starting em client, produces error of type System.argument.exception with source System.Drawing, message Parameter is not valid.

have tried uninstalling and reinstalling.  have tried the same with deleting folder in appdata/roaming

have tried to run with elevated prompt.  

running in a 64-bit windows 7 virtual machine

Hi Bob,

Which version of eM Client are you trying to install?

Has eM Client worked correctly for you before? Or is this the first time you’re trying eM Client?

In which ‘virtual machine’ are you trying eM Client? VM Workstation? Which version?

Hi Hans,

Thanks for your reply.

I am not sure what the existing version was, but I tried downloading and installing the latest version I could download from the website.  I first tried installing over top, then uninstalling from windows and reinstalling, then uninstalling and removing all registry entries and folders (except what I found in the winsxs folder).  Then I found a link to a newer version in a post by a guy with a similar system.drawing thing, but different problem, so I did the same things with that version.  The error reports indicate the current version is eM Client (6.0.21151.0)

Yes, EM Client has worked correctly in the past.  To be clear, I do not use windows so my primary email client is not em client, but I have some clients who use it so I keep it on a vm for testing.  it has been several months since I last tried to use it, and I kind of think I couldn’t get it working then either, but I did have it working on this VM at one point, for sure.

the VM is virtualbox 4.2.26.

For grins and giggles, I fired up an old old VM of win7, downloaded EM Client, and it installed and worked just fine there.  Unfortunately that provided zero enlightenment as to ow to fix it on this VM.

I have ensured all windows updates are in place, I have tried windows safe mode, I have tried running in elevated mode, I have tried all sorts of different compatibility modes, I have tried multiple screen resolutions.  all produce the same error.

I get the feeling looking through the error that the problem is probably related to the .net framework, so I tried a repair on that and checked for updates, but that also did not fix the problem.  it is currently 4.5.1.

Hi Bob, does the application keep showing this error while you’re using the application or is it displayed after an application crash?
Can you please make a screenshot of the error or copy the content of the error after the crash report window is shown?

Thank you,
Paul.

Hi Paul,

Thank you for jumping in…

The application will not open, all I get is an error report after checking the database:

eM Client (6.0.21151.0)Windows: Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1, Framework: 4.0.30319.18444
The following error has occurred:
System.ArgumentException: Parameter is not valid.
   at System.Drawing.Font.GetHeight(Graphics graphics)
   at System.Drawing.Font.get_SizeInPoints()
   at System.Drawing.SystemFonts.FontInPoints(Font font)
   at System.Drawing.SystemFonts.get_MessageBoxFont()
   at MailClient.UI.Forms.ThemeForm…ctor(Boolean ignoreTheme)
   at MailClient.UI.Forms.BorderlessForm…ctor()
   at MailClient.UI.Forms.formMain…ctor(List1 arguments)    at MailClient.Program.CreateMainForm(Boolean startupInit, List1 args)
   at MailClient.Program.Main(String[] args)

" rel=“nofollow” target="_blank">http://emclient.com/ns/report">;

eM Client
6.0.21151.0

false

Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1
4.0.30319.18444


System.ArgumentException
Parameter is not valid.
System.Drawing




System.Drawing.dll
100664949
System.Drawing
System.Drawing.Font
GetHeight


System.Drawing
System.Drawing.Graphics
graphics



0
1190b1




System.Drawing.dll
100664954
System.Drawing
System.Drawing.Font
get_SizeInPoints


22
be




System.Drawing.dll
100664660
System.Drawing
System.Drawing.SystemFonts
FontInPoints


System.Drawing
System.Drawing.Font
font



0
25




System.Drawing.dll
100664653
System.Drawing
System.Drawing.SystemFonts
get_MessageBoxFont


64
e4




MailClient.exe
100667220
MailClient
MailClient.UI.Forms.ThemeForm
.ctor


mscorlib
System.Boolean
ignoreTheme



2e
70




MailClient.exe
100674587
MailClient
MailClient.UI.Forms.BorderlessForm
.ctor


5a
d5




MailClient.exe
100693073
MailClient
MailClient.UI.Forms.formMain
.ctor


mscorlib
System.Collections.Generic.List1[[System.String, mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089]]</type><br> <name>arguments</name><br> </parameter><br> </parameters><br> </method><br> <offset>46</offset><br> <nativeoffset>b9</nativeoffset><br> <br> <frame> <br> <method><br> <modulename>MailClient.exe</modulename><br> <metadatatoken>100675785</metadatatoken><br> <assembly>MailClient</assembly><br> <type>MailClient.Program</type><br> <name>CreateMainForm</name><br> <parameters><br> <parameter><br> <assembly>mscorlib</assembly><br> <type>System.Boolean</type><br> <name>startupInit</name><br> </parameter><br> <parameter><br> <assembly>mscorlib</assembly><br> <type>System.Collections.Generic.List1[[System.String, mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089]]
args



