It worked (mostly).

Author: johnml1135

.gitignore

@@ -165,3 +165,4 @@ __pycache__/
 .venv/
 venv/
 *.egg-info/
+CrashLog.txt

Build/RegFree.targets

@@ -88,11 +88,11 @@
 	<!-- Phase 1: Generate individual manifests for managed assemblies -->
 	<Target Name="CreateComponentManifests"
 			Inputs="%(ManagedComAssemblies.Identity)"
-			Outputs="$(OutDir)%(ManagedComAssemblies.Filename)%(ManagedComAssemblies.Extension).manifest">
+			Outputs="$(OutDir)%(ManagedComAssemblies.Filename).manifest">
 		<Message Text="Generating component manifest for %(ManagedComAssemblies.Filename) with Platform=$(Platform)" Importance="high" />
 		<RegFree
 			Executable="%(ManagedComAssemblies.Identity)"
-			Output="$(OutDir)%(ManagedComAssemblies.Filename)%(ManagedComAssemblies.Extension).manifest"
+			Output="$(OutDir)%(ManagedComAssemblies.Filename).manifest"
 			ManagedAssemblies="%(ManagedComAssemblies.Identity)"
 			Platform="$(Platform)"
 			Condition="'$(OS)'=='Windows_NT'"
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@
 
 	<Target Name="CreateManifest" Condition="'$(OS)'=='Windows_NT'" DependsOnTargets="CreateComponentManifests">
 		<ItemGroup>
-			<ManagedComponentManifests Include="@(ManagedComAssemblies -> '%(Identity).manifest')" />
+			<ManagedComponentManifests Include="@(ManagedComAssemblies -> '$(OutDir)%(Filename).manifest')" />
 			<ManagedComponentManifests Remove="@(ManagedComponentManifests)" Condition="!Exists('%(ManagedComponentManifests.Identity)')" />
 			<!-- Add the generated component manifests as dependencies -->
 			<DependentAssemblies Include="@(ManagedComponentManifests)" />

Build/Src/FwBuildTasks/RegFree.cs

@@ -214,6 +214,10 @@ public override bool Execute()
 				itemsToProcess.RemoveAll(item => !File.Exists(item.ItemSpec));
 
 				string assemblyName = Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(manifestFile);
+				if (assemblyName.EndsWith(".dll", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+				{
+					assemblyName = Path.GetFileNameWithoutExtension(assemblyName);
+				}
 				Debug.Assert(assemblyName != null);
 				// The C++ test programs won't run if an assemblyIdentity element exists.
 				//if (assemblyName.StartsWith("test"))

specs/003-convergence-regfree-com-coverage/followup_tasks.md

@@ -61,9 +61,10 @@ We will refactor `Build/Src/FwBuildTasks/RegFreeCreator.cs` to derive all necess
     - Verify `Views.X.manifest` contains `<comClass>` entries pointing to `Views.dll`.
     - Ensure no absolute paths from the build machine are embedded.
 
-- [ ] **Task 2.3**: Runtime Verification.
+- [x] **Task 2.3**: Runtime Verification.
     - Run `FieldWorks.exe` from `Output/Debug`.
     - Confirm it launches without "Class not registered" errors.
+    - *Status*: Verified. Application launches successfully.
 
 ### Phase 3: Manifest Cleanup & Error Resolution (SxS Fixes)
 
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ We will refactor `Build/Src/FwBuildTasks/RegFreeCreator.cs` to derive all necess
 1.  **`FwUtils.dll.MANIFEST` Validity**: The trace explicitly fails after parsing this file. It is likely generated with `processorArchitecture="msil"` or `type="win32"`, which conflicts with the x64 `FieldWorks.exe` process or other manifests in the context.
 2.  **Conflicting Identities**: If `FwUtils.dll` is referenced as a dependency in `FieldWorks.exe.manifest` but the side-by-side manifest (`FwUtils.dll.MANIFEST`) declares a slightly different identity (e.g., different version or token), activation will fail.
 3.  **Empty Manifest**: The wildcard generation might be creating a valid-looking but semantically empty or malformed manifest for `FwUtils.dll` if it doesn't export COM types as expected, causing the loader to reject it.
+4.  **Filename Mismatch**: Windows SxS requires the manifest filename to match the `assemblyIdentity` name. `RegFree.targets` was generating `FwUtils.dll.manifest` but the identity was `FwUtils`.
 
 #### Primary Fix Strategy
 **Implement Task 3.1**: Removing the wildcard for managed assemblies will stop `FwUtils.dll.MANIFEST` from being generated. This forces the loader to use standard .NET probing, which is the correct behavior for this assembly and eliminates the conflict source.
@@ -95,7 +97,13 @@ We will refactor `Build/Src/FwBuildTasks/RegFreeCreator.cs` to derive all necess
 - [x] **Task 3.3**: Fix Managed COM Assembly Manifests.
     - *Action*: Explicitly add `FwUtils.dll`, `SimpleRootSite.dll`, `ManagedVwDrawRootBuffered.dll`, `ManagedLgIcuCollator.dll`, `ManagedVwWindow.dll` to `ManagedComAssemblies` in `RegFree.targets`.
     - *Action*: Ensure `Platform="$(Platform)"` is used to generate `amd64` manifests for x64 builds.
-    - *Status**: Completed. Manifests regenerated with `type="win64"` and `processorArchitecture="amd64"`.
+    - *Action*: Ensure manifest filenames match Assembly Identity (e.g., `FwUtils.manifest` instead of `FwUtils.dll.manifest`).
+    - *Status*: Completed. Manifests regenerated with `type="win64"`, `processorArchitecture="amd64"`, and correct filenames.
 
 - [ ] **Task 3.4**: Standardize EXE Integration.
     - *Action*: Audit other EXEs (`LCMBrowser.exe`, `UnicodeCharEditor.exe`) and ensure they import `RegFree.targets` with the same explicit configuration.
+
+## Follow-up Tasks (Post-SxS Fix)
+
+- [ ] **Run full test suite:** Ensure that the changes to manifest naming do not affect other parts of the system.
+- [ ] **Check other projects:** Verify if any other projects use `RegFree.targets` and if they are also working correctly.