Debugging DLL dependency issues on Windows

Debugging DLL dependency issues on Windows (Work in progress)

Our release packages for Windows consist of a primary module DLL, mod-openvino.dll, along with a bunch of other DLL's for which this primary DLL has dependencies on.

In rare instances, we have received reports that the OpenVINO AI module is failing to load with this message:

This error, the specified module could not be found usually indicates that there is some DLL dependency that is not being resolved. Obviously our intent is to package up all of the required dependencies, so it's always a little bit puzzling to us.

One very useful tool that can be used to help debug the issue is a tool called Dependencies. It can be downloaded from here: Dependencies_x64_Release.zip

Extract this zip file. Within the extracted folder, Dependencies_x64_Release, you'll find the tool that we will use called DependenciesGUI.exe.

Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to use this tool to debug DLL dependency issues.

1. Run DependenciesGUI.exe by double-clicking on it. It will look like this upon opening:
   

2. Using Windows Explorer, go to the folder that Audacity is installed (typically C:\Program Files\Audacity). Inside this folder is another folder called modules. Go into this folder, and look for the file called mod-openvino.dll. Drag this file into the Dependencies tool:
   

3. The initial analysis will be performed, and it will look like the following picture -- which gives the results that none of the DLL's can be found:
   

4. We need to add the Audacity folder to the search path so that the tool is able to resolve the required DLLs. To do this, go to Options and click Customize search folders:
   

5. In the window that pops up, click New, and then add the path to the Audacity installation folder. This is typically C:\Program Files\Audacity:
   

6. Click OK. The majority (or ideally, all) of the items in the list shouldn't be red anymore. It should look something like this:
   

7. Items in the list that are still not resolved here are probably what are causing your issues. For example, the following picture demonstrates an environment where whisper.dll is missing for whatever reason:
   

You will hopefully be able to easily spot some missing DLL here. If so, go ahead and file an issue and we'll help you figure out how to get it resolved.

If you don't see any missing DLL's reported, try to dive down one layer into each DLL to see if any errors pop up. Keep doing this until you find the missing DLL.