8
2e




MailClient.exe
100675783
MailClient
MailClient.Program
Main


mscorlib
System.String[]
args



1229
2a6a






MailClient.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\eM Client\MailClient.exe
MailClient.exe
MailClient.exe
6.0.21151.0
eM Client
eM Client
6.0.21151.0
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


ntdll.dll
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ntdll.dll
ntdll.dll
ntdll.dll.mui
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
NT Layer DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


MSCOREE.DLL
C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\MSCOREE.DLL
mscoree.dll
mscoree.dll
4.0.40305.0 (Main.040305-0000)
Microsoft .NET Runtime Execution Engine
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.40305.0
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


KERNEL32.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\KERNEL32.dll
kernel32
kernel32
6.1.7601.18015 (win7sp1_gdr.121129-1432)
Windows NT BASE API Client DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18015
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


KERNELBASE.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\KERNELBASE.dll
Kernelbase
Kernelbase
6.1.7601.18015 (win7sp1_gdr.121129-1432)
Windows NT BASE API Client DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18015
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


ADVAPI32.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\ADVAPI32.dll
advapi32.dll
advapi32.dll.mui
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Advanced Windows 32 Base API
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


msvcrt.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\msvcrt.dll
msvcrt.dll
msvcrt.dll
7.0.7601.17744 (win7sp1_gdr.111215-1535)
Windows NT CRT DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
7.0.7601.17744
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


sechost.dll
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\sechost.dll
sechost.dll
sechost.dll.mui
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Host for SCM/SDDL/LSA Lookup APIs
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


RPCRT4.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\RPCRT4.dll
rpcrt4.dll
rpcrt4.dll.mui
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Remote Procedure Call Runtime
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


SspiCli.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\SspiCli.dll
security.dll
security.dll
6.1.7601.18526 (win7sp1_gdr.140706-1506)
Security Support Provider Interface
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18526
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


CRYPTBASE.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\CRYPTBASE.dll
cryptbase.dll
cryptbase.dll
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Base cryptographic API DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


mscoreei.dll
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\mscoreei.dll
mscoreei.dll
mscoreei.dll
4.0.30319.18408 built by: FX451RTMGREL
Microsoft .NET Runtime Execution Engine
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.18408
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


SHLWAPI.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\SHLWAPI.dll
SHLWAPI
SHLWAPI.DLL.MUI
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Shell Light-weight Utility Library
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


GDI32.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\GDI32.dll
gdi32
gdi32
6.1.7601.18577 (win7sp1_gdr.140822-1508)
GDI Client DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18577
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


USER32.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\USER32.dll
user32
user32
6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Multi-User Windows USER API Client DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.17514
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


LPK.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\LPK.dll
LanguagePack
LanguagePack
6.1.7601.18177 (win7sp1_gdr.130605-1534)
Language Pack
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18177
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


USP10.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\USP10.dll
Uniscribe
Uniscribe
1.0626.7601.18454 (win7sp1_gdr.140424-1533)
Uniscribe Unicode script processor
Microsoft® Uniscribe Unicode script processor
1.0626.7601.18454
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


IMM32.DLL
C:\Windows\system32\IMM32.DLL
imm32
imm32
6.1.7601.17514 (win7sp1_rtm.101119-1850)
Multi-User Windows IMM32 API Client DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.17514
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


MSCTF.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\MSCTF.dll
MSCTF
MSCTF.DLL.MUI
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
MSCTF Server DLL
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


clr.dll
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\clr.dll
clr.dll
clr.dll
4.0.30319.18444 built by: FX451RTMGDR
Microsoft .NET Runtime Common Language Runtime - WorkStation
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.18444
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


MSVCR110_CLR0400.dll
C:\Windows\system32\MSVCR110_CLR0400.dll
msvcr110_clr0400.dll
msvcr110_clr0400.dll
11.00.50938.18408 built by: FX451RTMGREL
Microsoft® C Runtime Library
Microsoft® Visual Studio® 11 Beta
11.00.50938.18408
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


mscorlib.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\mscorlib\ce5f61c5754789df97be8dc991c47d07\mscorlib.ni.dll
mscorlib.dll
mscorlib.dll
4.0.30319.18444 built by: FX451RTMGDR
Microsoft Common Language Runtime Class Library
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.18444
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


ole32.dll
C:\Windows\syswow64\ole32.dll
OLE32.DLL
OLE32.DLL.MUI
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Microsoft OLE for Windows
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


uxtheme.dll
C:\Windows\system32\uxtheme.dll
UxTheme.dll
UxTheme.dll.mui
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Microsoft UxTheme Library
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


