Error in distributing .exe online

Hello fellow forum members,

I have been working on a simple program that just takes in an input and outputs some data. I have been distributing the .exe online. It is a simple black box program with no GUI that only uses the iostream header file.

This program is compiled with Visual C++ 2008 and works fine on my computer as well as some people online who have Visual C++ online. (I'm using windows XP SP2).

However a couple of people online who also have Windows XP are complaining about error messages that would not allow them to run the program:

Activation context generation failed for "C:\Users\~~~~\Desktop\DC subbed episode list.exe". Dependent Assembly Microsoft.VC80.DebugCRT,processorArchitecture="x86 ",publicKeyToken="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b",type="win32",v ersion="8.0.50608.0" could not be found. Please use sxstrace.exe for detailed diagnosis

I have been looking online for a solution, but have not found one.

Can anyone please tell me how to make my .exe file distributable on all Windows systems?

Thanks in Advance

Make a release version of your program. You're currently compiling in debug mode and trying to distribute that.

You may still have to distribute the VC8 CRT, though. VC++ should contains a redistributable installer for that.

That binary seems compiled against the debug runtime which AFAIK is illegal to restiribute. Compile against release runtime first.

Thanks for the quick responses, but how do I make a release version in VC++.

Also, does Microsoft hold some patents on my software for compiling it with them? Will they steal my code?

>> how do I make a release version in VC++.
Change the configuration to Release instead of Debug. It should be under the Build menu somewhere.

Even then it is necessary to distribute the VC80 release runtime DLL with your file to ensure it works. Most computers probably have the VC70 runtime on them but few will have the VC80.

This is also true with using and registering DLLs on other computers. If your DLL relies on VC80 and it is not installed, regsvr32 will fail to register the DLL complaining that the module could not be found. Your event viewer will yield more info and let you know that a dependency was not found.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GamesSmash

Also, does Microsoft hold some patents on my software for compiling it with them? Will they steal my code?

---

1) You can't hold patents on code. You can only hold copyright. You hold copyright by writing the code, or by paying someone to write the code for you.

2) How did you ever get this absurd idea?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GamesSmash

Also, does Microsoft hold some patents on my software for compiling it with them? Will they steal my code?

---

Lol, what an absurd idea.
Anyway, create a setup project and distribute your app with it. In case you don't want a setup project, do one anyway and copy the vcredist*.exe in your setup folder. It's the one file that will install the runtime on the computer of whomever you want to run it.

Is it possible to make my program run without VC80 and use VC70 instead?

Use an older compiler/IDE then.
But nevertheless, most people don't tend to have runtime for VC2002+ since it's not bundled with Windows XP and many programs just put the runtime (prior to 2005 anyway) in their local directory.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bubba

Even then it is necessary to distribute the VC80 release runtime DLL with your file to ensure it works. Most computers probably have the VC70 runtime on them but few will have the VC80.

---

I still don't understand. How do I distribute the DLL in the same .exe file without having to distribute more files?

Sorry for all the questions :(

Try linking against the standard library statically. It's in the project options.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GamesSmash

I still don't understand. How do I distribute the DLL in the same .exe file without having to distribute more files?

Sorry for all the questions :(

---

You can do this, but it will increase your file size drastically. On the contrary, you only need to install the runtime once, and all your apps will work later. Your must install the runtime in this case, but only once.
If you statically link against the libraries, the filesize will increase and you'll have to do it all the time.
As I mentioned, create a setup project and distribute all the files in the setup folder. Or just statically link. Up to you.

MSVS Setup and Deployment wizards will do most of the work for you.

If you have MSVS just create a setup and deployment project from within your existing project. Project - > Add project -> Setup and Deployment.

It will figure out the dependencies for you and install the correct DLLs inside of the setup script it generates.

It works!

Thanks for all the help everyone!

I am having the same problem running Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition.. Can anyone explain how to link the files together? .exe File size doesnt matter.
Thanks in Advance.

Right-click project -> Properties -> General -> Use of MFC -> Use MFC in a Static Library.
I strongly discourage you from doing it, however. With every additional program you send, all that code will be included which will increase filesize. If you install the runtime, it's done only once and your app needn't include the MFC code.

