Application Error: The instruction at... The memory could not be read.

Hello,

I just installed GPG4WIN on Windows 10 Pro x64. Verified using checksum and openpgp signature. Latest gpg4win version - 3.1.15. When I exit Kleopatra I get following error. It happened twice now. I include picture with exact error message!

Thanks for help.

kleopatra error.png

Hi Josef,

so far I’ve never seen this sort of problem.
Are there any other problems on your machine?

(Years ago, it could happen that memory corrupted, also malware or some other defect on the hardware ↔ operating system layer could cause this.)

If if only happens when you close Kleopatra and everything else works.
(And you do not have any finding with microsoft defender or so).
I’d say the best way is to wait until there are more reports about this,
to see a pattern.

Best Regards,
Bernhard

I too can confirm noticing similar memory related messages using kleopatra before the whole thing stopped working altogether (seemingly related to Windows smart screen). Please see this topic: https://forum.gnupg.org/t/windows-smart-screen-blocks-kleopatra-gnupg-command-line-functionality/3677

Not sure if a recent Windows update has anything to do with it because the 3.1.15 version just fine the last time it was a run about a month or so back.

I too can confirm noticing similar memory related messages using kleopatra before the whole thing stopped working altogether (seemingly related to Windows smart screen). Please see this topic: https://forum.gnupg.org/t/windows-smart-screen-blocks-kleopatra-gnupg-command-line-functionality/3677

Not sure if a recent Windows update has anything to do with it because the 3.1.15 version worked just fine the last time it was a run about a month or so back.

Hi BRAC,
are you getting the very same message?

Best,
Bernhard

Hi Bernhard

Yes it was the same message about memory reference but I’m not sure if the number string was the same. Can’t reproduce the error now that it won’t let me past the “Startup failed” dialog (as mentioned in my other topic).

I Am plagued by most ridiculous bugs. Clean system, no errors both (sfc/dism), no Event Viewer errors. Hardware should be fine, nowhere else I have this problem. I use Bitdefender, didn’t have any detections long time! I restored from backup and this error is gone. But Kleopatra wasn’t starting LOL, now it does for whatever reasons…

Oh no It was too soon to tell. Again I get this error when I close Kleopatra.

Hi Josef,

it is kind of strange. Sorry to read that you are having problems.
So we need to find a way to get more infos.

Maybe we need to find out which instruction is causing the problem in the first place, unfortunately this may have to be done with debugging tools.
We should try to exclude that the files were manipulated, can you compute checksums?

Taking your screenshot and typing in the numbers:

“The instuction at 0x000000007266CCE0 referenced memory at 0x00000000756DD488. The memory could not be read.”

The generally seems to mean an problem that code tries to access some parts which it shouldn’t. See some hints for this access to a zero pointer or so:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/38743615/how-to-diagnose-the-instruction-at-0x-referenced-memory-at-0x00000000

However if this was a general problem with Gpg4win, we’d probably had more reports, so there must be additional factors triggering this.

Regards,
Bernhard

I verified checksum before install, both in digital signatures and using Power Shell. Now I verified using PGP signature, it said it verified exe, but couldn’t verify 2 signatures. That’s normal right, because you would also have to verify public key. It would say some error, if signature didn’t match exe and public key signature, no? I scanned it also with Bitdefender. I imported 2 keys from keyserver, one public key to verify signature (intevation key, has same ID), and second - no idea for what it was.

I also noticed a new problem: Kleopatra isn’t starting and there is only white window. It just started, but now it doesn’t LOL. I wanted to make screenshot: if it will show same error after exit. Also it doesn’t give this error every time I exit! After I got error when closing Kleopatra, on next exit: Kleopatra wasn’t launching and there was white screen inside its Window. Now after restart it launches and no error when exit - I tried 2 times.

If I didn’t see no errors anywhere else like this. No issues with RAM.

klepatra error 1.png

Josef,

yes, this is indeed very strange. Again I haven’t heard of anything like this before.
(And if this would affect many users, we would have heard much more about it. So there must be a factor that is not found often. Some sort of corruption.)

As for the integrity of the installer: It indeed is enough to use one verification method.
What I am thinking of is corruption oder interference after installation, so on disk
or memory. I have no better idea. But if there are no other symptoms (in other applications or the
operating system itself) and you are not running any strange software, I don’t know what the additional factors are. If it is easy for you to do, you could try to boot from a rescue antivirus media and check the filesystem, but this is just a shot in the blue.

Regards,
Bernhard

Just an update on the memory reference error. I just had the error pop up again upon exiting Kleopatra as mentioned by the OP. Clearly something’s not in order with the behaviour of the latest version of Gpg4Win. Maybe It’s a conflict with a recent Windows update because it’s specific to kleopatra.

Screenshot attached

Screenshot 2021-04-03 15-21-47.png

Are you saying that with an elder version of Gpg4win you are not seeing this problem at all?
(Only run revision version of Gpg4win if this fits your security needs as they may lack important improvements.)

Regards,
Bernhard