DPI16: natspeak.exe crashes in background when closing

[tripfish]

If natlink is registered, there is a silent crash in the background when Dragon is closed. You can see this in the event viewer.

As a result, internal commands such as “Restart Windows Immediately” or “Shutdown Windows Immediately” no longer work, because natspeak crashed in the background before shutting down.

Reproduction steps:
install natlink 5.5.7
start dragon
shut down dragon (e.g. via the task bar or command)

You will see a crash entry for natspeak.exe in the event viewer.

Tested DPI 16.0 and 16.1 with a German profile on Windows 11 23H2 and 24H2.
Also tested without natlink and the error did not occur.

Faulting application name: natspeak.exe, Version: 16.10.200.44, Timestamp: 0x6582a0bd
Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, Version: 10.0.22621.4391, Timestamp: 0xaa58fd70
Exception code: 0xc0000374
Fault offset: 0x000edcdf
Faulting process ID: 0x0x643C
Faulting application start time: 0x0x1DB3E6172E3ACF2
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Nuance\NaturallySpeaking16\Program\natspeak.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\ntdll.dll
Report ID: 78e82132-a678-4f6b-923b-6de8e4d0e16d
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

[drmfinlay]

Well, this looks like a serious problem! I'll assign myself to fixing this and see if I can reproduce it. My first suspect would be the PyMem_RawFree() call in CDgnAppSupport::UnRegister(). @tripfish, @LexiconCode: Do either of you know if this error occurs only with a German profile?

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On Sun, 24 Nov 2024 10:04:18 -0800 tripfish ***@***.***> wrote: If natlink is registered, there is a silent crash in the background when Dragon is closed. You can see this in the event viewer. As a result, internal commands such as “Restart Windows Immediately” or “Shutdown Windows Immediately” no longer work, because natspeak crashed in the background before shutting down. Reproduction steps: install natlink 5.5.7 start dragon shut down dragon (e.g. via the task bar or command) You will see a crash entry for natspeak.exe in the event viewer. Tested DPI 16.0 and 16.1 with a German profile on Windows 11 23H2 and 24H2. Also tested without natlink and the error did not occur. ``` Faulting application name: natspeak.exe, Version: 16.10.200.44, Timestamp: 0x6582a0bd Faulting module name: ntdll.dll, Version: 10.0.22621.4391, Timestamp: 0xaa58fd70 Exception code: 0xc0000374 Fault offset: 0x000edcdf Faulting process ID: 0x0x643C Faulting application start time: 0x0x1DB3E6172E3ACF2 Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Nuance\NaturallySpeaking16\Program\natspeak.exe Faulting module path: C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\ntdll.dll Report ID: 78e82132-a678-4f6b-923b-6de8e4d0e16d Faulting package full name: Faulting package-relative application ID: ``` -- Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: #217 You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Message ID: ***@***.***>

[tripfish]

@tripfish, @LexiconCode: Do either of you know if this error occurs only with a German profile?

Unfortunately, I can't say for sure whether I tested it with an EN profile. I'm back on version 15.3 for now, so I can't test it.

Thanks for looking at the issue.

[LexiconCode]

I won't be able to dig into this till Monday! But I will report back when I can.

[drmfinlay]

Thank you both for your responses last month. I now have Dragon 16 and have been able to confirm this. The cause is the PyMem_RawFree() call I mentioned. The problem goes away without that call. We will have this fixed in the next release.

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On Fri, 12 Sep 2025 04:31:27 -0700 LexiconCode ***@***.***> wrote: LexiconCode left a comment (dictation-toolbox/natlink#217) I won't be able to dig into this till Monday! But I will report back when I can. -- Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: #217 (comment) You are receiving this because you were assigned. Message ID: ***@***.***>

[quintijn]

Dane, I see a pull request on this from 7 months ago. Still relevant? Just merge this in? If you agree, I can accept it. You can also do it yourself :-)

[drmfinlay]

Hi Quintijn, The pull request in question (PR #222) has already been merged. The changes have not been released in a new version, however. I can't publish a new release because I don't understand the Natlink release process... If you or Doug make a new release soon, the release notes for it should include a recommendation for Dragon 13 users stay on version 5.5.7, as the fix for this issue will cause problems for some Dragon 13 users.

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On Fri, 29 May 2026 05:45:14 -0700 Quintijn Hoogenboom ***@***.***> wrote: quintijn left a comment (dictation-toolbox/natlink#217) Dane, I see a pull request on this from 7 months ago. Still relevant? Just merge this in? If you agree, I can accept it. You can also do it yourself :-) -- Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: #217 (comment) You are receiving this because you were assigned. Message ID: ***@***.***>