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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Hello
I have been a satisfied user of DF for almost 1 year now. Great features and performance.
My setup comprises of an HP laptop that is in a docking station, with a second monitor attached to the docking station. I use the laptop LCD as primary monitor, and external display as the second monitor.
I have numerous Monitor Configurations that automatically switch when I move from my office to the various conference rooms I use each day. The conference rooms had projectors, and DF switches the configurations consistently. Truly a great tool.
Until I broke something recently…
I had a security issue on my laptop for an unrelated program (user account is configured as an administrator, btw). My IT department did something to fix my issue (Registry permissions), and the laptop and all other programs appeared to work fine again. In working as normal on my second monitor, I minimized an application and noticed that when the application shrank to the taskbar it shrank to monitor one instead of monitor two. A weird visual, and not what ever did before. Screen shot attached.
In investigating, I tried to review DF settings, and found that the settings dialog would no long launch. Further, the Monitor configuration and Wallpaper configuration would not launch. I have the DF second monitor taskbar, but no way to add or change my setup.
In reviewing some solutions in the forums, I cam across a topic where the operator indicated that all the right apps were loaded in the task manager. Specifically:
DisplayFusion.exe
DisplayFusionHookAppWIN6032.exe *32
DisplayFusionHookAppWIN6064.exe
When I looked at my task manager, only DisplayFusion.exe is visible. I seem to be unable to launch any of the hook apps.
I have rebooted. No change
I have tried launching DisplayFusionSettings and DisplayFusionCommand (with proper command line paramerters) and nothing happens
I have installed the Beta version. No change
I have uninstalled all, including all settings (after backing up the .reg files), and reinstalled my old version. No change
I have uninstalled all, including all settings (after backing up the .reg files), and installed the newest version. No change
I have checked the folder permissions that DF is located in…
I am stumped. For some reason, I cannot get the hook apps to load after some registry voodoo. I would truly appreciate understanding the dependencies and such to get the hook and all the right functions working again. Looking for that secrete handshake 8)
Much appreciated.
May 21, 2015 (modified May 21, 2015)  • #1
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Sounds like there could be an issue with the .NET Framework. Could you try killing DisplayFusion.exe, setting the following registry value to 1, then start up DisplayFusion and attach a copy of the log?

HKCU\Software\Binary Fortress Software\DisplayFusion\LogDebug

Log location: %LOCALAPPDATA%\DisplayFusion\DisplayFusion.log
May 22, 2015  • #2
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Hello Keith

I attempted what you asked.
There was no registry entry LogDebug
There was instead LogDebugNoChange

I created a new entry called LogDebug and restarted DF.
No log was created, and the registry key LogDebug was deleted.

What am I missing?

BTW, I see that my IT also upgraded / installed .NET Framework 4 Extended version 4.0.30319 about the time this all started.
May 28, 2015  • #3
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Ah, sorry, it should be "LogDebugLevel" not "LogDebug."

Could you also try the following?
  • Extract the attached ZIP file to a temporary folder on your drive
  • Copy the files from the temporary folder into the C:\Program Files (x86)\DisplayFusion folder, overwriting the existing files
  • Try launching DisplayFusion
• Attachment: .NET 4 Manifest Files.zip [2,714 bytes]
May 28, 2015  • #4
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Hello Keith.
Can you email the file to my profile email? It was not set to automatically go to my email, and just shows "protected" in the blog.

Thanks
• Attachment [protected]: C:\Users\rclary\AppData\Local\DisplayFusion\DisplayFusion.log [447,738 bytes]
May 29, 2015  • #5
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Ah sorry, forgot to un-protect it when I attached it. Give it a try now :)
May 29, 2015  • #6
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Thank you Keith.

I copied the files as instructed, but the behaviors have not changed.
Also, still unable to open any settings.

In my previous post I included the debug log file that you were looking for.
Hope this helps!

Cheers
May 30, 2015 (modified May 30, 2015)  • #7
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Hi Keith.

Any additional thoughts?
The DisplayFusionHookApp exes are not running / visible in the Task Manager.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled .NET, and am now running the latest version, 4.5.2.

