WPF Application will not start due to a System.IO.FileFormatException()

Question

I have written a WPF application in .NET 4.0.

I have installed and successfully run the application on the following operating systems:

• Windows XP SP2
• Vista
• Window 7 (32 bit)
• Windows 7 (64 bit)

After installing the application on a machine with Windows XP SP3, the application failed to start. I checked the Event Viewer's application logs and found the following error:

Application: ApplicationName.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.IO.FileFormatException
Stack:
   at System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BitmapFrameDecode.EnsureThumbnail()
   at System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BitmapFrameDecode.get_Thumbnail()
   at MS.Internal.AppModel.IconHelper.GetBestMatch(System.Collections.ObjectModel.ReadOnlyCollection`1<System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BitmapFrame>, System.Windows.Size)
   at MS.Internal.AppModel.IconHelper.CreateIconHandleFromImageSource(System.Windows.Media.ImageSource, System.Windows.Size)
   at MS.Internal.AppModel.IconHelper.GetIconHandlesFromImageSource(System.Windows.Media.ImageSource, IconHandle ByRef, IconHandle ByRef)
   at System.Windows.Window.UpdateIcon()
   at System.Windows.Window.SetupInitialState(Double, Double, Double, Double)
   at System.Windows.Window.CreateSourceWindow(Boolean)
   at System.Windows.Window.CreateSourceWindowDuringShow()
   at System.Windows.Window.SafeCreateWindowDuringShow()
   at System.Windows.Window.ShowHelper(System.Object)
   at System.Windows.Window.Show()
   at ApplicationName.App.LoadMainWindow()
   at ApplicationName.App.OnStartup(System.Windows.StartupEventArgs)
   at System.Windows.Application.<.ctor>b__1(System.Object)
   at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32)
   at MS.Internal.Threading.ExceptionFilterHelper.TryCatchWhen(System.Object, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32, System.Delegate)
   at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.InvokeImpl()
   at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.InvokeInSecurityContext(System.Object)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.runTryCode(System.Object)
   at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.ExecuteCodeWithGuaranteedCleanup(TryCode, CleanupCode, System.Object)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object)
   at System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherOperation.Invoke()
   at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.ProcessQueue()
   at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.WndProcHook(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr, Boolean ByRef)
   at MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.WndProc(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr, Boolean ByRef)
   at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.DispatcherCallbackOperation(System.Object)
   at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32)
   at MS.Internal.Threading.ExceptionFilterHelper.TryCatchWhen(System.Object, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32, System.Delegate)
   at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.InvokeImpl(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherPriority, System.TimeSpan, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32)
   at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.SubclassWndProc(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr)
   at MS.Win32.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessage(System.Windows.Interop.MSG ByRef)
   at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrameImpl(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherFrame)
   at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrame(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherFrame)
   at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.Run()
   at System.Windows.Application.RunDispatcher(System.Object)
   at System.Windows.Application.RunInternal(System.Windows.Window)
   at System.Windows.Application.Run(System.Windows.Window)
   at ApplicationName.App.Main()

So I am guessing that it has something to do one of the images I have in one of my windows, but not sure what ;)

Has anyone seen this exception before and have a solution?

Note: In case this is relevant, my installer loads WIC and the full .NET Framework 4.0 onto the target machine, where necessary.

Answer 1

Thanks for the hints on same issue. I found that I had the Icon property set to an ICO within the Shell.xaml Window property. I removed that which gives the icon-less window when I run in VS. However I went to the project properties and selected the icon there (VS found the icon in my resources folder-cool!). When the application builds the EXE the contains the ICO, and a nice surprise is that the window now has the same icon on it.