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VijayMachhan's avatar
VijayMachhan
New Contributor
15 days ago

Action is not performed – Object recognition failure after OS upgrade

Description:

After upgrading our operating system, our previously working TestComplete automation scripts are consistently failing due to object recognition issues.

The test execution halts at various points where TestComplete is unable to identify UI elements that were previously accessible. Even though Name Mapping is correctly configured, and scripts were working fine earlier, now even freshly recorded scripts stop working.

The application under test launches, but object properties such as WndCaption, ObjectType, or ClassName are either not recognized or throw runtime errors. In some cases, coordinate-based clicks fail with errors like "transparent or out of window bounds."

We suspect this is related to changes introduced by the OS upgrade, such as DPI scaling, UAC behavior, rendering mode, or accessibility API differences.

Request:

Please help us:

Validate TestComplete compatibility with the new OS version.
Provide guidance or patches for object recognition in this environment.
Advise on any configuration (UAC, DPI, admin rights) that needs to be adjusted post-upgrade.

Thank you.

10 Replies

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  • VijayMachhan's avatar
    VijayMachhan
    New Contributor
    14 days ago

    Problem: TestComplete fails to recognize UI objects (e.g., MsgBoxWindow.OKPB) in a desktop application after a recent Windows security update.

    Recent Change: Security patch KB5055519 was installed last week. No changes to TestComplete version (currently using 15.72.60).

    Impact: Even recorded scripts now fail with object identification issues.

    Environment:

    DPI settings confirmed correct.

    All required services and SmartBear extensions are running.

    Desktop application under test.

    Tested on same machine/environment before update — worked fine.

    Next Steps Tried:

    Verified mapping and aliases.

    Ran existing and new scripts — same failure.

    Attempted re-identification of objects — not found at runtime.

  • Hassan_Ballan's avatar
    Hassan_Ballan
    Icon for Champion Level 1 rankChampion Level 1
    14 days ago

    I understand you only upgraded your windows, TestComplete version did not change.
    If you create a new project to test with, would it work?
    Any older windows version station to try with to determine is your project still works?

    After Windows upgrade you may loose any tweak you had to previously do, follow the recommendation  https://support.smartbear.com/testcomplete/docs/general-info/configuring/index.html  in specific user permissions

    Also pay specific attention to running application in the background https://support.smartbear.com/testcomplete/docs/general-info/configuring/windows-specifics.html#background 

     

  • justingl's avatar
    justingl
    New Member
    14 days ago

    I have encountered this problem after Windows 11 updated to 26200.5551 (24H2) at the end of March.  I'm using Test Complete 15.74.33.7. I rolled back to 15.73.16.7 but the problem persisted. If I spy a dropdown, I get the message 'The window with xyz handle exists but did not respond'.

    Everything works fine on systems that have an older version of Windows 11.

  • scot1967's avatar
    scot1967
    Icon for Champion Level 1 rankChampion Level 1
    14 days ago

    Good morning (Here in the U.S. 😉)

    TestComplete should be fully compatible with all of the latest Windows operating systems.  I have not seen any posts here lately about OS upgrade issues.  Here are a few links that may help you out.  If you have researched this and tried to uninstall and reinstall TestComplete it may be time to contact support.

    System Requirements:

    https://support.smartbear.com/testcomplete/docs/general-info/system-requirements.html


    Specifics of Using TestComplete on Various Windows Operating Systems:

    https://support.smartbear.com/testcomplete/docs/general-info/configuring/windows-specifics.html   

    ... There was a release of TC a few weeks ago that had quite a few issues.  Make sure you are on the latest release.

    ... If you find my posts helpful drop me a like! 👍 Be sure to mark the best answer if you get one to help others out and to credit the one who helped you.  😎

  • rraghvani's avatar
    rraghvani
    Icon for Champion Level 3 rankChampion Level 3
    15 days ago

    What is the new OS, that you are using? What DPI scale are you using? What version of TestComplete are you using? Have you tried re-installing TestComplete? Do you have SmartBear Test Extension installed?  Are you testing web or desktop application?

    • VijayMachhan's avatar
      VijayMachhan
      New Contributor
      14 days ago

      We’d like to provide some more details regarding the issue we're currently facing:

      There was no OS upgrade. However, we did apply a Windows security update last week, and the issue started occurring after that.
      Operating System: Windows 10 -1809
      DPI Scale: 150% 
      TestComplete Version: 15.72.60
      Re-installed TestComplete: Not yet reinstalled .Should i have to?
      SmartBear Test Extension: Yes, installed and enabled.
      Application Type: Desktop WPF application.