Additional notes:
I have tested all other programs installed on the workstation, and all seem to work as expected.
Uninstalled DF 7.1
Reinstalled DF 5.1.1 - no change in behaior: Incorrect StartButton action; unable to access any settings
Added the maniffest files as directed. - no change in behavior

Thanks much
Jun 2, 2015 (modified Jun 2, 2015)  • #8
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
According to the log, for some reason the hooks are just failing to start with a generic Windows error :(

If you uninstall DisplayFusion, and install it into a different directory (i.e. C:\Program Files (x86)\DisplayFusion2), does that make any difference at all?
Jun 2, 2015  • #9
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Uninstalled, ensurred the DisplayFusion folder was gone, reinstalled 7.1 into DisplayFusionApp.
Same same.

Took Ownership of the DisplayFusionApp folder (vs Administrator ownership).
Same same.
Jun 3, 2015  • #10
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Ok, the error that's showing up in the log is a ShellExecuteEx failure, which is kind of generic. It could be caused by anti-virus or something else preventing the processes from starting. We're going to add some additional logging info for the next beta. I'll request a new log file from you when 7.2 Beta 8 is available :)

Thanks!
Jun 4, 2015  • #11
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Thank you sir.
Jun 4, 2015  • #12
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Keith -
While waiting for Beta 8 so we can log why the hooks are not working, any thoughts as to why I can not modify the settings?
I am stuck with the monitor configurations that I have already defined, but can not add more or modify.

Thanks
Jun 11, 2015  • #13
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
It's most likely the same cause as the hook processes not starting. Something is preventing those .exe's from launching for some reason :(

If you like, you can try opening the Settings and send me a new debug log so I can confirm that it's the same issue.
Jun 11, 2015  • #14
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Hello Keith.

I was able to finally collect the Debug file for when I attempt to load the settings only.
Display Fusion is not running.
Executed the DisplayFusion Settings link.

Please see attached.
I am adding a third monitor, and cannot configure, so any support is appreciated.

Cheers
Roger
• Attachment [protected]: DisplayFusion.log [14,636 bytes]
Jun 30, 2015 (modified Jun 30, 2015)  • #15
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Yep, looks to be the same issue. I will let you know as soon as 7.2 Beta 8 is available so that you can grab a new log and send it over.

If you just need to enable the third monitor, you should be able to do it through the Windows Screen Resolution Settings. Just right-click the desktop, choose "Screen Resolution," then click monitor 3, and choose "Extend to this display" from the "Multiple Displays" drop-down.
Jun 30, 2015  • #16
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Ok, 7.2 Beta 8 is now available. Could you try updating, and then send over a new debug log?
Jul 3, 2015  • #17
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
see what this tells you :)
• Attachment [protected]: DisplayFusion.log [321,413 bytes]
Jul 7, 2015  • #18
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Thanks! It gave a return code of -2, which I couldn't find much info on :(

I did find a couple of things while googling though. Would you be able to try these?
  • Right-click DisplayFusion.exe, and choose "Run as administrator"
  • Disable any security or antivirus software that might be blocking DisplayFusion from running, then try launching it again.
Jul 7, 2015  • #19
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Morning Keith.

Run as Admin behaves the same - no Settings access, etc.

Unloaded OfficeScan, (Trend Micro), and still same same.

Are there any dependancies I could look into? For Example, if DisplayFusionHookAppWIN6064.exe requires admin access to a specific folder or files, I can check the security / permissions on those elements. I am just thinking that despite my PC being "fixed" by my IT, there may be some aspects of system or directory structure that DF requires that is only impacting DF.

Thoughts?
Jul 9, 2015  • #20
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
To be totally honest, I'm really stumped here. File permissions shouldn't be an issue, but you could try installing DisplayFusion outside of the Program Files folder (maybe just C:\DisplayFusion) to see if that makes any difference. A few other things worth trying as well:
Jul 9, 2015  • #21
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Aiken Drum
14 discussion posts
If I might interject--

If an admin, especially one working with his own credentials, rearranged or rebuilt some of the disk or registry hierarchy while fixing your machine, it is possible that he accidentally took ownership and left you with only read-only (or less) permissions to those items. I've done this to myself a couple of times and it took me weeks to work out what I'd done.

I'd suggest running ProcessMonitor from SysInternals, setting the filter to report just the app you can't get running, and see what (if any) activity it engages in before exiting prematurely. You may find, for instance, that it is trying to open some registry key for modification, or likewise some file on your drive, right before it throws its hands in the air and bails. Then at least you've got a lead and you can go sleuthing into file/key permissions.

