Ok, after this latest beta that downloaded I cant seem to start DF. Nor can I start event viewer. Something is totally messed up. The error I recieve is

"The application has failed to start because its side by side configuration is incorrect. Please see the application event log for more detail."

Well unfortunately, this is how I found out I cant use the event viewer now. So I cant find a way to pin this down. All i can get from googling is it has to do with the VC Redistributables which I have uninstalled and reinstalled, all the 2005, 2008, x86 and x64 versions and the 2008 sp1 versions.

Anyone have suggestions?

Sorry, bad form of not posting specs on a troubleshoot issue.

Vista x64
DX 10
8 gigs ram
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+

Reinstalling .net framework is one thing I have not tried since this error seems to pertain to the VC redistributables. Which obviously I have tried to reinstall several times. Ill give the .net framework a go and report back.

I did in fact uninstall DF, and re-downloaded from the sites "download now" link. Im assuming thats the current stable version.

For net 2.0 it says it fails because it is already installed.

Trying to install 4.0 just fails period.

Being I am very hard core about where I visit and what I download and my firewall. I dont run virus software. I once every couple of months download a free one to do a quick once over for safety. So its not that. None are currently installed aside from windows malicious software tool.

Googling side by side configuration error brings up many many results, and most of them beyond reinstalling the VC libraries turns out to seem almost unsolvable unless you have a very experience tech helping out.

In the even viewer with the errors of the side by side, just about all of them have to do with the ieframe.dll file. This file IS located in two places on my machine.

I am wondering if it has got corrupted some how. If your or anyone here is using vista x64 with IE8, or just happens to have the ieframe.dll with version 8.0.6001.18928 that I could get a copy of I will try a replace of the file and see if thats it. I found a version online, but its 7.xxxxx AND, its a dll i downloaded from a dll site, which in its self is very insecure and i rather not use that one being an older version and from a website.

Managed to get into a event viewer some how. This is the specific error to displayfusion with Source side by side

"Activation context generation failed for "C:\Program Files (x86)\DisplayFusion\DisplayFusion.exe". The setting http://schemas.microsoft.com/SMI/2005/WindowsSettings^dpiAware is not registered."

If I got back to the first time side by sides are logged in the viewer the first one and many after have

"Activation context generation failed for "C:\Program Files (x86)\Stardock\ObjectDockPlus2\Dock64.exe". Dependent Assembly Microsoft.VC90.DebugCRT,processorArchitecture="amd64",publicKeyToken="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b",type="win32",version="9.0.21022.8" could not be found. Please use sxstrace.exe for detailed diagnosis."

(per application, not all are objectdock)

Edit: Failed to mention. Object dock is running fine currently. The specific ones referencing the same exact VC90 line there (all of it is exact, so its that manifest there i assume) stopped on 4/1 and then it began to only give the errors such as the one I displayed for displayfusion. While I know now this is not display fusions actual fault, being a programmer Im hoping you can help me figure this one out. =\

So it seems this has been building up for a bit. Im just not sure how I fix that file there, as it may be the source of it all. Its clearly a VC package, or manifest, and when it comes to looking in winsxs folder, your playing with serious fire there.

Yeah, thats what I been gathering. Im hoping it doesnt come down to a full restore. God that would suck. Even a upgrade repair install would suck. =(

From what I been reading on the error that doesn't seem to fix it. Just google side by side error and you'll see lol.

Yeah, thats not what I want to hear lol.

Yeah. Im still working on it. Tapping any programmers I know (which are a lot lol)

One of them is saying the same as you. Re install. Another is trying to solve it, but hes gotta go home and boot up is year old un touched vista 64 system lol.

This has been a wild ride. My friend says the little up arrow (dunno the ascii code for it) looks wrong. As if it shouldnt be there

FIXED!!!!

For some reason, registry keys for the winsxs version of the 64 bit settings of a dpiaware were gone. I noticed the x86 entry in the registry that had the reference of that dpiaware had settings that the 64bit didnt. So i just copied the settings (after making restore points and reg backups) into the 64 version, it worked. No more errors. I am king! lol

Yeah, I have no idea what caused it. I must of uninstalled something that uses that registry or something. =\