MSBuild Build Error with ImageList in Windows Forms C#

Question

MSBuild Build Error with ImageList in Windows Forms C#

Mahmoud Khaled 0

Details

Encountering build errors when using the ImageList control in a Windows Forms application built with C#. The following errors are present after attempting to run the program:

Errors:

Task host node exited prematurely. Diagnostic information may be found in files in the temporary files directory named MSBuild_*.failure.txt.
The "GenerateResource" task's outputs could not be retrieved from the "FilesWritten" parameter. Object does not match target type.

Several attempts have been made to resolve the issue:

Fixed .resx file corruption, as the ImageList component stores image resources in .resx files (e.g., Form1.resx).
Ensured correct image formats, confirming that images in the ImageList are in formats like PNG, BMP, or JPEG.
Cleaned and rebuilt the project using MSBuild commands:

   dotnet clean 
   dotnet restore 
   dotnet build

Verified .NET SDK installation.
Checked for architecture mismatch, ensuring the project’s target architecture (x86/x64) matches the SDK installation.
Disabled MSBuild node reuse by adding the /nodeReuse:false option.

Despite these efforts, the same issue persists. Any guidance on resolving this problem would be appreciated.

Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-10T13:37:43.8966667+00:00

Hi @Mahmoud Khaled ,

If you close VS, remove the bin, obj and the hidden .vs folder in your solution folder. After that reboot your machine, directly launch VS and build this project, will it work?

I did some tests but I still failed to reproduce this issue. If this issue is replicated in a newly created project, please share us the complete steps to reproduce this issue and check further.
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-11T04:58:52.93+00:00

Thanks for your reply @Tianyu Sun-MSFT , But that did nothing. I'm still encounter the same problem. I tried to uninstall VS and Download it again, but that did nothing also. I read about that problem and tried too many things to get rid of it, but also i ended up with nothing. I didn't do any projects with "ImageList" before but what I'm trying to do is binding "ViewList" with it. I think the main issue is MSBuild. And also i have problem with "SaveFileDialog" and "OpenFileDialog", The problem is when i click a button very simply to open any of these dialogs the whole app is closed directly.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-12T12:31:13.39+00:00

Hi @Mahmoud Khaled ,

Could you please first confirm if this issue can be replicated by creating a new WinForm project?

I tested with ImageList and the OpenFileDialog control but I failed to reproduce this issue.

Is it possible for you to share us the sample code(some screenshots or .gif pictures will be better. Note to avoid the privacy information) that you are using, so that we can set the controls, try to reproduce this issue, and check why MSBuild prompts this error?

For example, on my side, I tested the sample described here: OpenFileDialog Class
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-16T10:47:26.1133333+00:00
Hi @Tianyu Sun-MSFT ,

This is a simple for "SaveFileDialog" and "OpenFileDialog",

Once I run this it goes okay, but when i click "save" button or "open file" button it gives me this.

Then the app is broke and close directly.

2."ImageList" error

I put an image inside ImageList and bind it with ListView. The app doesn't even launch and it gives me these errors
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-18T13:56:03.25+00:00

Hi @Mahmoud Khaled,

If you try to rebuild the project and directly launch(without using VS) the generated execution file in the project file, can they/it be launched and worked correctly?

About the "SaveFileDialog" and "OpenFileDialog" issue, please close VS, run Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022, run devenv.exe /log command. VS will be launched automatically, try to reproduce this issue, close VS, then navigate to %AppData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\17.0_<InstanceID>. Check the generated ActivityLog.xml file, see if it records any detailed error message. Besides, could you try to repair VS from VS Installer > More > Repair and check if this works(this takes some time)?
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-19T06:00:33+00:00

Hi @Tianyu Sun-MSFT ,

for ImageList, i run the .exe after rebuilding the app, but i still encounter the same issue After doing the repair the same issue is still happening for "SaveFileDialog" and "OpenFileDialog".

Is it because of windows 11. I don't know.

but i have a lot of friends are already working on it without any of these issues.

Could you please also check this issue of installing SQL server.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-21T12:33:09.12+00:00

Hi @Mahmoud Khaled,

Looks like this issue appears even without using Visual Studio.

I also tested on Windows 11, but I didn’t get this issue, so this issue should not be caused by Windows 11.

From the picture that you shared, what is expected to happen after you click the "Open ListView" button? A new form should open and show the listview with the imageview? What if you directly set to start that form without setting this jump, will the listview show correctly when you run the .exe file?

For the original two errors, I doubt some configurations are not set correctly on your machine. Did you set any custom configuration on your machine especially for msbuild.exe, such as environment variables, some paths, and some system files?

Is it possible for you to test the same project on another machine? This will be very useful for narrowing this issue down.
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-22T03:56:03.7+00:00
Hi @Tianyu Sun-MSFT ,

I gave the same project to my friend to test it, but he didn't encounter the same problem.

The project run successfully with him without these errors.

And when he gives me a project that has an ImageList, it runs for him but doesn’t run for me.

These are the environment variables i have:

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

and this is a system environment

I hope you find a way to fix this issue, because i wasted about 10 days trying to solve it.
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-22T04:05:26.0433333+00:00

Now VS tells me to install the update but that what i get.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-27T09:51:47.0866667+00:00
Looks like the issue is related to your system environment.

I’ve checked the environment variables, and I don’t find any wrong settings.

You may need to use some powerful tools that provided by system to check the logs and find the root cause. I would suggest you also contact Windows team.