The other thing that comes to mind is a modified PATH variable in your environment. You may be picking up some other app's version of a support DLL, or perhaps not finding one you need. ProcessMonitor would probably show that as well, since the DLL file should be sought before bailing.

--

Keith: Pardon, I don't mean to step on your toes or speak out of turn. I've done tech support myself and can't resist a good problem. :)
Jul 11, 2015 (modified Jul 11, 2015)  • #22
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Thanks much all.

Kieth -
Older version installed at root is same same.
FileSeek Pro seems to function. Can access its settings.

Aiken -
Appreciate the advice, and executed your suggestion.
Attached is the Process Monitor dump when starting Display Fusion.
It is filtered for events where process name contains "fusion".
I started reviewing, found some buffer overflows and such, but honestly not sure that I am seeing any smoking gun.
Care to give a look?

Cheers!
• Attachment: Logfile.zip [2,772,866 bytes]
Jul 13, 2015 (modified Jul 13, 2015)  • #23
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Aiken Drum
14 discussion posts
Roger: My limited Windows programming experience doesn't uncover anything in there, but maybe Keith and the engineers over yonder will take a look and see something I can't. If nothing else, the log should help to indicate how far the app got before bailing.

The 'buffer overflow', though, is just part of the app finding the correct buffer size for that query. It's just an error condition where the app is informed that it needs a bigger buffer and should try again with one. It's not to be confused with the 'buffer overrun' threats we all know so well.

I'll leave the rest to Keith et al. :)
Jul 13, 2015  • #24
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
The Process Monitor log shows that DisplayFusion.exe is trying to start the HookApp processes, but the HookApp exe's themselves don't show up in the log, which is consistent with what the DisplayFusion log was showing (Windows just outright rejecting the call to start them for some reason).

Could you try capturing another Process Monitor log, where you try to manually launch the HookApp exe's from the DisplayFusion directory?
Jul 14, 2015  • #25
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Here you are ;)

I terminated DisplayFusion, however the service was still running.
Then one at a time with a few seconds inbetween, I double clicked on:
DisplayFusionHookAppWIN5032
DisplayFusionHookAppWIN5064
DisplayFusionHookAppWIN6032
DisplayFusionHookAppWIN6064

Thanks man!
• Attachment [protected]: Logfile - just launching HookApp.zip [615,912 bytes]
Jul 14, 2015  • #26
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Thanks Roger! In the C:\DisplayFusion\Hooks directory, are there any DLL files?
Jul 15, 2015  • #27
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
There sure are:

AppHookWIN5032_C7683AFE-F4F4-4CB8-B261-B0F3BD7A7122
AppHookWIN5064_2ACE06D9-C1A4-45C8-8B33-2F75BA0641E9
AppHookWIN6032_17B0349B-B8C4-4212-840C-867A98AD108F
AppHookWIN6064_D2CA1F7B-96AF-4D17-94EA-5872DC78E364

Cheers.
Jul 15, 2015  • #28
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Roger Clary
15 discussion posts
Team - Success!

From all your help and information, I was thinking that there was a system/file/process security or related issue still on my laptop. For kicks, I used Windows Repair v3.2.5 (by Tweaking.com), and repairing the Policies Set By Infections and Restore UAC...I have all functions back.

Cool!

Hope this helps provide a clue should someone else have this issue in the future.

Thanks all again for the support.

Now...unrelated...how to I make the "Move Window to Next Window" button only togle between two monitors though I and using three monitors?

Cheers!
Jul 16, 2015  • #29
Keith Lammers (BFS)'s profile on WallpaperFusion.com
Wow, awesome! I've never heard of that tool before, but I'll definitely keep that handy in case anyone else runs into similar problems. Glad to hear you were able to get it sorted :)

To answer your question, you can use the "Ignore Monitors" option in the Advanced Settings. Just enter the monitor ID of the one you don't want the "Move to Next Monitor" button to apply to.

Thanks!
• Attachment: Advanced Settings - Ignore Monitors.jpg [193,747 bytes]
Advanced Settings - Ignore Monitors.jpg
Advanced Settings - Ignore Monitors.jpg
Jul 16, 2015  • #30
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