QGIS crashes when file save/load dialog box opens

[levandosky1]

QGIS crashes every time I try to do anything that causes a file dialog box to open. For example:

• Project -> Save As
• Layer -> Add Layer -> Add Vector Layer, then click on ...
  (However I am able to load layers by dragging and dropping.)
  Using QGIS 3.10 (this also happens with 3.12). This began happening after upgrading to 3.10 from 3.7.

Crash Report:

Crash ID: 2deaee67c1cd102ef18258522b304e59bdc56994

Stack Trace

RtlpFreeHeapInternal :
RtlFreeHeap :
free :
DllUnregisterServer :
DllUnregisterServer :
CServerContextActivator::CreateInstance actvator.cxx:877
ActivationPropertiesIn::DelegateCreateInstance actprops.cxx:1970
CApartmentActivator::CreateInstance actvator.cxx:2185
CProcessActivator::CCICallback actvator.cxx:1636
CProcessActivator::AttemptActivation actvator.cxx:1523
CProcessActivator::ActivateByContext actvator.cxx:1367
CProcessActivator::CreateInstance actvator.cxx:1267
ActivationPropertiesIn::DelegateCreateInstance actprops.cxx:1970
CClientContextActivator::CreateInstance actvator.cxx:566
ActivationPropertiesIn::DelegateCreateInstance actprops.cxx:1970
ICoCreateInstanceEx objact.cxx:2211
CComActivator::DoCreateInstance immact.hxx:386
CoCreateInstance actapi.cxx:121
_SHCoCreateInstance :
DCA_SHExtCoCreateInstance :
CreateAndCacheIconOverlay :
CFSIconOverlayManager::GetOverlayIconInformation :
CFSIconOverlayManager::LoadIconOverlayIdentifiers :
CFSIconOverlayManager::_s_LoadIconOverlayIdentifiers :
CFSIconOverlayManager::LoadNonloadedOverlayIdentifiers :
EnableExternalOverlayIdentifiers :
CFSIconOverlayManager::RefreshOverlayImages :
GetIconOverlayManagerImpl :
CFSFolder::_GetOverlayInfo :
CRegFolder::_GetOverlayInfo :
CRegFolder::GetOverlayIndex :
CNscOverlayTask::_Extract :
CNscOverlayTask::InternalResumeRT :
CRunnableTask::Run :
CShellTask::TT_Run :
CShellTaskThread::ThreadProc :
CShellTaskThread::s_ThreadProc :
ExecuteWorkItemThreadProc :
RtlpTpWorkCallback :
TppWorkerThread :
BaseThreadInitThunk :
RtlUserThreadStart :

QGIS Info
QGIS Version: 3.10.3-A Coru�a
QGIS code revision: 0e1f846
Compiled against Qt: 5.11.2
Running against Qt: 5.11.2
Compiled against GDAL: 3.0.4
Running against GDAL: 3.0.4

System Info
CPU Type: x86_64
Kernel Type: winnt
Kernel Version: 10.0.18362

[gioman]

@levandosky1 please try with a new QGIS profile, no 3rd pary plugins installed.

[levandosky1]

Not sure I understand. Do you mean reinstall QGIS differently? What are 3rd party plugins?

[gioman]

Do you mean reinstall QGIS differently?

@levandosky1 no, just do

settings > user profiles > new profile

and test if you get the same crash with the new profile. But after creating the new profile do not install any plugin with the QGIS Plugin Manager (or manually).

[levandosky1]

I created a new profile and still get the same crash when I try to Open or Save As, as soon as the file dialog opens,

[gioman]

I created a new profile and still get the same crash when I try to Open or Save As, as soon as the file dialog opens,

@levandosky1 too bad, sometimes this crashes are caused by bad plugins or legacy config files. Anyway this does not seems a general issue... and is likely to be a local one. If you installed QGIS with the standalone installer you may want to try the OSGeo4W and see of it makes any difference.

[levandosky1]

I've tried it with both installers. Any advice on how to clean up old files left over from previous installs and start over?

[yuhui-maker]

Have the questions been resovled?
the same questions i meet,when i open the borwer panel to select a file or open the projection properties|crs dialog,but you can't do anything, click on....it crack...i have tried the version 3.10 and 3.4.

[gioman]

Have the questions been resovled?

@yuhui-maker it is not a general QGIS issue, of course. Try the same suggestion that was given here: #34891 (comment)

[levandosky1]

Still not resolved. I tried going back to version 3.8.3 and the same thing happens.

[nirvn]

I've seen this stack trace before, and I'm not sure it's a problem on the QGIS side of things. It's either an upstream Qt issue, or maybe as likely (if not more) a 3rd party app installed on windows that doesn't properly register extensions to the shell file dialog.

I've discussed this in the past with @nyalldawson . One workaround would be for QGIS to have an advanced option sonewhere to force use the Qt file dialog (instead of the native one provided by windows) for users victim of this crash which we can't fix on our end.

