Troubleshoot specific errors in ClickOnce deployments

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Applies to: yesVisual Studio noVisual Studio for Mac

This article lists the post-obit common errors that tin can occur when you deploy a ClickOnce application, and provides steps to resolve each problem.

General errors

When you endeavour to locate an application file, nothing occurs, or XML renders in Internet Explorer, or you receive a Run or Save As dialog box

This mistake is likely caused by content types (also known every bit MIME types) non being registered correctly on the server or client.

First, make sure that the server is configured to associate the .awarding extension with content type "awarding/x-ms-application."

If the server is configured correctly, check that the .NET Framework 2.0 is installed on your figurer. If the .Net Framework 2.0 is installed, and you lot are still seeing this problem, try uninstalling and reinstalling the .NET Framework 2.0 to re-annals the content type on the client.

Mistake bulletin says, "Unable to call back application. Files missing in deployment" or "Awarding download has been interrupted, check for network errors and endeavor again later"

This message indicates that one or more than files being referenced by the ClickOnce manifests cannot be downloaded. The easiest manner to debug this fault is to attempt to download the URL that ClickOnce says it cannot download. Here are some possible causes:

  • If the log file says "(403) Forbidden" or "(404) Not plant," verify that the Spider web server is configured so that it does non block download of this file. For more information, run into Server and Customer Configuration Issues in ClickOnce Deployments.

  • If the .config file is existence blocked by the server, see the section "Download fault when you try to install a ClickOnce awarding that has a .config file" subsequently in this article.

  • Decide whether this error occurred because the deploymentProvider URL in the deployment manifest is pointing to a different location than the URL used for activation.

  • Ensure that all files are nowadays on the server; the ClickOnce log should tell you lot which file was not found.

  • Come across whether at that place are network connectivity issues; you can receive this message if your client figurer went offline during the download.

Download error when y'all endeavor to install a ClickOnce application that has a .config file

By default, a Visual Basic Windows-based application includes an App.config file. There will be a problem when a user tries to install from a Web server that uses Windows Server 2003, because that operating system blocks the installation of .config files for security reasons. To enable the .config file to be installed, click Utilise ".deploy" file extension in the Publish Options dialog box.

Yous also must set the content types (also known as MIME types) appropriately for .application, .manifest, and .deploy files. For more than data, see your Spider web server documentation.

For more than information, see "Windows Server 2003: Locked-Downwards Content Types" in Server and client configuration issues in ClickOnce deployments.

Error message: "Application is improperly formatted;" Log file contains "XML signature is invalid"

Ensure that you updated the manifest file and signed it again. Republish your awarding by using Visual Studio or use Mage to sign the application again.

Y'all updated your application on the server, but the client does not download the update

This trouble might be solved by completing one of the following tasks:

  • Examine the deploymentProvider URL in the deployment manifest. Ensure that you are updating the bits in the same location that deploymentProvider points to.

  • Verify the update interval in the deployment manifest. If this interval is set to a periodic interval, such as i time every half dozen hours, ClickOnce will non scan for an update until this interval has passed. Y'all can change the manifest to scan for an update every time that the application starts. Changing the update interval is a convenient choice during development fourth dimension to verify updates are being installed, but information technology slows downwards application activation.

  • Try starting the application again on the Start carte du jour. ClickOnce may accept detected the update in the background, only will prompt yous to install the $.25 on the next activation.

During update you receive an error that has the following log entry: "The reference in the deployment does non match the identity defined in the awarding manifest"

This error may occur because you lot have manually edited the deployment and application manifests, and accept caused the clarification of the identity of an assembly in ane manifest to become out of sync with the other. The identity of an associates consists of its name, version, civilization, and public key token. Examine the identity descriptions in your manifests, and right whatsoever differences.

First fourth dimension activation from local disk or CD-ROM succeeds, merely subsequent activation from Start Carte does not succeed

ClickOnce uses the Deployment Provider URL to receive updates for the application. Verify that the location that the URL is pointing to is correct.

Fault: "Cannot outset the application"

This mistake bulletin unremarkably indicates that there is a problem installing this awarding into the ClickOnce store. Either the application has an error or the store is corrupted. The log file might tell y'all where the error occurred.

Yous should do the post-obit:

  • Verify that the identity of the deployment manifest, identity of application manifest, and identity of the main awarding EXE are all unique.

  • Verify that your file paths are not longer than 100 characters. If your application contains file paths that are as well long, you lot may exceed the limitations on the maximum path y'all tin store. Try shortening the paths and reinstall.

PrivatePath settings in application config file are not honored

To use PrivatePath (Fusion probing paths), the application must request total trust permission. Try changing the awarding manifest to request full trust, and and so try over again.

During uninstall a message appears saying, "Failed to uninstall awarding"

This message usually indicates that the application has already been removed or the store is corrupted. Afterward yous click OK, the Add together/Remove Programme entry will exist removed.

During installation, a message appears that says that the platform dependencies are not installed

You are missing a prerequisite in the GAC (global associates cache) that the application needs in order to run.

