# Cross-thread violation on rb\_gc() and Windows arguments **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [February 16, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cross-thread-violation-on-rb-gc-and-windows-arguments/85772 "2007-02-16T05:26:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/8e8cbc/32.png) [@yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/yetanothergeek)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cross-thread-violation-on-rb-gc-and-windows-arguments/85772/1 "2007-02-16T05:26:48Z")
Hello, I was working on a script and running into problems with passing an argument with a wildcard with the C:\WINDOWS\System32 path. Observe: * * * C:\>more test.rb puts ARGV C:\>test.rb C:\ruby\*.txt C:/ruby/ChangeLog.txt C:/ruby/LICENSE.txt C:/ruby/ReleaseNotes.txt C:\>test.rb C:\WINDOWS\system32\runonce.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\runonce.exe C:\>test.rb C:\WINDOWS\system32\runonce.ex\* [BUG] cross-thread violation on rb\_gc() ruby 1.8.5 (2006-08-25) [i386-mswin32] This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way. Please contact the application’s support team for more information. ## C:\>ruby -v ruby 1.8.5 (2006-08-25) [i386-mswin32] I haven’t been able to figure out or find a workaround (besides just knowing all the filenames) or fix. I thought Windows takes care of the wildcard, generating the argument list. I don’t know how that would help, but earlier today it made sense to me that it meant something. And this happens even if ARGV is never referenced (e.g. an empty test.rb does the same thing), so it looks like the violation happens even before the script is interpreted. And, yes, I’m logged in with an administrator account (Windows users usually are, aren’t they?). Anyone have any insight? Or is this just one of those things (one of those things about working with Windows)? ---
**Author:** ![yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/8e8cbc/32.png) [@yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/yetanothergeek)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cross-thread-violation-on-rb-gc-and-windows-arguments/85772/2 "2007-02-16T19:06:42Z")
On Feb 15, 11:20 pm, “Chris S.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > C:/ruby/ChangeLog.txt > This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an > I thought Windows takes care of the wildcard, generating the argument > Anyone have any insight? Or is this just one of those things (one of > those things about working with Windows)? Not the answer you want. I’ve tried on my box and it works fine … Have you tried: dir C:\WINDOWS\system32\runonce.ex\* in a dos window? No problem on my box C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\>dir c:\windows\system32\runonce.ex\* Volume in drive C has no label. Volume Serial Number is 2CEC-6C29 Directory of c:\windows\system32 08/10/2004 02:00 PM 14,336 runonce.exe 1 File(s) 14,336 bytes 0 Dir(s) 169,529,577,472 bytes free ---
**Author:** ![yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/8e8cbc/32.png) [@yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/yetanothergeek)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cross-thread-violation-on-rb-gc-and-windows-arguments/85772/3 "2007-02-16T19:10:43Z")
On Feb 16, 11:03 am, “bbiker” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > C:\>more test.rb > > C:\>test.rb C:\WINDOWS\system32\runonce.ex\* > > ``` > 0 Dir(s) 169,529,577,472 bytes free > > ``` Yes. I thought of mentioning that similar wildcard arguments are fine with Windows commands (like dir). I’ve only found this to happen when passing that argument to ruby. ---
**Author:** ![yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/8e8cbc/32.png) [@yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/yetanothergeek)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2007, 9:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cross-thread-violation-on-rb-gc-and-windows-arguments/85772/4 "2007-02-17T09:05:57Z")
On Feb 16, 10:42 pm, Suraj K. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > P.S. The ruby-core developers, such as Nobu Nakada, are much more > knowledgeable than me; they can tell you more about this. Well I wasn’t sure if this was worthy of a ruby-core post. I’m not sure if my ignorance of the causes of the underlying problem comes from not having delved deep enough into the way Ruby handles arguments, or from not understanding how Windows delivers arguments. Or maybe I just don’t know that this isn’t an interesting problem. ---
**Author:** ![yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/8e8cbc/32.png) [@yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/yetanothergeek)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2007, 6:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cross-thread-violation-on-rb-gc-and-windows-arguments/85772/5 "2007-02-17T06:42:46Z")
Chris S. wrote: > C:\>test.rb C:\WINDOWS\system32\runonce.ex\* > [BUG] cross-thread violation on rb\_gc() > ruby 1.8.5 (2006-08-25) [i386-mswin32] To my knowledge, a cross-thread violation occurs when a piece of code (which exists on a different _stack_ altogether, i.e. running within a POSIX or native thread alongside the Ruby interpreter in the same process) makes use of Ruby’s C language API. I have encountered this when I was embedding a Ruby interpreter inside a C program. Ruby was running inside a POSIX thread and therefore had its own _stack_. When the C program made use of Ruby’s C language API, the entire process would crash with that cross-thread violation error. Here, you can see why the violation is cross-thread. When the C program (which existed on a different _stack_ than the Ruby interpreter) tried to use Ruby’s C language API, those API functions would assume that the caller existed within the Ruby interpreter’s stack. That’s what I remember, anyways. Please correct me if I am wrong. 🙂 P.S. The ruby-core developers, such as Nobu Nakada, are much more knowledgeable than me; they can tell you more about this. ---
**Author:** ![yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/8e8cbc/32.png) [@yetanothergeek](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/yetanothergeek)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/cross-thread-violation-on-rb-gc-and-windows-arguments/85772/6 "2007-02-17T15:57:35Z")
Hi, At Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:25:08 +0900, Chris S. wrote in [ruby-talk:239448]: > ## C:\>ruby -v ruby 1.8.5 (2006-08-25) [i386-mswin32] AFAIK, it should have been fixed in October. > I thought Windows takes care of the wildcard, generating the argument > list. No, it is done by the runtime startup routine, but in very poor manor.