PowerShell extension stuck at "Starting PowerShell.."

[compwiz32]

Issue Description

I am experiencing a problem with PowerShell extension. I have checked issue #752 and I am confident that the fixes in that bug report are applied.

The PowerShell extension hangs when the second terminal (PowerShell Integrated Console) starts. It never times out and it never crashes, it just stays stuck at "Starting PowerShell..."

I have noticed the issue on another PC in my org so I am wondering if it is an issue with our image build with our laptops but... I can't get anything to show in the logs, so I am stuck trying to figure out what is hanging the extension up.

I enabled diagnostic mode but it doesn't seem to have caught any additional info.

Attached Logs

Start-EditorServices-EditorServices.log
vscode-powershell.log
EditorServices.log

Environment Information

Visual Studio Code

1.29.1
bc24f98b5f70467bc689abf41cc5550ca637088e
x64

Name	Version
Operating System	Windows 10 1709
VSCode	1.29.1
PowerShell Extension Version	1.9.0

PowerShell Information

PS C:\Scripts\Git-Repo\PS-ADHeath> $psversiontable

Name Value

---

PSVersion 5.1.16299.666
PSEdition Desktop
PSCompatibleVersions {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}
BuildVersion 10.0.16299.666
CLRVersion 4.0.30319.42000
WSManStackVersion 3.0
PSRemotingProtocolVersion 2.3
SerializationVersion 1.1.0.1

Visual Studio Code Extensions

AlanWalk.markdown-toc@1.5.6
CoenraadS.bracket-pair-colorizer-2@0.0.25
formulahendry.code-runner@0.9.5
gerane.Theme-Blackboard@0.0.2
in4margaret.compareit@0.0.2
jprestidge.theme-material-theme@1.0.1
mdickin.markdown-shortcuts@0.9.0
ms-vscode.PowerShell@1.9.0
ms-vscode.wordcount@0.1.0
PKief.material-icon-theme@3.6.1
shd101wyy.markdown-preview-enhanced@0.3.11
streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker@1.6.10
yzane.markdown-pdf@1.2.0
yzhang.markdown-all-in-one@1.7.0

[rkeithhill]

Can you change the "powershell.developer.editorServicesLogLevel" setting to Diagnostic in your user settings and repro this again and attach that EditorServices.log file? That should provide a lot more detail during startup.

[compwiz32]

Hi @rkeithhill

I had enabled that prior to the first upload. I just went back through the logs and can't find anything that jumps out. I am going to attach two zips: the last two launches of VSCODE in case I am missing something really obvious.

{
    "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
    "window.zoomLevel": 0,
    "workbench.colorTheme": "Blackboard",
    "terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe",
    "powershell.powerShellExePath": "C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe",
    "files.associations": {
        "*.ps1": "powershell"
    },
    "powershell.enableProfileLoading": true,
    "editor.renderWhitespace": "none",
    "editor.renderControlCharacters": true,
    "files.trimTrailingWhitespace": true,
    "breadcrumbs.enabled": false,
    "powershell.integratedConsole.showOnStartup": false,
    "powershell.developer.editorServicesLogLevel": "Diagnostic"

}

1543850094-c1b1601a-e9ac-4afd-afe2-46fa771a60f31543850083161.zip
1543854564-4b234fa9-b485-4a84-af31-946de20c890b1543854525112.zip

[rkeithhill]

Doh! Not much of anything to go on there. Can you check the EventViewer on Windows. See if there is any error related to PowerShell in the Application log around the time it crashes/terminates. If you see nothing there, check the Windows PowerShell log here:

[compwiz32]

I'll check now... the problem is that I don't think the extension ever crashes. it just sits at starting PowerShell, the only real issue I have noticed is not being about to debug.

Looking at Event Viewer now...

[compwiz32]

nothing in the logs other informational stuff. :( Frustrating how little I have to go on here.

[SydneyhSmith]

@compwiz32 Is the device you are using, restricted or locked down in anyway, for example with Group Policy?
We are also releasing a new version of the extension this week, lets see if that helps this problem at all

[compwiz32]

@SydneyhSmith My hunch going into opening this thread was that, yes, my issue is environment specific. Yes, I have a decent amount of GPO's and defense industry lock-downs (but not too bad). I am cool waiting for the next version.

However, I am frustrated that I can't seem to generate an error that would point me in the direction of where the error may lie. Other than switching from diagnostic to verbose logging, anything else I could try to possibly highlight where my issue may be?

[rjmholt]

If you're able to edit the Start-EditorServices.ps1 script (should be at $HOME\.vscode\extensions\ms-vscode.powershell-1.9.0\modules\PowerShellEditorServices\Start-EditorServices.ps1) you might be able to put $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop' at the top. That script imports the PowerShellEditorServices module, uses Add-Type to bring in the required DLLs for the platform, and calls the entry API to start EditorServices within the PowerShell process it starts up. You can find all those bits here.

If you can see any other possibilities for logging in Start-EditorServices.ps1, let us know as well.

I've seen one or two of these mysterious failures now, where I'm really not sure what's causing the issue. The fundamental problem is that we have a client/server architecture, so when the server doesn't reply, the client doesn't know what's failed.

[rjmholt]

Another thought I've had: it may end up that the script is not "failing" just blocked forever on something. If so, it might be possible to put a Wait-Debugger in the top of the script and then step through one line at a time in the Integrated Console with s.

[SeeminglyScience]

@compwiz32

This looks sort of similar to when something is blocking nodepty.exe. Are you able to specify which anti-virus you are using? I know someone reported needing to white list it within McAfee, though that may have been an internal rule set.

[TheoNordstrom]

I do have same problem with PowerShell Extension in VSCode. At first, the editor would not start because it could not find 'api-ms-win-core-sysinfo-l1-2-0.dll' - I found a workaround - see #1633

If a debug session run until end of script, the debugger will not start on 2nd run. If I break and stop the debug session, then a 2nd debug session works fine.
The problem starts this morning after reload of vscode to
Version: 1.29.1 (system setup)
Commit: bc24f98b5f70467bc689abf41cc5550ca637088e
Date: 2018-11-15T19:13:36.375Z
Electron: 2.0.12
Chrome: 61.0.3163.100
Node.js: 8.9.3
V8: 6.1.534.41
Architecture: x64

[TheoNordstrom]

I have tried the Debug open new session as mentioned above.
I get the error:
12/6/2018 11:23:33 AM [ERROR] - The language service could not be started:
12/6/2018 11:23:33 AM [ERROR] - Timed out waiting for session file to appear.

• same error as reported in EditorServices.log in 'Unable to load DLL' exception on extension start #1633

[darkocobe]

I have exactly same problem since 1.10 update. Didn't had this problem before. Did you already found any solution/workaround or we need to wait until next release?

[TylerLeonhardt]

Can everyone here try this workaround:
#1633 (comment)

[rjmholt]

See #1633 (comment) for the DLL to download