Autoit v3.3.18 release includes Scite.exe that crashes

[RangerX]

I installed new AutoIT release 3.3.18. I'm on Windows 10 x64 with latest patches. I do not have VSC.

When I run the Scite.exe included with the AutoIT 3.3.18 installer It opens, but when I click on any menu item or try to type it hangs then crashes.

What is really strange is that task manager shows when running Scite that the scite.exe is listed and also a child process Windows cmd Console. This is now how the Scite.exe included with 3.3.16 worked. I'm concerned that the new Schite.exe is malware.

I reviewed the Scite.exe in the 3.3.17.0 and 3.3.17.1 betas and see that is when this newer scite.exe began being included with autoit installer.

I saw on forum that in February 2025 a new beta rewrite of scrite.exe was released incorporating VSC, I installed that beta and it too fails.

Scite.exe version numbers: with autoit 3.3.18 v5.5.6, with autoit betats3.3.17.x v5.5.6, and with scrite beta (on forum) v 5.5.5.

So asking developers:

1, Why does scite v5.5.6 included with autoit 3.3.18 crash? 
2. Does the  scite v5.5.5 and 5.5.6 contain malware considering it odd it opens a Windows command console as a child process under scrite.exe?
3. If scite v5.5.6 is good and it's just my system doesn't meet requirements (such as VSC) what are the requirements and should you provide a version in installer for my system type?
4 In all cases, how do users who install portable version (which I normally do though for testing above I used the installer) get around this problem?

Thanks

 

 

[Jos]

19 minutes ago, RangerX said:

1, Why does scite v5.5.6 included with autoit 3.3.18 crash? 

Can't tell, as you haven't provided any details of the crash. People have reported crashes before, which mostly were resolved by removing/installing that latest version of some dll's

 

19 minutes ago, RangerX said:

2. Does the  scite v5.5.5 and 5.5.6 contain malware considering it odd it opens a Windows command console as a child process under scrite.exe?

This is the answer from ChatGPT:
 

Quote

any idea why my SciTE process is having a child conhost.exe process?

 

ChatGPT said:

Yes — that’s expected behavior on modern Windows (especially Windows 7 and later) and it’s not usually anything malicious. Here’s why it happens with SciTE:

---

📝 What conhost.exe is

• conhost.exe = Console Window Host.

• It’s a system process Microsoft introduced with Windows 7 to improve how console windows are drawn and to fix the old csrss.exe security issues.

• It basically sits between a console-based program and the Windows GUI to handle text input/output, copy-paste, window resizing, and themes.

---

💡 Why SciTE spawns conhost.exe

• SciTE itself is a GUI editor, but it often launches command-line tools (compilers, scripts, interpreters, etc.) in the background when you run or build something.

• When SciTE starts a console-mode process (like python.exe, gcc.exe, lua.exe, etc.), Windows automatically creates a conhost.exe instance to host that console process’s I/O.

• Even if no visible console window pops up, a hidden console still exists — and conhost.exe is needed for it.

So if you:

• Run Tools → Go or a build command in SciTE

• Or execute a script directly (like a .py or .lua file)

…you’ll almost always see a conhost.exe spawned as a child of SciTE.exe in Task Manager.

---

✅ Nothing to worry about

• Each console process SciTE starts can get its own conhost.exe.

• When the console process exits, its conhost.exe goes away too.

• If you see one lingering, it usually means some background console tool (compiler, linter, interpreter) hasn’t exited yet.

---

🔍 How to check what it’s attached to

If you’re curious which console process conhost.exe is hosting:

• Open Task Manager → Details → Right click conhost.exe → Go to Process Tree / Properties (Windows 11 makes this easier).

• Or use Process Explorer (Sysinternals). It shows the parent-child tree and the exact command line of the process the conhost.exe belongs to.

 

Quote

The listed commandline for conhost.exe is: \??\C:\WINDOWS\system32\conhost.exe 0x4

 

ChatGPT said:

Perfect — that command line tells us exactly what’s going on.

conhost.exe 0x4 is the “bare minimum” invocation Windows uses when it’s simply hosting a console for another process.

Let me break it down for you:

---

📝 Decoding \??\C:\WINDOWS\system32\conhost.exe 0x4

• \??\
  That’s the NT Object Manager prefix. It’s normal for low-level process listings (like Process Explorer or WMI). It just points to the actual path C:\Windows\System32\conhost.exe.

• conhost.exe 0x4
  The argument 0x4 is a handle passed to conhost by the kernel. It’s the internal reference to the console “session” object.
  You’ll often see different hex values (0x4, 0x5, 0x7, etc.). They don’t mean malware — they’re just per-console-instance handles.

This is the exact syntax Microsoft uses when conhost.exe is spawned automatically for a console process.

---

💡 Why SciTE triggers this

Even if SciTE is a GUI app, as soon as it launches a console-mode program (Python, Lua, clang, etc.), Windows starts conhost.exe with a handle like 0x4 to host the invisible console.
That’s why the command line looks so bare — it’s not an “extra” program you installed, it’s part of Windows.

---

✅ Safety check

• Location must be C:\Windows\System32\conhost.exe (yours is).

