“it could be bunnies”

I have been hit by a mysterious msvcr71.dll not found error when upgrading the JDK on a CF 8 install on an on and off basis. Today I finally got annoyed enough with it to start digging into the cause. Apparently this is a known issue with Java 6:

Windows Java SE 6 applications using custom launchers must be installed with msvcr71.dll in the same directory as the launcher executable. According to http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/vclib/html/_CRT_C_Run.2d.Time_Libraries.asp, this is the new Microsoft C runtime distribution model:

“An application should use and redistribute msvcr71.dll, and it should avoid placing a copy or using an existing copy of msvcr71.dll in the system directory. Instead, the application should keep a copy of msvcr71.dll in its application directory with the program executable. Any application built with Visual C++ .NET using the /MD switch will necessarily use msvcr71.dll.”

This also explains the on and off nature of the error. The way I understand it, you need to go through the following steps before you experience the issue:

1. you have deployed a portable WAR/EAR file(the portable WAR/EAR files do not contain all the .dll files the Windows specific ones do);
2. or you have created extra instances and adapted your java.library path in jvm.config;
3. you perform a JDK upgrade;
4. you have not installed any application that placed msvcr71.dll somewhere on the path.

I think that explains why I have been experiencing this issue in some cases and not in others. Anyway, Sun’s recommendation to drop msvcr71.dll in the executable folder with jrun.exe solves the issue. (Tempting as it may be to drop it in the JDK folder, it is better to put it in the JRun folder: that way it still works when you upgrade your JDK next time.) I have reported the issue with Adobe so it should be solved in Centaur.