A generic error occurred in GDI+

Question

[ExternalException (0x80004005): A generic error occurred in GDI+.]
   IpitchitImageHandler.Data.ImageRepository.AddNewTempImage(Stream image, String extension, Guid PageId, Guid ImageId, ImageTransformCollection toDoTransforms) +1967
   IpitchitImageHandler.Data.ImageRepository.AddNewTempImage(Stream image, String extension, Guid PageId, Guid ImageId) +85
   IpitchitWeb.Sell.Controls.UploadImagesSubstep.UploadImages(Object sender, EventArgs e) in F:\Documents and Settings\Vjeran\My Documents\Visual Studio 2008\Projects\Ipitchit\IpitchitWeb\Sell\Controls\UploadImagesSubstep.ascx.cs:88
   System.Web.UI.WebControls.LinkButton.OnClick(EventArgs e) +111
   System.Web.UI.WebControls.LinkButton.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument) +79
   System.Web.UI.WebControls.LinkButton.System.Web.UI.IPostBackEventHandler.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument) +10
   System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(IPostBackEventHandler sourceControl, String eventArgument) +13
   System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(NameValueCollection postData) +175
   System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) +1565

my code is:

public void AddNewTempImage(Stream image, string extension, Guid PageId, Guid ImageId, 
    ImageTransformCollection toDoTransforms)
{
    //mapping steam to memory stream so it does support the seek

    MemoryStream targetStream = new MemoryStream(ReadStream(image, 1024));
    Image ImageToTransform=null;
    Image transformedImage = null;
    string storagePath = ImageTransformManager.Config.StorageServerPhysicalPath;
    Uri storageUrl = new Uri(ImageTransformManager.Config.StorageServerUrl);

    //string TempPath = Path.Combine(storagePath, GenerateFileName(extension));
    //SaveStream(TempPath, image);
    //File.WriteAllBytes(TempPath, ReadStream(image, 1024));

    if (!HttpContext.Current.User.Identity.IsAuthenticated)
        throw new Exception("Nonauthenticated users image submition is not supported");

        try
        {            
            foreach (ImageTransform transform in toDoTransforms)
            {
            ImageRepositoryTempImage newimage = new ImageRepositoryTempImage();
            newimage.ImageGuid = ImageId;
            newimage.PageGuid = PageId;
            newimage.CreatedBy = HttpContext.Current.User.Identity.Name;
            newimage.CreatedDate = DateTime.UtcNow;
            newimage.Format = transform.OutputType;
            newimage.Width = transform.Width;
            newimage.Height = transform.Height;
            newimage.Watermark = transform.UseWaterMark;
            string filename = GenerateFileName(transform.OutputType);
            string fullStoragePath = Path.Combine(storagePath, Path.Combine(transform.StorageFolder, filename));
            string fullStorageUrl = CombineUri(storageUrl, Path.Combine(transform.StorageFolder, filename));
            newimage.PhysicalStoragePath = fullStoragePath;
            newimage.StoragePath = fullStorageUrl;
            CheckOrAddImageTransform(transform);
            var ImgRepTransform = GetTransformation(transform);
            newimage.ImageRepositoryTransformation = ImgRepTransform;
            newimage.TransformId = ImgRepTransform.Id;

            Bitmap uploaded = new Bitmap(image);

            ImageToTransform = (Image)uploaded.Clone();
            uploaded.Dispose();
            transformedImage = transform.Transform(ImageToTransform);
            AddNewTempImage(newimage);
            //adding named watermark and transformation
            string wname = ImageTransformManager.Config.WaterMarkName;
            string wpath = ImageTransformManager.Config.WaterMarkPath;
            ChechOrAddWaterMark(wname, wpath);


            if (!(string.IsNullOrEmpty(wname) && string.IsNullOrEmpty(wpath)))
                newimage.ImageRepositoryWaterMark = GetWatermark(wname, wpath);

            transformedImage.Save(fullStoragePath, GetFormat(newimage.Format));
            }
        }
        catch (System.Exception ex)
        {
            ErrorHandling.LogErrorEvent("Add new temp image method", ex);
            throw ex;
        }
        finally
        {
            //File.Delete(TempPath);
            if (ImageToTransform!=null)
                ImageToTransform.Dispose();
            image.Dispose();
            targetStream.Dispose();
            if (transformedImage != null)
            transformedImage.Dispose();
        }

}

On my local machine everything works - but still happens.. on server (2003) - i have folder permissions .. and everything...