System.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\System\17a393b77ae757f0768501fb95ff5af6\System.ni.dll
System.dll
System.dll
4.0.30319.34238 built by: FX452RTMGDR
.NET Framework
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.34238
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


CRYPTSP.dll
C:\Windows\system32\CRYPTSP.dll
cryptsp.dll
cryptsp.dll
6.1.7601.18526 (win7sp1_gdr.140706-1506)
Cryptographic Service Provider API
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18526
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


rsaenh.dll
C:\Windows\system32\rsaenh.dll
rsaenh.dll
rsaenh.dll
6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Microsoft Enhanced Cryptographic Provider
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7600.16385
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


MailClient.Collections.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\MailClient.1d52ed9e#\00bda4eadf35b24c165128cef4bc420e\MailClient.Collections.ni.dll
MailClient.Collections.dll
MailClient.Collections.dll
6.0.21151.0
MailClient.Collections
MailClient.Collections
6.0.21151.0
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


MailClient.Mail.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\MailClient.Mail\9a02e787063da387a556051474595f97\MailClient.Mail.ni.dll
MailClient.Mail.dll
MailClient.Mail.dll
6.0.21151.0


6.0.21151.0
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


HTMLEditorControl.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\HTMLEditorControl\22f1c0751fa4f249ae86ed62cd9286a2\HTMLEditorControl.ni.dll
HTMLEditorControl.dll
HTMLEditorControl.dll
6.0.21151.0
HtmlEditorControl

6.0.21151.0
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


MailClient.ni.exe
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\MailClient\6c6396ec0e5b3f97a060237d2208bf04\MailClient.ni.exe
MailClient.exe
MailClient.exe
6.0.21151.0
eM Client
eM Client
6.0.21151.0
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


System.Drawing.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\System.Drawing\b4c08872c259018b17b2801da33ac80f\System.Drawing.ni.dll
System.Drawing.dll
System.Drawing.dll
4.0.30319.18408 built by: FX451RTMGREL
.NET Framework
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.18408
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


System.Windows.Forms.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\System.Windows.Forms\db563d596d76daed04e9b5d25b2f4cb9\System.Windows.Forms.ni.dll
System.Windows.Forms.dll
System.Windows.Forms.dll
4.0.30319.18408 built by: FX451RTMGREL
.NET Framework
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.18408
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


MailClient.Common.UI.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\MailClient.Common.UI\55901a97ee1fc56ba93f256cf2c84e79\MailClient.Common.UI.ni.dll
MailClient.Common.UI.dll
MailClient.Common.UI.dll
6.0.21151.0


6.0.21151.0
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


MailClient.Interop.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\MailClient.Interop\6191794086706ce1c9a82f28930cb577\MailClient.Interop.ni.dll
MailClient.Interop.dll
MailClient.Interop.dll
6.0.21151.0


6.0.21151.0
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


MailClient.ExceptionUtils.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\MailClient.ad6c0f7b#\b0abb8ae780fb256f2fe0308d01062d8\MailClient.ExceptionUtils.ni.dll
MailClient.ExceptionUtils.dll
MailClient.ExceptionUtils.dll
1.0.0.0
MailClient.ExceptionUtils
MailClient.ExceptionUtils
1.0.0.0
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


gdiplus.dll
C:\Windows\WinSxS\x86_microsoft.windows.gdiplus_6595b64144ccf1df_1.1.7601.18455_none_72d576ad8665e853\gdiplus.dll
gdiplus
gdiplus
6.1.7601.18455 (win7sp1_gdr.140425-1537)
Microsoft GDI+
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18455
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


LinqBridge.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\LinqBridge\b91126b3cc09ba878acfbbcf3d32be2c\LinqBridge.ni.dll
LinqBridge.dll
LinqBridge.dll
1.3.13216.2214
LINQBridge
LINQBridge
1.3.13216.2214
False
False
False
False
False
Language Neutral


System.Configuration.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\System.Configuration\0648dbecb7e3fb9523565107e04a5caf\System.Configuration.ni.dll
System.Configuration.dll
System.Configuration.dll
4.0.30319.18408 built by: FX451RTMGREL
System.Configuration.dll
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.18408
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