• The argument 0x4 is expected.

• Signature of the binary should be Microsoft Windows.

If all of the above matches, it’s completely legitimate.

 

So please provide the details on the crash to see if somebody else has reported that already and fixed it.
 

 

[wakillon]

I do not have any crashes but some long hangs 
I do not understand where the problem comes from
Despite a fresh installation of Windows 11x64, switching from one tab to another can take some few seconds
I have installed VSCodeUserSetup-x64-1.104.1.exe expecting an improvement but no really changes
Back to the 4.4.6

[Jos]

The beta full version of scite4autoit3 will have some extra delay depending on the number of scriptfiles in the current script directory and number of extra includes. This comes from the new dynamic autocomplete functionality. 

Edited Sunday at 05:17 PM by Jos

[wakillon]

Sorry Jos, It's my fault, I had installed version 5.5.5.
UEZ just told me about a version 5.5.6 that I didn't notice because there is no version indication (SciTEx86.zip).
Files replaced and it works correctly
Thanks

[mlibre2]

A few days ago I was also about to report the same error, I use SceTE-Lite and since I updated to 3.3.18.0 this detail appeared, the same thing happens in Windows 11 the application crashes

[argumentum]

8 hours ago, RangerX said:

When I run the Scite.exe included with the AutoIT 3.3.18 installer It opens, but when I click on any menu item or try to type it hangs then crashes.

39 minutes ago, mlibre2 said:

A few days ago I was also about to report the same error,

Am curious. I have installed the new v3.3.18.0 and can't duplicate the crash on SciTE-Lite. Any more info that could be shared would be good. 

[argumentum]

ok, build a VM, installed and couldn't even get the "About" menu screen without a crash. And had installed the VC redist thing. Yes it crashed hard.

Then went to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist , installed that newest version, and it fixed it.

[RangerX]

Thanks everyone for replying.

Yes, I too did more analysis as Jos wanted more crash details. WER showed error with MSVCP140.dll.

I installed newest distributable of MV C++ x64. Crash still occurred.
I installed newest distributable  of MS C++ x86. No more crash.

Apparently there is a prereq for new version of Scrite 5.5.x of C++. Maybe this should be documented on the download pages.

Follow up question for jos:

Is there any problem continuing to use Scrite v4.4.6 (that came with autoit 3.3.16) with new autoit 3.3.18 if I use the newer au3.keywords.properties that came with autoit 3.3.18. If no problem, should I also use the new api\au3.api that came with autoit 3.3.18 or use the older api\au3.api that came with 3.3.16? 

Thanks

[Jos]

Old SciTE (lite) versions will work too... it just is missing many changes/updates. 😉

[mLipok]

EDIT OFF TOPIC - sorry

Spoiler

How to use modify SciTEUser.properties 

to have the same effect like by adding:

Quote

#SciTE4AutoIt3_Dynamic_Include_Path=;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_Forum\mLipok;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_Forum\Other_Members;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_ML

I'm already trying:

Quote

openpath.$(au3)=$(SciteDefaultHome)\..\include;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_ML;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_Forum\Other_Members;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_Forum\mLipok

as so far no success.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 08:18 AM by mLipok

[mlibre2]

@argumentum @RangerX Indeed the app crashes without the x86 vc

It only crashes on VC++ x64

It was solved by installing vc++ x86.

 

[WildByDesign]

3 minutes ago, mlibre2 said:

Indeed the app crashes without the x86 vc

Maybe a check for that can be added to the installer

[argumentum]

17 minutes ago, WildByDesign said:

Maybe a check for that can be added to the installer

That'd be nice but is not part of the app but part of the OS. Therefore it can not be part of the installer
Maybe at a price of size, maybe, the dependencies can be compiled in the app depending on the tweaks used to make it AutoIt friendlier 🤔
I personally can only "C" it from afar, since I've never done anything in C. "No habla see"

[Jos]

8 hours ago, mLipok said:

How to use modify SciTEUser.properties 

to have the same effect like by adding:

I'm already trying:

as so far no success.

 

Not sure why this post is made in this thread, and confused on what the question is. 

 

[donnyh13]

2 hours ago, Jos said:

confused on what the question is

Try this

10 hours ago, mLipok said:

Is there an equivalent setting to set in SciTEUser.properties to have the same effect as adding #SciTE4AutoIt3_Dynamic_Include_Path= to the top of a script, e.g.:

Quote

#SciTE4AutoIt3_Dynamic_Include_Path=;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_Forum\mLipok;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_Forum\Other_Members;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_ML

I've already tried setting the following in SciTEUser.properties:

Quote

openpath.$(au3)=$(SciteDefaultHome)\..\include;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_ML;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_Forum\Other_Members;z:\!!!_SVN_AU3\UDF_Forum\mLipok

and so far no success.

 

Edited Tuesday at 07:36 PM by donnyh13

[argumentum]

1 hour ago, donnyh13 said:

Try this

Nope
He posted in the wrong thread, that's all  

[mLipok]

11 hours ago, argumentum said:

Nope
He posted in the wrong thread, that's all  

oops , my fault.

[mlibre2]

@Jon Knowing this, it would be a simple example for future versions.