ParaView 6.2.0 fails to launch on Windows 11 25H2 – Smart App Control blocks DLL loading

ParaView Support
1

Hello ParaView Developers,

I am experiencing an issue running ParaView 6.2.0 on my Windows 11 laptop and would appreciate your assistance.

System information:

  • OS: Windows 11 25H2

  • OS Build: 26200.9711

  • ParaView version: 6.2.0

  • Architecture: Windows 64-bit

Problem description:

When I launch paraview.exe, the application fails to start and displays a series of “Bad Image” errors with status code 0xc0e90002.

The affected DLLs include:

  • pqCore-pv6.2.dll

  • pqApplicationComponents-pv6.2.dll

  • vtkRemotingViews-pv6.2.dll

  • vtkRenderingOpenGL2-pv6.2.dll

  • vtkInteractionWidgets-pv6.2.dll

I downloaded ParaView again and tested a fresh copy, but the issue persisted.

After investigating Windows Event Viewer, I found the following:

  1. Code Integrity Operational Event ID 3077 reports that paraview.exe attempted to load pqApplicationComponents-pv6.2.dll, but the DLL was blocked by the VerifiedAndReputableDesktop policy.

  2. The reported status code was 0xc0e90002.

  3. Event ID 3089 associated with this event reported TotalSignatureCount=0.

  4. Windows Security shows that Smart App Control is enabled.

  5. The DLL Properties window does not show any embedded or catalog digital signatures.

I also verified that the VerifiedAndReputableDesktop policy is currently enforced on my system.

I understand that Smart App Control is a Windows security feature, and I am reluctant to disable it, as re-enabling it requires fresh installation of Windows.

My questions:

  1. Is the Windows build of ParaView 6.2.0 expected to work with Windows 11 Smart App Control enabled?

  2. Is there an officially supported, digitally signed Windows build or installer that would work without requiring users to disable Smart App Control?

I would be grateful for any guidance. I use ParaView for visualising OpenFOAM CFD simulations, and resolving this issue would be extremely helpful..

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Best regards,

2

No

Is there an officially supported, digitally signed Windows build or installer that would work without requiring users to disable Smart App Control?

No

3

Hi,

Thanks for responding.

I just wanted to ask whether Kitware has any plans to provide an officially signed Windows build or installer in a future ParaView release that would be compatible with this ‘Smart App Control’ feature of Windows?

I would prefer to use the native Windows version rather than rely on WSL, especially for CFD post-processing workflows.

Thanks again for your time.

4

Hi @Ayan_Santania, did you install ParaView from the .msi installer or the .zip bundle? If you installed the .msi, then we have some more work to do signing the components it installs (e.g., DLLs).

5

Hi @cory.quammen ,

I used the .zip bundle. Both the times (the 2nd attempt was to start afresh).

6

Ah, we don’t sign the zip bundles at all. If you are able to use the .msi installers on your system instead, that should hopefully work. Can you install an .msi file and let us know if it also fails with Smart App control enabled?

7

I tested the MSI installer as suggested.

The installation completed successfully using the default settings. However, when I launched ParaView 6.2.0 from the Windows Start menu, I encountered the same “Bad Image” errors as with the ZIP bundle.

The errors appeared for the following DLLs:

  • vtkFiltersGeneral-pv6.2.dll

  • vtkFiltersGeometry-pv6.2.dll

Both reported error status 0xc0e90002.

Smart App Control was enabled throughout the installation and testing. No security settings were changed.

Unfortunately, the MSI installer does not appear to resolve the issue.

8

Okay, thanks for confirming. We’ll look into what we need to do to make the ParaView binaries work with Smart App Control.

9

Thank you, @cory.quammen . I really appreciate this issue being addressed. I’d be happy to help with further testing if needed.