Submitted by: Salvatore Besso (salvatore28)

Following thread in [Firebird-Devel]:

Using Firebird SS 2.0.0.12748 final. The server is automatically started as a service at Windows startup by means of the Guardian.

Problem:

The Firebird server is not always started when Windows starts. When it fails, I find this error in the log:

COMPUTERNAME (Client) Tue Jan 16 10:18:31 2007
C:\Programmi\Firebird\Firebird_2_0\bin\fbserver.exe :
The guardian was unable to launch the server thread. errno : 1055

But other times, without changing anything, it starts normally. Approximately, it fails to start 8 times out of 10.

Verifying the dependencies of the server library using "Dependency Walker" against fbclient.dll, the following problems were reported:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Warning: At least one delay-load dependency module was not found.
File C:\Programmi\Firebird\Firebird_2_0\bin\DWMAPI.DLL not found

Warning: At least one module has an unresolved import due to a missing export function in a delay-load dependent module.

C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\MPR.DLL is marked in red
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\SHLWAPI.DLL is marked in red and with a hourglass, meaning it is a delay-load module
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The missing file is a Windows Vista component, but I have never installed any version of this operating system, but it seems that Internet Explorer 7 requires it mangling the operating system with unneeded dependencies, and I have IE7 installed. But it is weird that this missing DLL is indicated as resident in the Firebird's bin folder.