a look at this
http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=23261

To try to simplify matters (actual app has a number of dll's / threads ...) I have created a simple dialog based app to test.
That fails with the same error.

I have done as you suggested and now have a different error (with the simple dlg based app).
Application failed to initialise properly (0x80000003).  Click OK to terminate the application.

Interesting. I thought your issue more matched with the discussion in that link.

I am surprised depends.exe missed them.

I've got to do some more testing today.
The link looks relevant, I'm surprised that it didn't work in my case as it apparently did in that link for the *same* error.

I've tried it now with XP + SP2 and the installation works.  I was just missing the .manifest files for the MFC/MSVCRT components in the installation.

I am just wondering if this has to do something with the application packaging. I understand that the following steps are required when building the setup for side by side assemblies.

Creating an Installation for a Side-by-Side (Win32) Assembly

A Side-by-Side (Win32) Assembly usually consists of a single Side-by-Side Portable Executable (.EXE, .DLL, .OCX, etc …) and its accompanying .MANIFEST file. Side-by-Side components only operate Side-by-Side on Windows XP, so you must take special care to author your installation to work on down-level platforms if you intend to support them. Side-by-Side components can be configured to be installed isolated to the application or to the Global Assembly Cache.

These are the steps required to create a component for a Side-by-Side Assembly:

Step 1:
Create a new project or open your currently existing project in InstallShield Developer 7.0
Note: Be sure to create an Install Condition in your Product Properties if your Side-by-Side components don’t support down-level platforms.

Step 2:
In the Setup Design view, create a component to hold your side-by-side assembly.

Step 3:
Add all the files belonging to the assembly to the component’s file list.
Note: If you don’t set a key file, InstallShield will automatically set the .MANIFEST file as the key file in the next step.

Step 4:
In the Advance Settings of the component right-click on the Assembly node and select “New .Win32 Assembly”

Step 5:
After selecting the Win32 Assembly node examine the properties. You’ll see that your .MANIFEST file has automatically been selected as the Manifest file.
Note: If you plan to target down-level platforms, be sure to include all the COM data that is part of your assembly in the COM Registration section of the component’s Advanced Settings view. You can also use InstallShield’s “extract COM information at build” or “component wizard” functionality to automatically extract the required COM data for down-level platforms. Note that on Windows XP this information will be ignored and the manifest data will be used instead.

Step 6:
Select whether you want the Assembly to be installed to the Global Assembly Cache or not by setting the “Global Cache” property.
Note: Your Assembly must be properly signed in order to be correctly installed into the Global Assembly Cache. See the Windows Platform SDK for more information.

Step 7:
Set the Name, Type, and Version properties. These values must be copied exactly as they appear in the assembly manifest. If your assembly contains other properties, you may add them by clicking on the last row of the property list for your assembly.

I'll have to study this.

(I didn't even realise I was creating a side-by-side app.  I have gone from VS 6 -> VS 2005 and just did what I would normally do for an MFC based app.)

Please wait - I posted that request prior to the last comment from lakshman_ce

Sorry for the delay - I've been out of the office for a couple of days.
I'll try to find time to study/comment soon.

Take your own time. :)

I've read your comment.  I think it is a little off topic but could be interesting.
(Actually I will be using Wise installer.)

I am still puzzled by this side by side configuration.  Specifically what it is.  I hadn't met this until this error appeared.  (I have just upgraded from VS6 to VS 2005).

With Visual Studio 6 one would install an app (C:\program files\MyApp\Foo.exe) and supporting MFC dlls go into the system directory.  That could result in problems during installation (no write access to system dir) and/or other apps breaking (overwriting of dll by another version - the socalled dll hell).

As I understand it the MFC support dll's are not now considered system files so one *should* install them into the same directory as the app.

So a question.
Is the installation of the support dlls into the application directory a 'side by side configuration' wheras the dlls into the system directory is not ?

>>Is the installation of the support dlls into the application directory a 'side by side configuration' wheras the dlls into the >>system directory is not ?

If specific version of support dlls are needed for the application,these can be installed along with the application in app directory and it can use application isolation method for these dlls so that it wouldn't matter to the version installed in the system directory.

Side by side configuration issues might raise even if the dlls go into application directory but not isolated.


Guidelines for creating side by side assemblies is at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/sbscs/setup/guidelines_for_creating_side_by_side_assemblies.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/sbscs/setup/should_you_provide_a_shared_component_as_a_side_by_side_assembly.asp