Issue with CefSharp Version 127.3.50 in Kiosk Mode under Alternate Shell

[Youngoder]

I have developed a simple program that opens a browser window, displays a URL, and refreshes it every 120 seconds. The program runs on a terminal that is automatically started via a .bat file in Kiosk Mode (using Alternate Shell -->https://admx.help/?Category=Windows_10_2016&Policy=Microsoft.Policies.WindowsLogon2::CustomShell) to prevent non-admins from making changes.

The program works flawlessly with CefSharp Version 126.2.180, but starting with Version 127.3.50, I encounter the error "Breakpoint encountered in the source program." Interestingly, the program works perfectly when a user logs in manually to the terminal and starts the program.

For troubleshooting, I tried the following:

Debugging with MessageBoxes: Added MessageBoxes at key steps in the program, but it didn’t help.

cef_log.txt: The log file provided no additional insights.

Windows Event Viewer: It didn’t show any relevant information.

VC++ Version: 2019.

Testing with different .NET Framework versions: Both .NET Framework 4.6.2 and 4.8 showed no improvement.

The terminal's operating system is Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC, Version 21H2.

Development environment: C# in Visual Studio 2022.

Has anyone experienced similar issues related to CefSharp, Alternate Shell, or Kiosk Modes? Are there any known changes introduced in version 127.3.50 that might cause this behavior?

[amaitland]

See https://github.com/cefsharp/CefSharp/wiki/Trouble-Shooting#unmanaged-crashes-when-the-process-dies

Has anyone experienced similar issues related to CefSharp, Alternate Shell, or Kiosk Modes?

I haven't had the need to try either.

Are there any known changes introduced in version 127.3.50 that might cause this behavior?

There are major upstream changes in this time period. https://github.com/cefsharp/CefSharp/releases/tag/v127.3.50

M127 is old and unsupported. How does M131 behave?

[Youngoder]

Thank you for the response and the provided information.

I’ve now tested the program with CefSharp Version 131.3.50, and unfortunately, the same issue persists: the program fails to run when started through the Alternate Shell (Kiosk Mode), but works flawlessly when launched manually after logging into the terminal.

Key Points:
Implemented all required code changes:

Migrated to the Chrome Bootstrap, as Alloy Bootstrap is no longer supported.
Set CefSharpSettings.RuntimeStyle = CefRuntimeStyle.Chrome explicitly.
Verified that all paths (CachePath, RootCachePath, etc.) are absolute.
Updated the initialization logic to handle Cef.IsInitialized (now bool?).
Verified VC++ 2019 is installed and correctly configured.
Debugging efforts:

Added cef_log.txt, which provided no useful information.
Added MessageBoxes throughout the program for debugging; no insights gained.
Examined the Windows Event Viewer logs, which revealed no relevant details.
Behavior comparison:

The issue only occurs in Alternate Shell (Kiosk Mode).
When running manually after login, the program works perfectly on all tested versions (127.3.50 and 131.3.50).
System configuration:

Operating System: Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC, Version 21H2.
.NET Framework: Tested on both 4.6.2 and 4.8.
Development environment: Visual Studio 2022.
Request for Assistance:
Could this issue be related to changes introduced in the Chrome Bootstrap or how Chromium handles process initialization under the Alternate Shell environment? Are there additional debugging tools or configurations for identifying problems specific to Alternate Shell or Kiosk Mode?

Thank you for any further insights or suggestions!

[amaitland]

Migrated to the Chrome Bootstrap, as Alloy Bootstrap is no longer supported.
Set CefSharpSettings.RuntimeStyle = CefRuntimeStyle.Chrome explicitly.

Bootstrap is different to style. Allow style is still supported. Try switching back to Alloy styling.

Could this issue be related to changes introduced in the Chrome Bootstrap or how Chromium handles process initialization under the Alternate Shell environment?

Possible. M126 was the first version to switch to using the Chrome Bootstrap by default, so it's not clear that it's specific to the bootstrap. It might be related to styling if you switched from Alloy to Chrome.

Are there additional debugging tools or configurations for identifying problems specific to Alternate Shell or Kiosk Mode?

Haven't used either, so cannot provide any specific guidance.

If you can I'd be enabling crash reporting as per link above.