WorkingHours starts only with a grey screen

Murphy

WorkingHours Version: 2.17.3.0
Windows: 11 25H2 / Build: 26200.8893
Device model: HP EliteDesk / AMD CPU

Hi Forum
Since installing the Microsoft Update 2026-07 (KB5121767) (26200.8894), I’ve been having a major problem with WorkingHours on a Windows 11 computer. All other store apps working perfectly.

Symptom:

The application launches with a grey screen
Reinstallation was unsuccessful
Store reset was unsuccessful
Local app data has been removed
When launching WorkingHours.exe as Test, the system displays the following message: "The system has detected a stack-based buffer overflow in this application."

Thank you for your reply

timo

Could you please upload screenshots of both the grey WorkingHours window and the complete “stack-based buffer overflow” error message, including its title bar?

Also, what exactly do you mean by launching WorkingHours.exe “as Test”, and how are you launching it?

Murphy

I meant that I ran the EXE file directly as a “test”

When I launch the app normally, I don't receive a notification; I just see a gray screen. For example, if I launch WH by right-clicking “Track Work Time” in the taskbar, the app crashes.

This is the entry in Event Viewer

timo

The .exe file isn’t intended to launch the app directly. Could you please update WorkingHours to the latest version from the Microsoft Store and try again?

Murphy

That’s why I mentioned it was just a test—other apps don’t crash like that.
As described at the beginning, I’ve already gone through the reinstallation process several times. I just did it again, with the same result: a “gray screen.”
According to the Task Manager, the app starts running in the background on the first click and only turns gray on the second click.
For your information, Webview2 version 150.0.4078.99, just like on the other devices.
I can’t say much more about it, except that I’ve never had any problems with the Pro version over the years, neither on Windows nor on Android.

timo

Thanks, I understand that launching the EXE directly was only a test.

The Event Viewer stack trace is identical to this previous report.

It crashes inside the Windows App SDK before WorkingHours’ own code starts. It also appears related to this Windows App SDK issue I reported:
https://github.com/microsoft/WindowsAppSDK/issues/5694

WorkingHours 2.17.4 uses a newer Windows App SDK version. Could you please confirm that version 2.17.4 is installed and whether the grey screen still appears? WebView2 is not involved at this stage.

If the problem also occurs with version 2.17.4, I’m afraid there is currently no reliable fix I can apply within WorkingHours itself, as the crash happens inside the Windows App SDK before the app’s own startup code is reached.

Murphy

Unfortunately, version 2.17.4 also starts up with a grey screen.

timo

Thanks for confirming. I found a likely cause in the diagnostic logs that also explains why WorkingHours initially remains in the background and shows an empty grey window when opened again.

During startup, SkiaSharp fails while WorkingHours is creating the tray icon, leaving the main window only partially initialized. The Event Viewer error you posted is separate and was caused by launching the EXE directly.

The exception may be related to this SkiaSharp issue:
NullReferenceException in SKTypeface

I have added a workaround for the next WorkingHours update. The app will continue to start normally if creating the tray icon fails; only the tray icon will remain unavailable for that session.