Error loading action list - The system cannot find the file specified

[andrewp]

Using old version 6.1 on an XP (yes) build machine.
Getting "Error loading action list. The system cannot find the file specified" repeatedly, as the entire "Actions" node of the Kinook Software\Visual Build Professional 6\ node in the registry is erased.
At moment, this seems to happen on an unregister dlls step (though not always) -> Error initializing action's custom UI compoments : The system cannot find the file specified.
Closing and re-opening gives message... system cannot find the file specified.
Have only just tried registering this re > 50 steps.

re-running setup program restores the registry, but the error occurs again if more than a few steps are run at once.


Any clues? Company I work for won't pay for an upgrade, and updated versions of 6x aren't available.

[kinook]

Sounds like something in your build process (or maybe some other program or script that's being executed) is unregistering the actions or deleting that registry key.

[andrewp]

I'm not unregistering anything else deliberately. The unregister step isn't always the step that causes the problem, and it's set to only include one file (e.g. PPTUL904.dll) non-recursive on a directory specified in a macro (def. different path to kinook). No deliberate registry delete is in the script.
The script is designed to build each vbp individually, getting files, checking out, running a script to alter the .vbp file re name of project (which, due to company requirements, is changed every build). Existing dll is unregistered, new dll is built over it using standard build step (no compatibility). The dll is then registered and used in the next step.
I can restore the registry hive using a reg file, but not being able to complete the build is very frustrating.
I'm checking through the script at the moment, but havent' found anything obvious yet.
So, do you think it might be a Visual Build Pro registration issue (i registered via the help file with 2 instances open by mistake). I can get it to build (before it refused re > 50 steps). Or am i clutching at straws

[kinook]

I don't know. Visual Build itself would not unregister the actions or delete that registry key on its own.