Express doesn't have MFC.

It's Properties->General->Standard Libraries or something like that. Still, Static Library is the correct choice for that dropdown.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CornedBee

1) You can't hold patents on code. You can only hold copyright. You hold copyright by writing the code, or by paying someone to write the code for you.

---

Whilst I agree on the copyright, I also, unfortunately, have to disagree about the statement of "you can't hold patents on code" - there is certainly patents on code in many places. It is pretty specific code, admittedly.

Case in point: Register allocation in compiler:
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20070022413.html

--
Mats

Quote:

---

Whilst I agree on the copyright, I also, unfortunately, have to disagree about the statement of "you can't hold patents on code" - there is certainly patents on code in many places. It is pretty specific code, admittedly.

---

The patent is not on the code, but on the method that the code implements. The code is under copyright, the method is patented.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by laserlight

The patent is not on the code, but on the method that the code implements. The code is under copyright, the method is patented.

---

Ok, there is a semantic difference, but the outcome of a lawsuit is still the same - if you implement the method described in the patent, you will be liable to the patent holder. Even if you didn't know the patent existed when you wrote such code [unless you wrote it BEFORE the patent was filed, in which case you have a case of "prior art"].

Patents, in this case, has a much higher capability of preventing someone from creating "code that does the same thing" than copyright - the latter only prevents you from copying the exact code or the exact look-and-feel of an application, whilst the patent will prevent you from implementing the same functionality.

--
Mats

Quote:

---

Ok, there is a semantic difference, but the outcome of a lawsuit is still the same - if you implement the method described in the patent, you will be liable to the patent holder.

---

If it were merely under copyright and you implement the method described, you will not be liable for copyright infringement, unless your implementation copied the code. So I think the semantic difference is a real difference: the outcome of a lawsuit can be different if the method was not patented.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by laserlight

If it were merely under copyright and you implement the method described, you will not be liable for copyright infringement, unless your implementation copied the code. So I think the semantic difference is a real difference: the outcome of a lawsuit will be different if the method was not patented.

---

Ok, we're missing each others point: My point was that there's a semantic difference between patenting a method and patenting the code that implements the method [the latter is, as you correctly stated, not what is done - mostly because that would just require someone to write it in a differnet language, or use slightly different variables to "break" the patent]. You took that to mean, I think, that there is a small difference between copyright and patents - there is a HUGE difference - both in the (supposed) criteria for acceptance and for "breaking" patents vs. copyright. Copyright is for the whole material produced, and is implicit - you only need to prove that you were the author/creator of something to "win" a copyright infringement trial. In patents, you have to register the patent (and it should go through an approvals process), and in general, it applies only to small portions of the overall code [the register allocator may be an IMPORTANT part in a compiler, but it's far from the bulk of the code - probably only a few hundred or thousand lines in a million lines of code overall for the compiler]. Patents are very explicit [although as loosely formulated as possible, to capture the essence of the idea, rather than the specifics]. Copyright applies to ALL of the creators work.

--
Mats

Patents and copyright are completely different things. You patent inventions. You have a copyright on the concrete, tangible results of your work.

Program code cannot ever be under a patent - not just that it isn't worth it, but it's not possible. A piece of code is not an invention. It's just a tangible result of your work, and thus copyrighted.
A special type of cook pot that keeps its contents under pressure, thus increasing the boiling temperature of water and making the food be ready faster, that's an invention. It's not tangible, though: no copyright.
The shiny designer pot we have at home is not an invention. It's a concrete implementation of the invention above. Its design is subject to copyright.
In the US, an algorithm for encrypting data with a special key such that a different key is needed to decrypt it, with it being mathematically possible, but practically effectively infeasible to get from one key to the other, is an invention. It's also patented. In Europe, it's not, because algorithms are not acknowledged as inventions, or at least not as patentable.
OpenPGP and GnuPG contain implementations of the algorithm. They can't be patented; however, they are under copyright.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elysia

I strongly discourage you from doing it, however. With every additional program you send, all that code will be included which will increase filesize. If you install the runtime, it's done only once and your app needn't include the MFC code.

