ClickOnce deployment "Activation failed" FileNotFoundException

Question

I just deployed an update to a clickonce application. I have deployed dozens of updates with no issue. Now all of a sudden, with this update, all my users are reporting this error:

ERROR SUMMARY

Below is a summary of the errors, details of these errors are listed later in the log.
    * Activation of C:\Users\XXX\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\XXX\XXX\XXX.appref-ms| resulted in exception. Following failure messages were detected:
        + Activation failed.
        + The system cannot find the file specified. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070002)

Following errors were detected during this operation.

* [3/15/2012 3:22:34 PM] System.Deployment.Application.DeploymentException (Activation)
        - Activation failed.
        - Source: System.Deployment
        - Stack trace:
            at System.Deployment.Application.ComponentStore.ActivateApplication(DefinitionAppId appId, String activationParameter, Boolean useActivationParameter)
            at System.Deployment.Application.SubscriptionStore.ActivateApplication(DefinitionAppId appId, String activationParameter, Boolean useActivationParameter)
            at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.Activate(DefinitionAppId appId, AssemblyManifest appManifest, String activationParameter, Boolean useActivationParameter)
            at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.ProcessOrFollowShortcut(String shortcutFile, String& errorPageUrl, TempFile& deployFile)
            at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.PerformDeploymentActivation(Uri activationUri, Boolean isShortcut, String textualSubId, String deploymentProviderUrlFromExtension, BrowserSettings browserSettings, String& errorPageUrl)
            at System.Deployment.Application.ApplicationActivator.ActivateDeploymentWorker(Object state)
        --- Inner Exception ---
        System.IO.FileNotFoundException
        - The system cannot find the file specified. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80070002)
        - Source: System.Deployment
        - Stack trace:
            at System.Deployment.Application.NativeMethods.CorLaunchApplication(UInt32 hostType, String applicationFullName, Int32 manifestPathsCount, String[] manifestPaths, Int32 activationDataCount, String[] activationData, PROCESS_INFORMATION processInformation)
            at System.Deployment.Application.ComponentStore.ActivateApplication(DefinitionAppId appId, String activationParameter, Boolean useActivationParameter)

Of course it doesn't tell me exactly what file it's looking for that fails. I'm stumped on this!

Berniecebernier

Answer 1

At least a few people have been able to solve this by clearing out all of the ClickOnce data and reinstalling, blaming it on corrupt file storage.

See this MSDN forum post for more info.

Katushka

I did try that while I was going through the issue. Even installed it on fresh machines with no ClickOnce apps installed. Nothing worked. Frantically messing with the publish settings and publishing over top of existing version number, then reinstalling seems to have worked. I wish I could know which combination of settings caused/fixed the problem – Berniecebernier

Answer 2

For me the following procedure usually works:

• Revert to previous version from Programs and functions control panel
• Run install in IE from the installation URL http://...

Mustee

Answer 3

I just ran into this issue. Our company is in the middle of changing domains, where the user's computer was on domain B, but the click once app was still on a shared drive in domain A.

Copying the files to the computer and installing from there allowed the app to run.

Marenmarena