Concrete solution or workaround for ShellExecuteEx error 299

[b.richard]

Hello,

We're facing an issue with Avast Free Antivirus with our installer Setups made with INNOSETUP engine.

Launching the setup will display at first an error Message "ShellExecuteEx error 299".
This message disappears itself and then let the setup interface displaying and installing without any error.

I've seen this error had already been reported on your forum and with your false positiv form.

We distribute our setups to a large number of customers, so this message is not good for their trust in the product.
This issue seems to have still no solution or acceptable workaround, as we cannot ask for our customers to desactivate the antivirus during install runtime...


My question is:
Is there any way to avoid this message to occur, like asking to be referenced in Avast white list?

Thanks in advance for your answer.

[Asyn]

As you're a developer, read here...

-> https://support.avast.com/article/229/
-> https://support.avast.com/article/228/

[igor]

Does the mentioned error display each time (i.e. for every user with Avast)?
Is it possible to download the affected installer somewhere?

[b.richard]

Thanks for your answers.

To Asyn:
Thanks for the link, I had already read those pages, that's why I asked if the pb should be solved by being in the white list, because at the end of the scan from Avast, the setup is automatically relaunched by Avast, so Avast doesn't consider the setup as a positiv virus entity...

To igor:
Well it seems to appear on each user with Avast (we've noticed that on a test by our side too), but we haven't the return of all our customers on this...
But notice that this behaviour seems to be a recent one from Avast, as our installer is redistributed from years without any problem of this kind...

It seems to be quite similar to the issue reported on this thread:
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=214736.0

Ben.

[igor]

I tried to run the executable from the other thread but didn't encounter any problems.
So is there a download location for your installer, or can you provide it to us in some other way?

[n.kirik]

Hi there!

I have exactly the same situation as Ben. (We have built the installer of our application, but starting it with Avast turned on leads to "ShellExecuteEx error 299", though Avast self says that everything is OK)

The error displays when running for the first time for every user. (We tried it with different users on different computers)

So any updates on this?
Were Any solutions found?

And the same question as well: "Is there any way to avoid this message to occur, like asking to be referenced in Avast white list?"

I can provide the executable file link.

[Asyn]

And the same question as well: "Is there any way to avoid this message to occur, like asking to be referenced in Avast white list?"

-> https://support.avast.com/article/229/
-> https://support.avast.com/article/228/

[igor]

So any updates on this?
Were Any solutions found?

We were not able to reproduce the problem (so there was also no related fix).
If you can provide the executable that would behave as described, we'd like to take a look.
Also, please include the information about the environment where you were able to simulate the issue (e.g. the exact version of the operating system, whether it was run under a restricted user account or admin, ...)
Thanks.

[n.kirik]

Thank you!

Will send you a link with ecxecutable.

[b.richard]

I tried to run the executable from the other thread but didn't encounter any problems.
So is there a download location for your installer, or can you provide it to us in some other way?

Sorry, The software is not free to download or to get, so I cannot provide you any download link...

[b.richard]

To n.kirik:
For now, I had to put aside the resolution of the issue because of lack of time to work on it.
Note that we have for now only one client who gave us this kind of issue feedback, even if I was able myself to reproduce the issue.

[n.kirik]

Thank you Ben for the information!

[n.kirik]

So any updates on this?
Were Any solutions found?

We were not able to reproduce the problem (so there was also no related fix).
If you can provide the executable that would behave as described, we'd like to take a look.
Also, please include the information about the environment where you were able to simulate the issue (e.g. the exact version of the operating system, whether it was run under a restricted user account or admin, ...)
Thanks.

Igor, I sent the details and the file to Personal Message.

If somebody will be interested in, reproduced on:

***
Windows 10 Home
Version 2004
Build 19041.630
***
Windows 10 Pro
Version 1909
Build 18363.720
***
Windows 10 Pro
Version 20H2
Build 19042.630
(here it showes a slightly different error: ShellExecuteEx failed; code -1073740791)

[igor]

Thanks, I was able to reproduce.
We have a hypothesis why this is happening, and see what we can do (I'm not completely sure there is a good solution, but hopefully we find something).