Debugging problem in TestComplete on Windows 11

Good morning everyone.

rraghvani, to try and solve the problem we opened a ticket with Microsoft in order to make some adjustments to the OS to try and use TestComplete. They requested data from my machine's dump, and we also tested the 25H2 version, which was also unsuccessful. Below is the response from Microsoft's analysis. I believe that someone from SmartBear should be monitoring the forum, or if anyone has contact with the SmartBear team, they could forward this response from Microsoft so that it can be analyzed by the SmartBear team.The response follows in its entirety.

The response follows in its entirety.

Summary of observed behavior

The application termination is not being caused by a Windows failure or an exception generated by the operating system.

Analysis of the dump shows that the TestComplete component itself (DM.dll) is intentionally terminating the process using a mechanism called FastFail.

This behavior generates the exception:

Exception Code: 0xC0000409 (FAST_FAIL_FATAL_APP_EXIT)

At the point of failure identified in the dump, we have the following excerpt:

 mov ecx, 17h
 call IsProcessorFeaturePresent
 test eax, eax
 je (pula caso FastFail não esteja disponível)
 mov ecx, 7
 int 29h

Interpretation:

• The call to IsProcessorFeaturePresent only checks if the processor supports the FastFail mechanism (it is not the cause of the error)
• After this check, the TestComplete code itself executes:

int 29h → __fastfail(FAST_FAIL_FATAL_APP_EXIT)

• The application decides that a critical condition has occurred
• And deliberately terminates the process

The dump clearly indicates that:

• The error condition occurred before this point, but it is not possible to detail exactly what the internal cause was.
• This happens because:

o There are no debug symbols available for the vendor code (SmartBear).

o Therefore, it is not possible to identify the exact logic that led to the decision to terminate the process.

Even so, the final behavior is clear:

The termination is not caused by a Windows failure, but rather by a decision of the software itself.

Technical Conclusion

Based on the evidence:

• The application termination is intentional and controlled by TestComplete
• The mechanism used (FastFail) is a native Windows feature, but it was triggered directly by the application code
• There is no evidence of:

o operating system corruption

o Windows component failure

o external exception to the process

Relationship with the Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 upgrade

The fact that the problem started after the operating system update suggests the following:

Windows 11 24H2 is not directly causing the error.

But rather, it is exposing an internal condition of TestComplete that did not occur previously.

This type of behavior is common in compatibility scenarios, where changes to the operating system can reveal latent flaws in the application.

Recommended action

Considering that the problem is concentrated in the vendor component:

• An updated version of the DLL (DM.dll) has been provided by SmartBear itself.
• This DLL must be applied to the TestComplete application directory.

This correction aims to address the internal condition that leads to the application's termination.

In summary:

• The behavior is not caused by a Windows error.
• The process is being intentionally terminated by TestComplete.
• Windows 11 24H2 only acts as a factor that exposes the condition.
• The correct resolution involves adjusting the component of the software itself (already provided by the manufacturer).

Thanks