Besides, here are some of my opinions for troubleshooting Windows OS environment issues:

Run CMD as administrator, run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command, after it finishes running, run sfc /scannow. These two command lines help to fix the corrupted and missing system files.

Try to update Windows OS, install all the patches, and make sure that there’s no Windows Update error. Sometimes Windows Update fixes some Windows issues.

Try to use Event Viewer to check the event log.

1 answer

Your answer

Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-10T13:37:43.8966667+00:00

Hi @Mahmoud Khaled ,

If you close VS, remove the bin, obj and the hidden .vs folder in your solution folder. After that reboot your machine, directly launch VS and build this project, will it work?

I did some tests but I still failed to reproduce this issue. If this issue is replicated in a newly created project, please share us the complete steps to reproduce this issue and check further.
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-11T04:58:52.93+00:00

Thanks for your reply @Tianyu Sun-MSFT , But that did nothing. I'm still encounter the same problem. I tried to uninstall VS and Download it again, but that did nothing also. I read about that problem and tried too many things to get rid of it, but also i ended up with nothing. I didn't do any projects with "ImageList" before but what I'm trying to do is binding "ViewList" with it. I think the main issue is MSBuild. And also i have problem with "SaveFileDialog" and "OpenFileDialog", The problem is when i click a button very simply to open any of these dialogs the whole app is closed directly.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-12T12:31:13.39+00:00

Hi @Mahmoud Khaled ,

Could you please first confirm if this issue can be replicated by creating a new WinForm project?

I tested with ImageList and the OpenFileDialog control but I failed to reproduce this issue.

Is it possible for you to share us the sample code(some screenshots or .gif pictures will be better. Note to avoid the privacy information) that you are using, so that we can set the controls, try to reproduce this issue, and check why MSBuild prompts this error?

For example, on my side, I tested the sample described here: OpenFileDialog Class
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-16T10:47:26.1133333+00:00

Hi @Tianyu Sun-MSFT ,

This is a simple for "SaveFileDialog" and "OpenFileDialog",

Once I run this it goes okay, but when i click "save" button or "open file" button it gives me this.

Then the app is broke and close directly.

2."ImageList" error

I put an image inside ImageList and bind it with ListView. The app doesn't even launch and it gives me these errors
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-18T13:56:03.25+00:00

Hi @Mahmoud Khaled,

If you try to rebuild the project and directly launch(without using VS) the generated execution file in the project file, can they/it be launched and worked correctly?

About the "SaveFileDialog" and "OpenFileDialog" issue, please close VS, run Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022, run devenv.exe /log command. VS will be launched automatically, try to reproduce this issue, close VS, then navigate to %AppData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\17.0_<InstanceID>. Check the generated ActivityLog.xml file, see if it records any detailed error message. Besides, could you try to repair VS from VS Installer > More > Repair and check if this works(this takes some time)?
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-19T06:00:33+00:00

Hi @Tianyu Sun-MSFT ,

for ImageList, i run the .exe after rebuilding the app, but i still encounter the same issue After doing the repair the same issue is still happening for "SaveFileDialog" and "OpenFileDialog".

Is it because of windows 11. I don't know.

but i have a lot of friends are already working on it without any of these issues.

Could you please also check this issue of installing SQL server.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-21T12:33:09.12+00:00

Hi @Mahmoud Khaled,

Looks like this issue appears even without using Visual Studio.

I also tested on Windows 11, but I didn’t get this issue, so this issue should not be caused by Windows 11.

From the picture that you shared, what is expected to happen after you click the "Open ListView" button? A new form should open and show the listview with the imageview? What if you directly set to start that form without setting this jump, will the listview show correctly when you run the .exe file?

For the original two errors, I doubt some configurations are not set correctly on your machine. Did you set any custom configuration on your machine especially for msbuild.exe, such as environment variables, some paths, and some system files?

Is it possible for you to test the same project on another machine? This will be very useful for narrowing this issue down.
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-22T03:56:03.7+00:00

Hi @Tianyu Sun-MSFT ,

I gave the same project to my friend to test it, but he didn't encounter the same problem.

The project run successfully with him without these errors.

And when he gives me a project that has an ImageList, it runs for him but doesn’t run for me.

These are the environment variables i have:

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

and this is a system environment

I hope you find a way to fix this issue, because i wasted about 10 days trying to solve it.
Mahmoud Khaled 0 Reputation points

2025-03-22T04:05:26.0433333+00:00

Now VS tells me to install the update but that what i get.
Tianyu Sun-MSFT 34,691 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-27T09:51:47.0866667+00:00

Looks like the issue is related to your system environment.

I’ve checked the environment variables, and I don’t find any wrong settings.

You may need to use some powerful tools that provided by system to check the logs and find the root cause. I would suggest you also contact Windows team.

Besides, here are some of my opinions for troubleshooting Windows OS environment issues:

Run CMD as administrator, run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth command, after it finishes running, run sfc /scannow. These two command lines help to fix the corrupted and missing system files.

Try to update Windows OS, install all the patches, and make sure that there’s no Windows Update error. Sometimes Windows Update fixes some Windows issues.

Try to use Event Viewer to check the event log.

Answer 1

Mahmoud Khaled 0

To solve this problem, you should try one of these options:

Install a new Windows and download all programs from scratch (not recommended).

Install VirtualBox, then install Windows on it, and add your apps to the new Windows.

I don’t know what I actually did to mess up my Windows, but this solution worked for me. If anyone has ideas about what’s going on with my Windows, please let me know in the comments.

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MSBuild Build Error with ImageList in Windows Forms C#

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