Windows 11 security issue.

[jimg]

I recently upgraded my desktop to new hardware which included a fresh Windows 11 install.  I can still run my many AutoIt .exe scripts, but if I try to open an .au3 file with SciTE, I get a momentary flash of the editor, and it closes.  No obvious security notifications from Windows.

If I try to run an example from the help file, I get a box only identified as "Help" stating that "Some content of this document has been blocked for your safety.  Do you wish to view blocked content?".  Clicking yes results in the same momentary flash of SciTE window, then nothing.  No visible history in the Windows Security  record.

If I open the SciTE editor, it opens, but when I copy an example program from the help file to the editor, it immediately closes, not even letting me glimpse the content.

Did I miss a warning somewhere along the line?  The AutoIT3 stuff was installed from the latest distribution a few weeks ago.

[jimg]

I might add that my new hardware is a Xeon W2500 workstation, which might have some built-in protections for the "core".

[argumentum]

1 hour ago, jimg said:

my new hardware is a

The hardware is not relevant. How windows uploads and treats everything as a threat is.

I only use wetware for viruses. No software, but that's me 🙃

Maybe it'll get faster with time. Else add excludes. Else, welcome to the future

Edited yesterday at 02:25 AM by argumentum
English

[argumentum]

1 hour ago, jimg said:

but if I try to open an .au3 file with SciTE, I get a momentary flash of the editor, and it closes.

oh, ok. Note to self: pay attention

Update the https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170#latest-supported-redistributable-version files. Do both, x64 and x86 😅

[jimg]

I don't understand what my problem has to do with Visual C++. or Visual Studio.

I only mentioned the Xeon W2500 because Settings includes new (to me) device security settings like "Core Isolation" and also TPM.  I've tried switching aas many things as I can find off without helping.

For now, I'll simply RDP into my old computer to update scripts, but I'll get tired of that soon enough.

[argumentum]

Can you open SciTE  and edit scripts with it ?

[jimg]

I can open the editor to a blank page, and if I type any character it closes immediately.  If I try to open an existing .au3 file, it allows me to navigate to a file, but closes as soon as I  pick the file.  No messages or notifications.

I tried the full editor, and it won't install because "you need to have the production version of AutoIt3 installed" which IS installed.

 

[Jos]

21 minutes ago, jimg said:

I tried the full editor, and it won't install because "you need to have the production version of AutoIt3 installed" which IS installed.

Doubt it is installed in the standard way with the installer.
You probably got the message:
 

Quote

This installer requires the AutoIt3 production release to be installed first.

Which is shown by the installer when this registry entry is missing: HKLM "Software\AutoIt v3\AutoIt" "InstallDir"

When SciTE closes I can only assume it is either being killed ofr having a hardcrash ...   but would require some more details from systemlog about the hardcrash to verify.

 

[jimg]

I installed the package by running autoit-v3-setup.exe freshly downloaded with all the default settings.  After verifying it still fails to edit, I ran SciTE4AutoIt3.exe freshly downloaded and got the "production..." message.

My registry has no AutoIt folder under HKLM/Software

Maybe I'm running low on braincells.

[Jos]

Are you running the installer on an account that doesnt have installer rights and have to specify another account to install it?

mmm..   🤔guess that can't be the reason as the reg key is HKLM...

Edited yesterday at 02:12 PM by Jos

[jimg]

I'm running the installs from the only user of system.  It is a local account and is an administrator.

[Jos]

Then I've no idea why those reg entires are missing.
The NSIS installer includes the steps to create them, so expect them to be there.
 

[jimg]

I do get a collection of seventeen "information" level log entries at the time I do the install of the production version in:  

C:\Windows\Logs\waasmedic

and they all have an error code of 15003, which Google says are related to Windows update.  No Event ID, and payload is different for each one.

[argumentum]

10 hours ago, jimg said:

I don't understand what my problem has to do with Visual C++. or Visual Studio.

if running the VC distributable fix it, then that was that. Is not going to brake anything updating.

Since you're chatting with the developer ( Jos ), I'll step out of the thread.

[jimg]

The VC Redistributable had no impact.  I did have to re-install autoit afterwards.

[jimg]

OK.  I clearednt all my Event Viewer logs, and found the following:

Re-installing autoit-v3-setup.exe ran without errors and produced no events.

Attempting to open a .au3 file (above install set to edit by default) by selecting am .au3 file produced one Application Error:

General:

Faulting application name: SciTE.exe, version: 5.5.6.0, time stamp: 0x68bd45f1
Faulting module name: MSVCP140.dll, version: 14.34.31931.0, time stamp: 0x0ef31724
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00015443
Faulting process id: 0x2E20
Faulting application start time: 0x1DC91698B734A41
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3\SciTE\SciTE.exe
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\MSVCP140.dll
Report Id: 658dc7aa-c4c1-4be0-851a-0e65d9568b2b
Faulting package full name: 
Faulting package-relative application ID: 

Detail:

-

System

- Provider       [ Name] Application Error       [ Guid] {a0e9b465-b939-57d7-b27d-95d8e925ff57}

EventID 1000

Version 0

Level 2

Task 100

Opcode 0

Keywords 0x8000000000000000

- TimeCreated       [ SystemTime] 2026-01-29T21:52:21.5469687Z

EventRecordID 12372

Correlation

- Execution       [ ProcessID] 924       [ ThreadID] 5492

Channel Application

Computer home2

- Security       [ UserID] S-1-5-21-2998666479-1431582313-2040197521-1001

-

EventData

AppName

SciTE.exe

AppVersion

5.5.6.0

AppTimeStamp

68bd45f1

ModuleName

MSVCP140.dll

ModuleVersion

14.34.31931.0

ModuleTimeStamp

0ef31724

ExceptionCode

c0000005

FaultingOffset

00015443

ProcessId

0x2e20

ProcessCreationTime

0x1dc91698b734a41

AppPath

C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3\SciTE\SciTE.exe

ModulePath

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\MSVCP140.dll

IntegratorReportId

658dc7aa-c4c1-4be0-851a-0e65d9568b2b

PackageFullName

PackageRelativeAppId

 

I then tried installing SciTE4AutoIt3.exe and it proceeded normally.  I'm now allowed to edit in that editor.  I can't explain what's going on, but it's working for  now.

[donnyh13]

15 hours ago, jimg said:

MSVCP140.dll

Though you've touched it already. That's why @argumentum suggested updating the VC Redistributable, I myself ran into a very similar error to you (same MSVCP140.dll, and crashing on typing ANYTHING in Scite (plus a bad visual problem)), and it was fixed by installing the latest ms VC redist.

Not sure why updating it didn't solve your issue though. Perhaps a multi-factor problem.

Glad you got it working.