SignTool.exe Sporadically Fails with Exit Code 1

Question

As part of our build system, we use signtool.exe with a certificate to sign our binaries once they've been built. Occasionally (it's hard to tell when it will strike), the signing fails:

 error MSB3073: The command "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\SDK\v2.0\bin\signtool.exe" [...] exited with code 1.

According to the MSDN, an exit code of 1 means that there was an error signing the file. I can verify that the file didn't get signed.

I've also noticed that occasionally, the timestamp portion times out with a different error message, albeit that the file still gets signed (without the timestamp).

How can I troubleshoot and fix these seemingly random, inconsistent signature failures?

Answer 1

I strongly suspect a failing connection to the timestamp server being responsible for occasional failures. Perhaps you check your system event log for lost connections at the time in question.

Answer 2

I had the same problem. It happens because MS antimalware process MsMpEng.exe check the binary and don't let anyone access it. To solve the problem, I build binary on RAM disk and it worked.