BUG: "Illegal Operation" Error Message When a Program Reads a Corrupted Image by Using OleLoadPicture (327257)

SYMPTOMS

If a program uses the OleLoadPicture application programming interface (API) when it loads a corrupted Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) image, you may receive the following error message:

This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.

The exact symptoms in the program may vary depending on how the program was written. However, in most cases, the program closes. When you run the program under a debugger, you see that the failure occurs in Asycfilt.dll.

This problem also affects programs that were written in Microsoft Visual Basic that use the Picture Box instrinsic control.

RESOLUTION

To avoid this problem, do one of the following:

Do not use corrupted GIF files. For example, if the GIF will not display in Microsoft Internet Explorer, the GIF is corrupted.
Ask the vendor of the program for a version that either does not rely on the OleLoadPicture API or verifies the GIF before the program loads it.
Run the program on an operating system that supports a fixed version of the OLE Automation libraries. See the "More Information" section of this article for details.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

Versions of the OLE Automation libraries that do not experience this problem are available for Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Microsoft Windows 2000, and Microsoft Windows XP. This problem is also fixed in Windows XP Service Pack 1.

REFERENCES

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

326646 Corrupted Images Cause Access Violation with OleLoadPicture Function

324490 FIX: Corrupted GIF Images May Cause an Access Violation in OLE

327177 FIX: OleLoadPicture May Cause an Access Violation If the Source Image Is Corrupted