By Steve Endow
A client was experiencing difficulties testing Dynamics GP AddIns on their server. After copying the DLL files to the AddIns folder, launching GP resulted in an immediate crash.
Clicking on “View problem details” revealed a complex and unhelpful set of technical error messages. For instance:
Faulting application name: Dynamics.exe, version: 12.0.276.0, time stamp: 0x52784445 Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 6.1.7601.18409, time stamp: 0x53159a86 Exception code: 0xe0434352 Fault offset: 0x0000c42d Faulting process id: 0x111c Faulting application start time: 0x01cfacec50a1c5aa Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Dynamics\GP2013\Dynamics.exe Faulting module path: C:\Windows\syswow64\KERNELBASE.dll Report Id: 91d6dc87-18df-11e4-88f1-001e4f4c0702
Problem signature: Problem Event Name: CLR20r3 Problem Signature 01: dynamics.exe Problem Signature 02: 12.0.276.0 Problem Signature 03: 52784445 Problem Signature 04: mscorlib Problem Signature 05: 4.0.30319.18444 Problem Signature 06: 52717edc Problem Signature 07: 26fb Problem Signature 08: 0 Problem Signature 09: System.IO.FileLoadException OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.4 Locale ID: 1033 Additional Information 1: 0a9e Additional Information 2: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789 Additional Information 3: 0a9e Additional Information 4: 0a9e372d3b4ad19135b953a78882e789
The only recognizable element was:
Problem Signature 09: System.IO.FileLoadException
This suggested that either GP or the AddIn couldn’t load a required file, but the underlying reason (missing dependency, permission issue, .NET version incompatibility, or x64/x86 conflict) remained unclear.
Online research led to a GP forum post where a user described a similar issue. A helpful forum member pointed to a blog post by Patrick Roth that addressed this common problem, although without mentioning the “System.IO.FileLoadException” detail.
Patrick’s investigation revealed that the root cause was a Windows security feature that automatically blocks certain downloaded files. This feature, often referred to as “Block” / “Unblock,” restricts access to downloaded EXEs or DLLs until manually unblocked. For DLLs, unblocking requires navigating to the file’s Properties and clicking “Unblock.”
This security measure poses a challenge for software developers who distribute EXEs and DLLs. The low-level blocking provides minimal information for troubleshooting. The increasing use of cloud storage services like OneDrive, DropBox, and Box is likely to exacerbate this issue for downloaded customizations.
Thanks to Patrick Roth for sharing his insights and to forum user Mary for providing the crucial lead!
Steve Endow is a Dynamics GP Certified Trainer and Dynamics GP Certified IT Professional in Los Angeles. He is also the owner of Precipio Services, which provides Dynamics GP integrations, customizations, and automation solutions.