EnumerateSatelliteLibrarySearchPaths

Oct 13, 2025 by talynt.org 104 views

Can Not Run on an ARM64 Chipset: A Solution to the Scintilla.NET Editor Issue

The Scintilla.NET editor is a powerful tool for creating text-based applications, but it has a limitation when it comes to running on ARM64 chipsets. The underlying Scintilla and Lexilla DLLs are currently compiled only for the Win32 and Win64 architectures, which means that applications using the Scintilla.NET editor will fail to load on Windows VMs running on ARM64-based devices. In this article, we will explore the issue and provide a solution to make the Scintilla.NET editor work on ARM64 chipsets.

The bug is caused by the fact that the Scintilla and Lexilla DLLs are not compiled for the ARM64 architecture. When an application using the Scintilla.NET editor is launched on a Windows VM running on a Mac Mini M4, it will fail to load due to a failure to load the Win32 DLL error. This is because the underlying DLLs are not compatible with the ARM64 chipset.

To reproduce the behavior, follow these steps:

Launch any application using the Scintilla.NET editor on a Windows VM running on a Mac Mini M4.
The application will fail to load due to a failure to load the Win32 DLL error.

The expected behavior is that an application using the Scintilla.NET editor can be launched on a Windows VM running on a Mac Mini M4 without any issues.

OS: Windows
Version: 11 64-bit Arm

I have been able to make this work by creating ARM64 versions of the base dependencies and adding them to the runtimes/win-arm64/native folder. Then, I made a small change to Scintilla.cs in EnumerateSatelliteLibrarySearchPaths. The change is as follows:

string folder = Path.Combine("runtimes", "win-" + System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation.ProcessArchitecture.ToString().ToLower(), "native");

This change allows the application to load the correct DLLs for the ARM64 architecture.

To make the Scintilla.NET editor work on ARM64 chipsets, you need to create ARM64 versions of the base dependencies and add them to the runtimes/win-arm64/native folder. Then, make the small change to Scintilla.cs in EnumerateSatelliteLibrarySearchPaths as mentioned above.

The Scintilla.NET editor is a powerful tool for creating text-based applications, but it has a limitation when it comes to running on ARM64 chipsets. By creating ARM64 versions of the base dependencies and making a small change to Scintilla.cs, we can make the Scintilla.NET editor work on ARM64 chipsets. I would be glad to pass along the binaries or a PR if it would help.

In the future, it would be great to have the Scintilla and Lexilla DLLs compiled for the ARM64 architecture by default. This would eliminate the need for the small change to Scintilla.cs and make the Scintilla.NET editor work seamlessly on ARM64 chipsets.

I would like to thank the Scintilla.NET team for their hard work and dedication to creating a powerful text-based editor. I would also like to thank the ARM64 chipset community for their contributions to the development of the ARM64 architecture.
Can Not Run on an ARM64 Chipset: A Q&A Article

In our previous article, we discussed the issue of the Scintilla.NET editor not being able to run on ARM64 chipsets. We also provided a solution to make the Scintilla.NET editor work on ARM64 chipsets by creating ARM64 versions of the base dependencies and making a small change to Scintilla.cs. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions about the issue and the solution.

A: The issue is that the underlying Scintilla and Lexilla DLLs are currently compiled only for the Win32 and Win64 architectures. This means that applications using the Scintilla.NET editor will fail to load on Windows VMs running on ARM64-based devices.

A: The Scintilla and Lexilla DLLs are not compiled for ARM64 because the developers have not yet done so. However, with the growing popularity of ARM64-based devices, it is likely that the DLLs will be compiled for ARM64 in the future.

A: To create ARM64 versions of the base dependencies, you will need to compile the dependencies for the ARM64 architecture. This can be done using a tool such as Visual Studio or a cross-compiler. Once you have compiled the dependencies, you will need to add them to the runtimes/win-arm64/native folder.

A: The small change to Scintilla.cs is as follows:

string folder = Path.Combine("runtimes", "win-" + System.Runtime.InteropServices.RuntimeInformation.ProcessArchitecture.ToString().ToLower(), "native");

This change allows the application to load the correct DLLs for the ARM64 architecture.

A: You need to make this change because the Scintilla.NET editor is looking for the DLLs in the wrong location. By making this change, you are telling the Scintilla.NET editor to look for the DLLs in the correct location.

A: Yes, you can use the Scintilla.NET editor on other ARM-based devices. However, you will need to create ARM versions of the base dependencies and make the small change to Scintilla.cs.

A: You can get the ARM64 versions of the base dependencies by compiling the dependencies for the ARM64 architecture. Alternatively, you can download the ARM64 versions of the base dependencies from a repository such as GitHub.

A: Yes, you can contribute to the Scintilla.NET project. You can submit bug reports, feature requests, and patches to the project. You can also contribute to the project by creating ARM64 versions of the base dependencies and making the small change to Scintilla.cs.

In this article, we have answered some frequently asked questions about the issue of the Scintilla.NET editor not being able to run on ARM64 chipsets. We have also provided a solution to make the Scintilla.NET editor work on ARM64 chipsets. We hope that this article has been helpful in answering your questions and providing a solution to the issue.