FIX: Application Setup Errors While Displaying "Copying Files, Please Stand By" (216231)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Visual Basic Learning Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition for Windows 6.0
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition for Windows 6.0
This article was previously published under Q216231

SYMPTOMS

When you run a Setup that was created using the Package and Deployment Wizard (PDW), you receive one of the following error messages:
Cannot start main setup program! (CreateProcess() returned error code 0x000000C1H)
VB6stkit.dll is not a valid Windows NT image
The system could not locate the file '<Temp Folder>\Msftqws.pdw\Vb6stkit.dll'. Would you like to browse for the file yourself?
The system could not locate the file '<Temp Folder>\Windows\Temp\Msftqws.pdw\St6unst.exe'. Would you like to browse for the file yourself?
where <Temp Folder> is the Windows\Temp folder on Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me or the folder specified by the TEMP environment variable on Windows NT.

CAUSE

If the symptom occurs on all target computers where you run Setup, the cause of the problem is most likely one of the following:
  • A damaged diskette.
  • A damaged setup file.
If the symptom only occurs on some target computers, the cause may be one of the following:
  • Left-over files from a previous installation attempt.
  • A machine-specific issue.

RESOLUTION

Test for Damaged Diskette

Try deploying the Setup package to a different set of diskettes, or use a disk scanning utility, such as ScanDisk, to verify the integrity of the current set of diskettes.

NOTE: When using ScanDisk, select the Thorough option. The Standard option does not detect all disk errors.

Test for Damaged Files

  1. Create a test folder on the hard drive of the target computer.
  2. Copy the files from the Setup diskettes to the test folder:
    1. If you receive error messages indicating the copy failed, the diskette may be damaged (see the "Test for Damaged Diskettes" section of this article), or there may be a problem with the floppy disk drive.
    2. If the copy succeeds, continue with the next step.
  3. Run Setup.exe from the test folder on the hard drive.
    1. If the Setup succeeds when run from the hard drive, this indicates one of the diskettes may be damaged (see the "Test for Damaged Diskettes" section of this article), or there may be a problem with the floppy disk drive.
    2. If the Setup fails with one of the error messages listed in the "Symptoms" section of this article, continue with the next step
  4. If the Setup succeeds when run from the hard drive, this indicates one of the diskettes may be damaged (see the "Test for Damaged Diskettes" section of this article), or there may be a problem with the floppy disk drive.
  5. If the Setup fails with one of the error messages listed in the SYMPTOMS article, continue with the next step.
  6. To determine whether a .cab file is corrupt, manually extract the files from the .cab file(s). To extract the contents of a cabinet file, you must use the Extract utility.

    Extract.exe can be found in your Windows or Winnt folder or on your Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows 2000 installation CD or diskettes.

    Extract.exe is a command-line utility. Therefore, it is used from an MS-DOS command prompt. To extract the files within a cabinet file, be sure the Extract.exe utility is in the MS-DOS path, or copy the Extract utility to the same folder as the cabinet file.

    From the MS-DOS command prompt, you can run the following command to extract all of the files in a .cab file into the current directory:

    extract.exe /e /a <File Name>.cab

    where <File Name> is the name of your cabinet file. If there are multiple .cab files in the setup, <File Name> should be the first .cab in the series. If all the files extract successfully, the .cab file is not corrupted. However, the .cab file is corrupted if you receive the following error message:
    ERROR: Cabinet file <File Name>.cab is corrupted
    where <File Name> is the name of the .cab file you just extracted.

    NOTE: In some cases, a .cab file may be damaged even though you are able to successfully extract the files from it. Try re-running the PDW or running the .bat file in the \Support folder to recreate the .cab file(s). After recreating the cabinet file(s), verify that they are not corrupt by manually extracting the files again, and then retrying the installation.

    For additional information about rebuilding cabinet files by running a .bat file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    191212 HOWTO: Modify and Rebuild .CAB Files Built with PDW


    For more information on using the Extract.exe utility, you can type the following command at an MS-DOS command prompt:

    extract.exe /?

    For even more information on Extract.exe, please see the ActiveX SDK documentation as referred to in the REFERENCES section of this article.

Test for Setup Files Left on System

If the symptom occurs after you try to install the same application unsuccessfully (for example, the computer stops responding during setup), follow these steps:
  1. On the destination computer, search for a copy of the .cab file(s) of your application in the Windows folder (Winnt folder on Windows NT or Windows 2000). If you find a copy, delete the .cab file(s).

    Setup places the .cab file(s) in the Windows or Winnt folder, and then removes them after a successful setup. However, if the installation program exits abnormally, the .cab file(s) may be left in your system.
  2. In the Windows\Temp folder (or the folder specified by the TEMP environment variable on Windows NT or Windows 2000), locate a subfolder named Msftqws.pdw. If you find this subfolder, delete it.
  3. On the destination computer, search for the following files. If any these files have a size of 0 bytes, delete the file:
    • Vb6stkit.dll
    • St6unst.exe
    • Setup1.exe

  4. Run Setup again.

Machine-Specific Problem

If the troubleshooting suggestions in this article do not resolve the problem, there may be something specific about the configuration of the target computer that is causing the error.

Please contact Microsoft Technical Support for further assistance.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

This bug was corrected in Visual Studio 6.0 Service Pack 3.

For more information about Visual Studio service packs, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

194022 INFO: Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs, What, Where, Why

194295 HOWTO: Tell That Visual Studio 6.0 Service Packs Are Installed

REFERENCES

For more information about using Extract.exe, please see the documentation found in the ActiveX Software Development Kit (SDK). The ActiveX SDK is available for download from the following location:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/components/activex/activex_ovw_entry.asp

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/13/2003
Keywords:kbAppSetup kbBug kbfix kbtophit kbwizard KB216231
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