Elana

Can you indicate the line where the exception occurs? – Tamaru

Answer 1

I hate that error with a passion. Generic Error is possibly the most useless error description ever written.

When I've encountered it the problem as always been related to file IO.

Here is the list of fixes I keep in my notes- Not sure if these apply but they usually do the trick for me.

• Check File path
  • Make sure that the parent directory exists
  • Ensure that path includes both the filename and extension
  • Use server.MapPath() to create the path
• Make sure that the file isn't being written back to it's source. Close and reopen the stream if necessary.

My apologies if i stole this list from somewhere else. It has been in my notebook for awhile and I can't remember where it came from.

Hypothalamus

It was indeed a missing path. – Olvan

+1 for hating with a passion! I also had this error for a missing path. – Rosanne

+1 Indeed, it was my file path as well. The path to the directory was correct but I had failed to put the filename into the path. – Silique

This worked for me: hanselman.com/blog/… (It creates an intermediary stream from the image, before writing it to the Response stream) – Yung

"Generic Error is possibly the most useless error description ever written", you obviously never came across "Method '~' of object '~' failed" issued by COM. – Suprarenal

@MartinBrown Yeah... I made that comment at the blissful point in my career before I had dealt with COM or Oracle. Those were such happy times. – Hypothalamus

Answer 2

Everyone here (and on this site) has discussed this as due to a permissions error. I've stumbled over another flavor: memory. I ran out of memory and started receiving this error as well. So keep that in mind as another potential source of error.

In my particular case I was running in a .NET application, and running against a number of threads (few enough that I wasn't being held back too much by the GDI+ process-wide lock). Adding a "GC.Collect()" after major tasks finished didn't seem to affect the speed much, but did completely get rid of the out of memory errors.

Flax

Answer 3

I just had an similar problem (same exception) on my hosted website: It turned out to be a permissions issue, the ASP.NET account was trying to read image files from a directory outside its available scope.

I suggest you double-check the permissions as well as the <trust> element in web.config, it should be set to "Medium" or higher depending on where the files are located.

Orbit

Answer 4

This one followed me for a long time. Yes you can check permissions but what you also should do is to dispose of your bitmap correctly.

bitmap.Dispose();

Sibilant

Answer 5

i agree permissions is the problem here.

network service maybe ?

Anabolite

Answer 6

I've got the same error just now and Google help me to find answer: Loading/Saving bitmap causes the locked file.

Workaround is create othe bitmap, save and let it release:

Bitmap tmp = new Bitmap(bitmapToBeSaved); tmp.SaveToFile(fileName);

Anemic

Answer 7

Is your local machine Vista or Windows 7, and your server Windows Server 2003? I believe the GDI+ implementation differs, and you won't see the error on the newer OSs. I'm just running into this issue now, and that's one of the factoids I've come across.

Allround

Answer 8

Make sure IIS_WPG has the correct permissions on your upload folder and also ASPNET.

I just had the same problem and this fixed it.

Don't forget to propagate the permissions through your sub folders if required too ( I may have forgotten that.. :) )

Enschede

Answer 9

Do not use direct path

    System.Drawing.Image img = Base64ToImage(_ImagePath);
    img.Save(_attachmentPath, ImageFormat.Jpeg);

Use Server.MapPath and it will create Directory If needed

    System.Drawing.Image img = Base64ToImage(_ImagePath);
    img.Save(Server.MapPath(_attachmentPath), ImageFormat.Jpeg);

Lissotrichous

Answer 10

Please be sure about the path you are using for images,I also face the same error.Check all paths you are using.

Underlayer

Answer 11

Try changing you application pool identity setting from ApplicationPoolIdentity to LocalSystem to verify its a permission problem.

However, don't use this setting long-term as it's a security risk; use it only as a diagnosis.

Beaufort