DXDIAG is blank

[Tripredacus]

I am doing some software testing, and it is hard to search for this specific issue. When I open DXDIAG, the initial messagebox that opens asks you if you want to check the WHQL signatures on the drivers. It gives you an option of yes or no.

In my testing, This msgbox has no text in it, but does have a yes or no button. If I click either yes or no, it then comes up with another blank msgbox with an OK button. When you click OK, DXDIAG.EXE process closes.

I am imagining that a file is not available, a service not running or a DLL is not registered.

Where can I find detailed information about how DXDIAG (or DirectX itself) works?

[DigeratiPrime]

First what Operating System and SP is experiencing this problem? And if this a 64-bit machine does it happen with both versions?

Second I would try opening dxdiag.exe from the system folder with Depends to see if any run time modules fail to load.

http://www.dependencywalker.com/

[Tripredacus]

Well...

Windows PE v2.1 x86...

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=133392

I posted this question here because I was looking for more general information about DirectX and DXDIAG, not so much just getting it to work in PE. Its difficult to search for "blank messagebox dxdiag" because the results are so all over the place. I imagine that it would be possible to get DXDIAG to do this in any OS.

I also used the Au3info tool on the messageboxes that open up, but they are devoid of any particular information that is helpful in any way. I used depends on DXDIAG while in XP, I didn't think of running it from the PE. I will try that next.

UPDATE: Running Depends in the PE has worked out well, except I am left with 2 errors (one error):

At least one module has an unresolved import due to a missing export function in a delay-load dependent module.

- shlwapi.dll

- ieframe.dll

I am guessing that a DLL needs to be registered?

[Tripredacus]

I am finding that this error is because I am missing some VisualBasic or .NET runtime files, or that they are present already but need to be registered... I have no idea how to figure out which it is and or which need to be registered.

[iamtheky]

Dont know if this will help, but it seems you can ignore the shlwapi warning (and since it handles unc/url paths i would wonder if the ieframe is related to or an effect of)

http://www.dependencywalker.com/faq.html

Running these was recommended as a solution to an unrelated dxdiag issue, but they might get you closer to pinpointing the failure.

START /wait %SystemDrive%\i386\system32\dxdllreg.exe

regsvr32.exe /S %SystemDrive%\i386\system32\ddrawex.dll

regsvr32.exe /S %SystemDrive%\i386\system32\diactfrm.dll

[Tripredacus]

I will try that next.

I am also trying to compare the results of depends on two different systems. Within the PE, the load order for the failure for IEFRAME.DLL is this:

SHELL32.DLL -> BROWESUI.DLL -> SHDOCVW.DLL -> IEFRAME.DLL

However, in a working environment, the load order is different. For example, in a working system, the same path is the same except SHDOCVW.DLL does not link to IEFRAME.DLL, in fact, it doesn't link to anything! Also, in the working example, IEFRAME.DLL is linked from MSHTML.DLL. OK wait, let me change this around into something more readable.

Non-Working Environment

1. SHELL32.DLL -> BROWSEUI.DLL -> SHDOCVW.DLL -> IEFRAME.DLL

2. SHELL32.DLL -> SHDOCVW.DLL -> IEFRAME.DLL

3. SHELL32.DLL -> SHDOCVW.DLL -> IEFRAME.DLL -> URLMON.DLL -> SHLWAPI.DLL

Working Environment

1. SHELL32.DLL -> BROWSEUI.DLL -> SHDOCVW.DLL -| <--- SHDOCVW.DLL does not link further

2. SHELL32.DLL -> SHDOCVW.DLL -| <--- SHDOCVW.DLL does not link to IEFRAME.DLL

3. see #2

4. SHELL32.DLL -> SHDOCVW.DLL -> MSHTML.DLL -> IEFRAME.DLL

Also, I am now noticing that the dependency loads are totally different between both machines. For example, the working machine has MSFEEDS.DLL listed as a dependency, while it does not list that file at all in the PE.

I'm done for today I think. Tomorrow I will install Vista on a machine without any .NET Framework or Windows updates in it. I am thinking part of the problem is that this computer has all the .NET Frameworks installed and a handful of VS Runtime environments installed, so this may be causing me more of a headache than I need.