---

Other then filesize is there any other reason for discouraging me from including the MFC code? I'm writing just a basic black box code, its not that big anyways. And it is being distributed to a large variety of comps, with various operating systems.

MFC may not work correctly on other platforms. But then again neither does .NET so I reckon your outta luck there too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Twoie

Other then filesize is there any other reason for discouraging me from including the MFC code? I'm writing just a basic black box code, its not that big anyways. And it is being distributed to a large variety of comps, with various operating systems.

---

Other than filesize... no, none that I can think of.
But you can create a setup to install your app for you and you don't have to worry about installing the runtime yourself.
For every app you create, you include the big runtime. So... if you build two apps, you pass them two runtimes. If the runtime is 3 MB and your app is 100 KB, then it's 3 * 2 + 100 * 2 = 6.2 MB instead of 3 + 0.2 = 3.2 MB. Basic math, and that's why I don't recommend static linking.

Once the runtime is installed, you never again have to worry about it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elysia

But you can create a setup to install your app for you and you don't have to worry about installing the runtime yourself.

---

Mind explaining to me how to create a setup to install my app? I'm really new to all this.
I'm using Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition
using #include "stdafx.h"
#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <iomanip>

What you are saying makes total sense.

OK, so a simple tutorial - you'll have to refer to docs to customize it. I don't know everything about setup projects either. Anyway, here goes:

Right-click the solution and select add project. Select Setup and Deplay -> Setup project and create it.
In the left pane, you'll see system that says "File System on Target Machine" and underneath a lot of folders.
Click on Application Folder. This is where setup will put your application & any necessary dlls/files to run the program. It's the directory the user chooses during setup.
Right-click in the right pane and select add -> project output.
Select your project in the combobox where it says project. In the list below, select Primary Output, which says that the EXE or DLL of that project will be used. And lastly, select Release from the configuration combobox. This tells setup you want to use the Release version of your EXEs/DLLs (because Debug versions won't work on the target machine!).
Click OK and repeat the process for any other files from projects you want to add. You can also select add -> file or folder to include misc files.
Now you can right-click your setup project and select properties. Here you can set misc parameters such as how to store the files and how to optimize the setup package.
Click prerequisities. Here you can select what runtime your application needs to run. IF you're just doing a normal C/C++ app (not .NET), then scroll down and select Visual C++ Runtime Libraries. Make sure the checkbox above the list is checked and click OK to accept.
The final step is simply to build the setup project. Bundle all the files in the output folder for the setup project to the target machine and run setup and it should do the rest.

You can play around a little with it as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elysia

OK, so a simple tutorial - you'll have to refer to docs to customize it. I don't know everything about setup projects either. Anyway, here goes:

Right-click the solution and select add project. Select Setup and Deplay -> Setup project and create it.
In the left pane, you'll see system that says "File System on Target Machine" and underneath a lot of folders.
Click on Application Folder. This is where setup will put your application & any necessary dlls/files to run the program. It's the directory the user chooses during setup.
Right-click in the right pane and select add -> project output.
Select your project in the combobox where it says project. In the list below, select Primary Output, which says that the EXE or DLL of that project will be used. And lastly, select Release from the configuration combobox. This tells setup you want to use the Release version of your EXEs/DLLs (because Debug versions won't work on the target machine!).
Click OK and repeat the process for any other files from projects you want to add. You can also select add -> file or folder to include misc files.
Now you can right-click your setup project and select properties. Here you can set misc parameters such as how to store the files and how to optimize the setup package.
Click prerequisities. Here you can select what runtime your application needs to run. IF you're just doing a normal C/C++ app (not .NET), then scroll down and select Visual C++ Runtime Libraries. Make sure the checkbox above the list is checked and click OK to accept.
The final step is simply to build the setup project. Bundle all the files in the output folder for the setup project to the target machine and run setup and it should do the rest.

You can play around a little with it as well.

---

Ok what program are you using because mine doesnt have setup and deploy......when I right click and go to Add.. My options are new item, existing item, new filter and class......And none of them hold Setup and Deploy in them......May I should use another program, or something.

I use Visual Studio 2005 Professional.

I don't think the setup wizard exists in Express.

But here's a very good free option:
http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Main_Page