This application has requested the runtime to terminate it in an unusual way


Problem

This technote identifies an error that can occur when starting IBM Rational ClearQuest, "This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way."

Symptom

When you try to start the ClearQuest client, it crashes with this error message:

Runtime Error!

Program: <path>\clearquest.exe

This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way.

Please contact the application's support team for more information.

Cause

This is usually a permissions issue. The user is missing the right permissions either to write to the registry, the drive, or the temp and Clearquest home directory.

Resolving The Problem

  • On a Microsoft Windows 2008 or Windows 7 system, try running the application as administrator. Right click the launch icon and select Run As Administrator.
  • For earlier versions of Windows, check that the user has permission to write on the drive where ClearQuest is installed.
  • If that is not the issue, change the Start In directory listed in the properties of the ClearQuest icon. Change the property to a directory where your user account has write privilege.
  • You may also try to change the permissions for the Windows login. The user specifically has to have "modify" permission for the Windows login user or group. The original "Out Of The Box" permissions give the local Users group read and execute.

[{"Product":{"code":"SSSH5A","label":"Rational ClearQuest"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU053","label":"Cloud & Data Platform"},"Component":"Client - Eclipse RCP","Platform":[{"code":"PF033","label":"Windows"}],"Version":"7.0.1;7.1.1;7.1.2;8.0","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}}]

There's a common error that gets thrown by the Visual C Runtime:

This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way.
Please contact the application's support team for more information.

What does this error message actually mean?


Let me use a parable to explain exactly what i'm asking.

If I see a message:

Exception: access violation (0xc0000005), Address 0x702be865

This access violation has nothing to do with sexual harassment, or someone trying to break into my computer (any more than General Failure was a brigadier general who was trying to read my C drive, or that you could be hauled off to jail for performing an illegal operation in Windows 95).

In this case, access violation corresponds to the constant EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION (declared in winbase.h with value 0xC0000005). This constant one possible exception error code that can be returned in an EXCEPTION_RECORD structure. The code ACCESS_VIOLATION means that the program tried to read or write to an address in memory that it shouldn't be. If you try to read from a memory address that was never allocated, then you're doing something horribly bad - and the exception tells you so.

It is usually caused when a program has a pointer to memory that is not, or is no longer, valid. The solution is stop trying to access memory that isn't valid.

Note: I'm not asking:

  • why is program x getting a C0000005 error?
  • why is my code getting an access violation?
  • how do I debug an access violation?

So if I asked you, what causes an access violation, you wouldn't tell me to check the stack trace, or watch the output window, or to post sample code. You would say, "It is from trying to access memory that isn't valid."

Back to my question

What does the following error mean:

This application has requested the Runtime to terminate in an unusual way.

I am (fairly) certain that the Microsoft Visual C Runtime library does not have a function:

void TerminateRuntime(bool UnusualWay);

So I have to try to figure out what it actually means:

  • What does it mean to terminate the visual C runtime library? (msvcrt is a dll; you don't terminate it, you just don't use it anymore)
  • What would be a usual way to terminate MSVCRT?
  • Would someone choose to terminate it in an unusual way?
  • Is today's unusual way actually a long since deprecated form of what used to be the usual way?
  • If I was (mistakenly) terminating it in an unusual way, what would I do to terminate it in the usual way?

In other words: what error is the MSVCRT catching, and hiding behind the uninformative error message?

October 7, 2015

October 7, 2015

Symptoms of problem:

Running the library leads to this error:

This application has requested the runtime to terminate it in an unusual way

Root cause of problem:

This error is typically the result of a conflict between the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables libraries supplied with MATLAB, and those that are supplied by some third party applications.

Solution to problem:

To revert to a previous version of the C++ Redistributable libraries, you should uninstall all versions of your current 2005 and 2008 C++ Redistributable libraries through your Windows Control Panel, and reboot you machine. You can then re-install them by running the MATLAB-provided installers which can be found in the following locations:

For 32-bit Imatest:

C:\Program Files (x86)\MATLAB\MATLAB Compiler Runtime\v81\bin\win32\vc90\vcredist_x86.exe

For 64-bit Imatest:

C:\Program Files\MATLAB\MATLAB Compiler Runtime\v81\bin\win64\vc90\vcredist_x64.exe

Note: for older releaseses, a different matlab folder will be used, for example, v714 for releases 3.10 and below.

See Also:

  • MATLAB Central: “Why does MATLAB fail to start with an error ‘The program has requested the runtime to terminate in an unusual way’?”
  • Best Practices for Calling Imatest IT Libraries
  • Debugging Imatest IT

How do you fix this application has requested the runtime to terminate it in an unusual way?

Open control pannel> program and features > repair all versions of Microsof visual c++ then restart pc and test 3. uninstall all the Microsoft visual c++ versions and download and install them again from Microsoft.com restart and test.

How do I fix runtime error abnormal program termination?

a) Click the Start button, click Control Panel, click Programs, and then click "Turn Windows features on or off." If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. b) Locate Microsoft . NET framework 3.5. 1, uncheck the box, click OK and restart the computer.

How do I fix Microsoft Visual C++ runtime error?

How do I fix the Microsoft Visual C++ runtime library error?.
Perform a clean boot. Press Windows Key + R and enter msconfig. ... .
Remove your graphics card driver. ... .
Reinstall Windows 10. ... .
Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables. ... .
Create a new user account. ... .
Turn off the Compatibility mode. ... .
Reinstall the problematic application..

Why am I getting a runtime error?

A runtime error is a software or hardware problem that prevents Internet Explorer from working correctly. Runtime errors can be caused when a website uses HTML code that's incompatible with the web browser functionality.