PRB: Setup Error: Attempt to Run STFSETUP.EXE Failed

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

During the initialization of the Visual C++ 1.0 Setup program, the following messages may appear:

   Attempt to run STFSETUP.EXE failed (19).
   Attempt to load a compressed executable file.

   Insufficient memory or disk space

CAUSE

This is caused by an earlier version of LZEXPAND.DLL being loaded. This DLL is used by Setup to expand the compressed files from the installation disks. An earlier version can cause the compressed file to be copied to the hard disk without being expanded, although the copied files may be renamed. When Setup attempts to execute STFSETUP.EXE, it fails because it has not been expanded.

RESOLUTION

Check the path for multiple copies of LZEXPAND.DLL. There should be only one copy, located in the Windows SYSTEM directory. The Visual C++ Setup program does not install this DLL. It expects to find it as a part of Windows version 3.1.

MORE INFORMATION

Several versions of LZEXPAND.DLL have been released, some of them with particular software packages. These may have installed the DLL in the Windows directory rather than the Windows SYSTEM directory. Windows 3.1 installs the DLL in the Windows SYSTEM directory (by default, C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM).

The Windows 3.1 version of LZEXPAND.DLL is 9,936 bytes and is dated 03/05/92 or later. It contains major changes from older versions shipped with Windows 3.0 and some other software.

If multiple copies of LZEXPAND.DLL exist on your system, remove or rename all except the one in the Windows SYSTEM directory. If the size and date on that DLL do not seem correct, and the Setup error persists, you can expand a new copy of the DLL from either your Windows 3.1 installation disks or from the Visual C++ installation disks. Refer to the file PACKING.TXT on disk 1 to determine which disk and directory contains LZEXPAND.DL_. You can expand the file from the floppy disk by using the Windows 3.1 EXPAND utility. For example,

   EXPAND  a:\redist\lzexpand.dl_  c:\windows\system\lzexpand.dll