[DeerCreekFan]

@nirvn Thanks for the input nirvn. I was having a similar issue (#34800). Could you possibly describe what an upstream Qt issue would be? Or also, if a 3rd party app is interfering with 3.12, is there a way I could figure out which program it is? I would start removing programs one at a time, but I am on a shared work computer so I can not easily do that without stepping on some toes.

Many thanks for your time and understanding :)

[roya0045]

@DeerCreekFan do you know of anything that could alter or use windows shell?

[roya0045]

@nirvn this seems to be a possible confirmation that an alternative might be needed #29389 (comment)

[roya0045]

@nirvn the variable Qt::AA_DontUseNativeDialogs might be worth a try to see if builds with that solve the crash. I would guess that someone could quickly make an artefact for testing, or if anyone knows where to use this variable I can build the artefact.

[DeerCreekFan]

Hey @roya0045 , Sorry I don't have much knowledge of which programs might alter or use windows shell. If there was some search I could do or list of programs to look at I could try, but I am kinda basic when it comes to computers at that level.

[DeerCreekFan]

I just saw the other post for #29389 (comment) I will look into ShellEXVeiwer.

[roya0045]

@DeerCreekFan can you test and see if https://github.com/roya0045/QGIS_1/actions/runs/69009799 this version causes any crash?

[roya0045]

@smkraushaar @levandosky1 @AAronsson19 could you also test the build posted above to see if that change solves your problem?

[DeerCreekFan]

Thanks @roya0045 , I am downloading the version you linked to now to try it. If that doesn't do the trick I was thinking of trying Shellexview, but know little of the program. From what I have read it seems safe, but was not sure if it works well with windows 10. Any feed back on it?

[roya0045]

@DeerCreekFan I would suggest trying the artefact first to see if using non-native windows will solve this issue in QGIS. If so we'll be able to add some variable to enable or disable that behavior. Otherwise if there is a solution it might be harder to find.

[DeerCreekFan]

@roya0045, slight issue. I am not sure how to use the file. Unzip and open? I unzipped, but Norton went berserk and has been removing files, indicating they are not safe. I am not sure how to proceed.

[roya0045]

@DeerCreekFan the zip contains another zip, in the second zip you have a folder containing QGIS (but without python support). Simply activate qgis.exe windows might throw an alert due to an unsigned executable, just click show more and accept.

This is basically an somewhat outdated master qgis with a new line of code to force QT to use its own interface. This is as safe as qgis itself.

[DeerCreekFan]

@roya0045 , copy that. I unzipped to get a file titled "qgis-mxe-release". There was no install or anything. I opened file to try and run the application, but it indicated it could not run because a file, sorry did not catch the name, had been removed. Thinking that all the files Norton removed when I unzipped it might have messed it up. I can try to download again, but am guessing Norton will delete files again. I can see if my supervisor will let me temporarily disable Norton, but that will have to be next week... Covid-19 :(

[roya0045]

@DeerCreekFan No hurries, I just need someone with this problem to see if this solution fixes the issue.

[gioman]

copy that. I unzipped to get a file titled "qgis-mxe-release". There was no install or anything. I opened file to try and run the application, but it indicated it could not run because a file, sorry did not catch the name, had been removed. Thinking that all the files Norton removed when I unzipped it might have messed it up. I can try to download again, but am guessing Norton will delete files again. I can see if my supervisor will let me temporarily disable Norton, but that will have to be next week... Covid-19 :(

@DeerCreekFan maybe the norton AV is your problem in the first place :)

[DeerCreekFan]

@roya0045 and @gioman Yeah, I am not the biggest fan of Norton. I used ShellExView, and found two related files that were causing the problem. I could still try the other file next week. But if it helps at all the files that were causing the problem were
DBROverlayIconBackuped.dll (Product name Dell Backup and Recovery Solutions, Company Softthinks SAS) and
DBROverlayIconNotBackUped.dll (Product Name DBROverlayIconNotBackuped, Company Softthinks SAS)

Oddly enough, the other file in that group (DBRShellExtension.dll) seems to have no effect on Qgis if left enabled... at least not yet :) Does any of that help the greater good?

Thanks for your help so far!

[roya0045]

@DeerCreekFan This is a good start, though I would think that knowing if the proposed fix helps. This way we might be able to provide a broader solution as source of problems might be specific to each user.

Otherwise knowing that shellexviewer is a good solution to debug this is a good confirmation for more technically inclined users.

[roya0045]

Any luck on testing the fix?

[AAronsson19]

I haven't been able to try the fix as we are in the process of upgrading our IT at work. Anyway, we are pretty sure that it is the antivirus (McAfee) that is causing the crash here, but still investigating.

[DeerCreekFan]

Sorry, My supervisor is out again this week. I will test the fix as once I can prevent Norton from deleting the files.

[roya0045]

I'm not sure how long the artefact will remain available as building mxe is becoming an issue I would like if someone with that issue could test the build to see if that solves the crash.

[roya0045]

Still valid with qt 5.15?

[AAronsson19]

I no longer experience crashes with QGIS. I am currently using QGIS 3.10

[gioman]

Closing as not a general issue.