Latest nightly crashes on startup

• Component: WebCore Misc.
• Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

[David Larochelle-Pratte]

I'd first installed a fresh install of Safari 3.1.2 for Windows which works without problems.

Then I downloaded the latest nightly available for Windows (r35130), and ran the run-nightly-webkit.cmd. After copying the files, the Safari window opened, then an error message appeared.

The URL provided is a screenshot which shows the error message. The error message means: "The xmlTextReaderConstEncoding entry point could not be found in the libxml2.dll DLL".

The test system was Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 (localized in fr-CA), if that helps.

[David Larochelle-Pratte]

Created attachment 22396 [details]
Screenshot displaying the bug

[Matt Lilek]

I've been running that nightly fine on Vista for a week with no problems.

[Mark Rowe (bdash)]

I suspect you have a third-party version of libxml2.dll on your system that is somehow interfering.  The symbol xmlTextReaderConstEncoding was first added to libxml2 in version 2.6.15.  I don't recall exactly which version of libxml2 ships with Safari 3.1.2, but I know that it is at least 2.6.16 so that symbol is definitely present in the Apple version of the library.

To track down this problem I would try and determine which libxml2.dll is being used when running the nightly build on your system.

[David Larochelle-Pratte]

(In reply to comment #3)
> I suspect you have a third-party version of libxml2.dll on your system that is
> somehow interfering.  The symbol xmlTextReaderConstEncoding was first added to
> libxml2 in version 2.6.15.  I don't recall exactly which version of libxml2
> ships with Safari 3.1.2, but I know that it is at least 2.6.16 so that symbol
> is definitely present in the Apple version of the library.
> 
> To track down this problem I would try and determine which libxml2.dll is being
> used when running the nightly build on your system.
> 

After searching my computer for libxml2.dll, I found out some legacy application has copied that DLL to the C:\WINDOWS\System32 folder (built on Feb 2, 2008). I've just copied the Safari DLL there and it worked.

[Mark Rowe (bdash)]

Rather than copying Safari's DLL to that location you should instead delete the file.  Copying it will potentially lead to a similar issue in the future if Safari switches to using a much newer version of libxml2 than it currently uses.