Publishing with Visual Studio

Publishing in Visual Studio fails

Ensure that you accept the right to publish to the server that you are targeting. For example, if you are logged in to a final server calculator as an ordinary user, non as an administrator, you probably will not have the rights required to publish to the local Web server.

If y'all are publishing with a URL, ensure that the destination computer has FrontPage Server Extensions enabled.

Error message: Unable to create the Web site '<site>'. The components for communicating with FrontPage Server Extensions are not installed.

Ensure that you accept the Microsoft Visual Studio Web Authoring Component installed on the auto that you are publishing from. For Express users, this component is non installed by default.

Error bulletin: Could not find file 'Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls, Version=vi.0.0.0, Culture=*, PublicKeyToken=6595b64144ccf1df, ProcessorArchitecture=*, Type=win32'

This fault bulletin appears when y'all attempt to publish a WPF application with visual styles enabled. To resolve this issue, see How to: Publish a WPF Application with Visual Styles Enabled.

Using Mage

You tried to sign with a certificate in your certificate store and a received blank message box

In the Signing dialog box, you must:

  • Select Sign with a stored document, and

  • Select a certificate from the listing; the get-go certificate is not the default selection.

Clicking the "Don't Sign" button causes an exception

This issue is a known issues. All ClickOnce manifests are required to be signed. Just select i of the signing options, then click OK.

Additional errors

The following table shows some common error messages that a client-estimator user may receive when the user installs a ClickOnce application. Each error message is listed side by side to a description of the most likely crusade for the error.

Fault message Clarification
Awarding cannot be started. Contact the application publisher.

Cannot start the application. Contact the application vendor for assist.

 These are generic error messages that occur when the application cannot be started, and no other specific reason can exist found. Frequently this means that the application is somehow corrupted, or that the ClickOnce store is corrupted.
Cannot continue. The application is improperly formatted. Contact the application publisher for assist.

Application validation did non succeed. Unable to go along.

Unable to retrieve application files. Files decadent in deployment.

 One of the manifest files in the deployment is syntactically not valid, or contains a hash that cannot be reconciled with the corresponding file. This error may also point that the manifest embedded inside an assembly is corrupted. Copy your deployment and recompile your application, or find and set up the errors manually in your manifests.
Cannot retrieve application. Hallmark mistake.

Application installation did not succeed. Cannot locate applications files on the server. Contact the awarding publisher or your administrator for assistance.

 One or more files in the deployment cannot exist downloaded considering you practise not have permission to access them. This can be caused by a 403 Forbidden mistake being returned by a Web server, which may occur if one of the files in your deployment ends with an extension that makes the Web server care for it as a protected file. Likewise, a directory that contains 1 or more of the awarding'due south files might crave a username and password in order to access.
Cannot download the awarding. The application is missing required files. Contact the awarding vendor or your system administrator for assistance. I or more of the files listed in the application manifest cannot exist plant on the server. Check that y'all have uploaded all the deployment'due south dependent files, and try again.
Application download did not succeed. Check your network connection, or contact your arrangement administrator or network service provider. ClickOnce cannot establish a network connexion to the server. Examine the server's availability and the land of your network.
URLDownloadToCacheFile failed with HRESULT '<number>'. An error occurred trying to download '<file>'. If a user has set Net Explorer Avant-garde Security selection "Warn if irresolute between secure and not secure mode" on the deployment target calculator, and if the setup URL of the ClickOnce application being installed is redirected from a non-secure to a secure site (or vice-versa), the installation volition fail considering the Cyberspace Explorer alarm interrupts it.

To resolve this error, you tin do one of the following tasks:

- Clear the security choice.
- Brand sure the setup URL is not redirected in such a fashion that changes security modes.
- Remove the redirection completely and point to the actual setup URL.
An error has occurred writing to the hard disk drive. There might be insufficient infinite available on the disk. Contact the awarding vendor or your arrangement ambassador for assist. This may indicate bereft disk space for storing the awarding, merely it may too indicate a more general I/O fault when you are trying to save the awarding files to the drive.
Cannot start the awarding. There is non enough bachelor infinite on the deejay. The hard disk is total. Clear off space and try to run the application again.
Likewise many deployed activations are attempting to load at once. ClickOnce limits the number of different applications that can showtime at the same time. This is largely to assist protect confronting malicious attempts to instigate denial-of-service attacks against the local ClickOnce service; users who try to start the same application repeatedly, in rapid succession, will only end upwards with a single example of the application.
Shortcuts cannot be activated over the network. Shortcuts to a ClickOnce application can simply be started on the local hard deejay. They cannot be started by opening a URL that points to a shortcut file on a remote server.
The application is likewise big to run online in partial trust. Contact the application vendor or your system ambassador for assistance. An application that runs in partial trust cannot be larger than half of the size of the online application quota, which by default is 250 MB.

Meet also

  • ClickOnce security and deployment
  • Troubleshoot ClickOnce deployments
  • Visual Studio troubleshooting