I've been running Version 5.0 for a few months now, but recently the Designer won't run on my laptop (Windows 10 Pro with the latest patches). Server manager works fine. I do have Visual Studio 2017 and 2019 installed on the laptop.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled the app, and tried running it in administrator mode. The Program Files\Seal Report directory was gone after the uninstall. Is there a way to find out which configuration file it isn't happy with?

I'm getting a .NET Runtime in the windows APP log:

Application: SealReportDesigner.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.Xml.XmlException
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Throw(System.Exception)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseText(Int32 ByRef, Int32 ByRef, Int32 ByRef)
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseText()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.ParseElementContent()
at System.Xml.XmlTextReaderImpl.Skip()
at System.Configuration.XmlUtil.StrictSkipToNextElement(System.Configuration.ExceptionAction)
at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.ScanSectionsRecursive(System.Configuration.XmlUtil, System.String, Boolean, System.String, System.Configuration.OverrideModeSetting, Boolean)
at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.ScanSectionsRecursive(System.Configuration.XmlUtil, System.String, Boolean, System.String, System.Configuration.OverrideModeSetting, Boolean)
at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.ScanSections(System.Configuration.XmlUtil)
at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.InitConfigFromFile()

Exception Info: System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException
at System.Configuration.ConfigurationSchemaErrors.ThrowIfErrors(Boolean)
at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.ThrowIfParseErrors(System.Configuration.ConfigurationSchemaErrors)
at System.Configuration.ClientConfigurationSystem.OnConfigRemoved(System.Object, System.Configuration.Internal.InternalConfigEventArgs)

Exception Info: System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException
at System.Configuration.ClientConfigurationSystem.OnConfigRemoved(System.Object, System.Configuration.Internal.InternalConfigEventArgs)
at System.Configuration.Internal.InternalConfigRoot.OnConfigRemoved(System.Configuration.Internal.InternalConfigEventArgs)
at System.Configuration.Internal.InternalConfigRoot.RemoveConfigImpl(System.String, System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord)
at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSectionRecursive(System.String, Boolean, Boolean, Boolean, Boolean, System.Object ByRef, System.Object ByRef)
at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSection(System.String)
at System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.GetSection(System.String)
at System.Configuration.ClientSettingsStore.ReadSettings(System.String, Boolean)
at System.Configuration.LocalFileSettingsProvider.GetPropertyValues(System.Configuration.SettingsContext, System.Configuration.SettingsPropertyCollection)
at System.Configuration.SettingsBase.GetPropertiesFromProvider(System.Configuration.SettingsProvider)
at System.Configuration.SettingsBase.GetPropertyValueByName(System.String)
at System.Configuration.SettingsBase.get_Item(System.String)
at System.Configuration.ApplicationSettingsBase.GetPropertyValue(System.String)
at System.Configuration.ApplicationSettingsBase.get_Item(System.String)
at Seal.Properties.Settings.get_CallUpgrade()
at Seal.ReportDesigner..ctor()
at Seal.Program.Main(System.String[])

Faulting application name: SealReportDesigner.exe, version: 5.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x5d1236ac
Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 10.0.18362.449, time stamp: 0x2bdaa583
Exception code: 0xe0434352
Fault offset: 0x000000000003a839
Faulting process id: 0x26c0
Faulting application start time: 0x01d598a54c06aa92
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files\Seal Report\SealReportDesigner.exe
Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\System32\KERNELBASE.dll
Report Id: fa882ac5-f20d-43b2-9cc7-9c9a450ecb7f
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

Where does it store the last report name? It doesn't open even if I click to open a known good report.

The SealReportDesigner.exe.config is dated 2018-02-25 and is properly formatted xml according to Internet Explorer.

I renamed the sealreportdesigner.exe.config file and it still isn't working. It comes up in process explorer for about a second with a second thread that gets suspended and then it shuts down.

I've run SFC /ScanNow after running the DISM updates and there weren't any integrity violations.

I updated VS 2017 and 2019 last week. Could that have broken the .NET runtime somehow?

I created a directory called 'test' under seal reports, and copied all files from the parent directory to the new directory. Seal Report Designer opened fresh with no report loaded.

Um... that's weird. I don't see any odd permission things or 'locked' executables. <tilts head to side, raises an eyebrow, and says some naughty words under his breath...>

What would cause this? Something weird in the registry?