System.Xml.ni.dll
C:\Windows\assembly\NativeImages_v4.0.30319_32\System.Xml\7147fa233a070283dba824da40089bf1\System.Xml.ni.dll
System.Xml.dll
System.Xml.dll
4.0.30319.34234 built by: FX452RTMGDR
.NET Framework
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.34234
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


nlssorting.dll
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\nlssorting.dll
nlssorting.dll
nlssorting.dll
4.0.30319.18408 built by: FX451RTMGREL
Microsoft Collation Support
Microsoft® .NET Framework
4.0.30319.18408
False
False
False
True
False
English (United States)


secur32.dll
C:\Windows\system32\secur32.dll
secur32.dll
secur32.dll
6.1.7601.18526 (win7sp1_gdr.140706-1506)
Security Support Provider Interface
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18526
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


credssp.dll
C:\Windows\system32\credssp.dll
credssp.dll
credssp.dll
6.1.7601.18540 (win7sp1_gdr.140716-1508)
Credential Delegation Security Package
Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
6.1.7601.18540
False
False
False
False
False
English (United States)


comctl32.dll
C:\Windows\WinSxS\x86_microsoft.windows.common-controls_6595b64144ccf1df_5.82.7601.18201_none_ec80f00e8593ece5\comctl32.dll
COMCTL32

Hi Bob, I’m sorry for my belated reply, however it seems like this issue is not actually related to eM Client rather than a system issue that might be related to use of some custom themes/fonts on your computer?
Are you aware of using such utility on your computer?

Thank you,
Paul.

Hi Paul,

belated or not, thank you for taking the time to reply.  I do appreciate it.

As stated before, I do not “use” this VM, it’s only real function is for testing and configuring software, such as em client, so I can do phone support and generally learn what I need to know before I show up to fix something for a client.  As such, I have not installed any software on this machine that hasn’t also been installed somewhere else.  Regardless, I take your point that something could have gotten installed somehow.  The only thing in the programs list that I would identify as malware is outlook 2013, but to be sure I ran a scan with malwarebytes; it found a few things but removing them did not solve the problem.

I checked the themes in the control panel; the VM is running the default windows 7 basic theme and I see only three themes installed, and they all look like native default ones.  I also checked the fonts; I am not sure how to identify any misbehaving fonts, but I found a button called restore default font settings and clicked it, but that also made no difference to the startup procedure or error message.

I would also mention that I am able to reproduce the problem when the VM is booted into safemode with networking.  Same failure to start and same error.  Perhaps my reasoning is flawed or lacks some bit of information, but I believe this to mean that the problem is not likely to be another program, and if it is due to a setting I have configured in windows, it is most likely something very fundamental in order for the setting to get loaded in safe mode.

One thing I can say that is different about this machine is that is is joined to a domain (also a testing thing).  Given the nature of the error message and the fact that no other program fails to start, I don’t see how this could be the problem, but I would be remiss in not mentioning it…

Hi Bob, I have discussed the issue with the developers however what the crash report states is that system features are causing this crash on your device, which means we’re unable to resolve the issue from our side.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful in resolving the issue, however I personally still believe this might be related to the VM instance, did you come across this issue on any other computer where the application wasn’t installed on a virtual machine?

Can you try to setup a new database for eM client, if the issue persists or if it’s related to your current database? To setup a new database, please navigate to your local folder > app data > roaming and rename or remove the eM Client directory, next time you open the application a new database should be automatically setup.

Thank you,
Paul.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for staying with me on this.

Hi Bob, I have discussed the issue with the developers however what the crash report states is that system features are causing this crash on your device, which means we’re unable to resolve the issue from our side.

Is this the very top part that actually states the parameter is not valid, or is there some other clue in that pile of text that leads to the conclusion the problem is in the system and not the program?  Maybe if I am pointed at what the problem actually is I can spend some time trying to figure it out…

I have not seen this particular error on other machines, no, but in another VM instance (a much older one I no longer use), using the same version of Virtualbox, a fresh install does not have this problem.

I have also tried deleting the folder in appdata, I found that as a possible fix before I posted the first time.  I tried before and after installing, and again after removing all traces of em client from the registry after an uninstall and all folders that were not deleted by the uninstall.  

Did you ever manage to solve the issue?

Hi Michael,
Not that I recall, no.  The only customer I had using emclient has since moved to thunderbird…
sorry I can’t help more.