initexmf --force --mklinks --admin fails if TeXworks is open

[moewew]

Checklist:

• I am reporting a bug others will be able to reproduce
• I have installed the latest MiKTeX updates
• I have checked the MiKTeX log files

Since the 2018-07-28 update of MikTeX I notice that an update would fail to complete when TeXworks is opened. This did not use to happen earlier. Would it be possible to let an update succeed even if TeXworks is open?

Step-by-step instructions to reproduce

1. Open TeXworks.

2. Then start

   initexmf --force --mklinks --admin
   

   in an admin console.

3. You will be met with

   Sorry, but "MikTeX Configuration Utility" did not succeed
   

   The relevant initexmf_admin.log will contain

   2018-08-02 12:47:53,644+0200 INFO  initexmf - starting: MiKTeX Configuration Utility 2.9.6713 (MiKTeX 2.9.6745 64-bit)
   2018-08-02 12:47:53,644+0200 INFO  initexmf - Operating on the shared (system-wide) MiKTeX setup
   2018-08-02 12:47:53,644+0200 INFO  initexmf - starting with command line: initexmf --force --mklinks --admin
   2018-08-02 12:47:53,818+0200 FATAL initexmf - Windows API error 183: Eine Datei kann nicht erstellt werden, wenn sie bereits vorhanden ist.
   
   2018-08-02 12:47:53,818+0200 FATAL initexmf - Info: newName="C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex/bin/x64\texworks.exe", oldName="C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex/bin/x64\miktex-texworks.exe"
   2018-08-02 12:47:53,818+0200 FATAL initexmf - Source: Libraries\MiKTeX\Core\File\win\winFile.cpp
   2018-08-02 12:47:53,818+0200 FATAL initexmf - Line: 403
   

I understand that MikTeX can't write on TeXworks if it is open, but I'm wondering why this used to work before and only started to become problematic a few days ago. It would really be quite nice if one could update MikTeX without having to close TeXworks.

[edocevoli]

What's the name of the TeXworks, i.e., how did you start TeXworks?

[moewew]

I started it via the start menu link C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\MiKTeX 2.9 that points to "C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64\miktex-texworks.exe". The task manager shows miktex-texworks.exe (path C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64) running.

[edocevoli]

Because I cannot reproduce the bug, I think that it is a system-dependent bug.

FYI: initexmf tries to install a hard link from miktex-texworks.exe to texworks.exe. This fails with Windows error 183 ("Cannot create file when that file already exists"). You can try this

1. open TeXworks
2. open a command-prompt windows as admin
3. run initexmf --force --mklinks --admin

Step 3 should fail (on my system it works).

Maybe step 3 succeeds If you first delete texworks.exe.

[moewew]

Indeed the procedure you describe is exactly what I did to reproduce the problem. I could get step 3 to fail consistently.

I notice that in my C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64 I have texworks.exe as well as

24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.12668.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.22956.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.31448.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.36934.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.38338.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.53000.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.53924.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.58716.(old)
24.06.2018  23:40         6.065.152 texworks.exe.82.(old)

All of them seem to be locked as long as TeXworks is running. (Unfortunately, I could not find out who was blocking these files.)

I removed these files and succeeded in running initexmf --force --mklinks --admin with TeXworks closed and open.

I can quite consistently reproduce my specific issue as follows.

1. Delete all texworks* in C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.9\miktex\bin\x64
2. Open TeXworks
3. Call initexmf --force --mklinks --admin twelve times

The twelve runs produce in that order

1. texworks.exe
2. texworks.exe.(old)
3. texworks.exe.82.(old)
4. texworks.exe.36934.(old)
5. texworks.exe.12668.(old)
6. texworks.exe.53000.(old)
7. texworks.exe.38338.(old)
8. texworks.exe.31448.(old)
9. texworks.exe.22956.(old)
10. texworks.exe.58716.(old)
11. texworks.exe.53924.(old)
12. error

Further runs produce more errors.

[edocevoli]

So the trick is to repeat step 3. I was now able to reproduce it.

[edocevoli]

This will be fixed with milestone 2.9.6800.