We are performing upgrades to our application, including transitioning from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and from Visual Studio 2012 to Visual Studio 2017. Despite the high complexity of the solutions, the process has been going smoothly with the exception of one project.
The process dies and in the event log I can find this:
Faulting application name: MyProcess.exe, version: 1.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x5c418d86
Faulting module name: ucrtbase.dll, version: 10.0.10240.16384, time stamp: 0x559f3aa5
Exception code: 0xc0000409
Fault offset: 0x0007d84b
Faulting process id: 0xcdc
Faulting application start time: 0x01d4b19831ce98cd
Faulting application path: C:\PathToMyProcess\MyProcess.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\ucrtbase.dll
Report Id: 3071cc19-1a57-4828-9721-275a2d3cf164
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:
The issue is that the process crashes and in the event log, it is shown that it works on a computer with Visual Studio 2017 installed, but not on one without. I have tried installing various components, such as .NET desktop development, Desktop development with C++, Visual C++ MFC for x86 and x64 and Windows 10 SDK 10.0.17134, but to no avail.
Look the screenshot:
I have also attempted to install redistributable versions of various versions, but the problem persists. I am unsure of what is missing and what is not included by default in Windows and Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017.
3 Answers
Introduction
Upgrading an application can be a daunting task, especially when transitioning from one operating system to another and from one version of Visual Studio to another. However, the process can be made easier by following best practices and using proper tools. Unfortunately, even with the best practices, issues can arise, such as the one we are facing with the ucrtbase.dll.
In this blog post, we will explore the ucrtbase.dll issue, why it occurs, and how to fix it. We will also explore the steps we took to troubleshoot the issue and the tools we used.
What is ucrtbase.dll?
ucrtbase.dll is a system file that belongs to the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015-2019. This file is a part of the Universal C Runtime, which is a set of libraries that provide low-level functionality to Windows programs.
The ucrtbase.dll file contains functions for memory management, string manipulation, and other low-level operations that are used by many Windows programs, including our application.
Why does the ucrtbase.dll issue occur?
The ucrtbase.dll issue occurs when the file is missing or corrupted. This can happen due to several reasons, such as:
- Missing or corrupted system files
- Missing or corrupted Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015-2019
- Wrong version of the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015-2019
- Conflicts with other applications or software
How to fix the ucrtbase.dll issue?
To fix the ucrtbase.dll issue, we need to follow a set of steps:
Step 1: Check for missing or corrupted system files
The first step is to check for missing or corrupted system files. We can use the System File Checker (SFC) tool to scan and repair missing or corrupted system files. To use the SFC tool, follow these steps:
- Open Command Prompt as an administrator
- Type the following command and press Enter:
sfc /scannow - Wait for the scan to complete
- If the SFC tool finds any missing or corrupted files, it will replace them automatically
- Restart the computer
Step 2: Check for missing or corrupted Visual C++ Redistributable
The second step is to check for missing or corrupted Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015-2019. We can use the Visual C++ Redistributable installation tool to repair or reinstall the redistributable. To use the installation tool, follow these steps:
- Go to the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable download page
- Download the latest version of the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015-2019
- Run the installation file
- Select the Repair option to repair the existing installation or the Install option to install a new copy
- Follow the on-screen instructions
- Restart the computer
Step 3: Check for the correct version of the Visual C++ Redistributable
The third step is to check for the correct version of the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015-2019. Our application may require a specific version of the redistributable, and installing the wrong version can cause issues. To check for the correct version, follow these steps:
- Open Control Panel
- Click on Programs and Features
- Locate the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015-2019
- Check the version number
- Ensure that the version number matches the version required by our application
- If the version is incorrect, uninstall the current version and install the correct version
- Restart the computer
Step 4: Check for conflicts with other applications or software
The fourth step is to check for conflicts with other applications or software. Our application may be conflicting with other software or applications installed on the computer. To check for conflicts, follow these steps:
- Open Task Manager
- Click on the Processes tab
- Look for any processes that may be conflicting with our application
- End the conflicting processes
- Restart the computer
Troubleshooting the ucrtbase.dll issue
We followed the steps mentioned above to troubleshoot the ucrtbase.dll issue. However, the issue persisted. We then used the Dependency Walker tool to analyze our application and identify any missing dependencies.
Dependency Walker is a free tool that analyzes the dependencies of a Windows application. It displays a hierarchical tree of all the dependencies and highlights any missing or unresolved dependencies.
We used Dependency Walker to analyze our application and found that it was missing the following dependencies:
- api-ms-win-crt-runtime-l1-1-0.dll
- api-ms-win-crt-stdio-l1-1-0.dll
- api-ms-win-crt-math-l1-1-0.dll
- api-ms-win-crt-heap-l1-1-0.dll
- api-ms-win-crt-locale-l1-1-0.dll
We then installed the Universal C Runtime update for Windows, which contains these missing dependencies. After installing the update, our application started working without any issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the ucrtbase.dll issue can be a complex issue to troubleshoot. However, by following the steps mentioned above and using the right tools, we can easily identify and fix the issue. In our case, we used Dependency Walker to identify the missing dependencies and installed the Universal C Runtime update for Windows to fix the issue. We hope that this blog post has helped you understand the ucrtbase.dll issue and how to fix it.
It is likely that the issue is related to a missing or incompatible version of the Universal C Runtime (UCRT) library, which is included in the Windows operating system and the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017. The ucrtbase.dll file is a part of the UCRT library.
It is possible that the application is not compatible with the version of the UCRT library included in the target operating system or the version of the redistributable package that you have installed.
You can try the following steps to resolve the issue:
- Make sure that the target operating system is fully updated and has the latest updates for the UCRT library.
- Verify that the correct version of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017 is installed on the target computer.
- Check if the application’s dependencies are compatible with the version of the UCRT library.
- If the issue persist, you may need to contact the application developer or vendor for further assistance.
It’s worth to mention that the problem can also be related with the code, if the issue is not related to the above steps you may need to check the code, look for any missing dependencies or errors in the code.
I have experienced this issue twice, where I was able to resolve one instance but still cannot determine the cause of the other. The ucrtbase.dll error is a generic error. In the first case, when using an application that relied on cpp.dll and had a static link to C#.dll, I encountered an error.
The error was identified and thrown upwards in C#, but even then it reached the C-interop to C++ and caused everything to fail. In the second case, the error occurred when trying to use a _COM_SMARTPTR_TYPEDEF, which had worked previously on Windows 7 but not on Windows 10.
This issue has not been resolved yet but it was found that the problem was rooted in the com constructors which failed due to a bad proxy/stub of the com interface when communicating with other processes.