Bizarre CD setup.exe problem

[C Nieder]

I have recently run into an extremely strange problem. I'm running
Windows XP Pro SP 2.

Many CDs usually have a menu-like program that is launched through autorun
(call it autorun.exe). Often this menu will have something like "install"
"readme" "web site" etc. The install button then launches the actual
setup.exe file.

In most CDs I have this works perfectly. However, I have run into issues
with two particular CDs.

* "The Sims" (and expansion packs). When I press "install" nothing happens.
* "Visual Studio .NET 2003" Here there isn't a true "install" button, but
rather a Step 1 button. When it comes time to run the first setup.exe, it
doesn't run and I get the message "Please go to the Control Panel to
install and configure system components."

As if that wan't strange enough, I decided to attempt installation on a
different machine, also WinXP SP2. Again most CDs worked perfectly,
however the same two CDs gave me an issue. This time, however, it was even
more bizarre.

In both cases, when I would expect setup.exe to launch it didn't. What did
launch, however, was the Epson scanner application that is installed on the
machine! This is the application that normally launches when I press the
"scan" button on the scanner. Obviously neither "The Sims" nor "Visual
Studio" should know about the scanner, and yet the program was launched.

So..... I can only assume that there is a setting deep within Windows XP
that controls how certain child processes are spawned. Any ideas?

Carlos

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi C,

Resolving problems with the Windows installer:
http://www.rickrogers.org/fixes.htm#Installation

Incidentally, VS requires certain system components to be installed. Check
the help files from the opening screen to make sure you have the appropriate
ones.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[C Nieder]

I've done some more debugging with the two install programs.

The Sims:
Inserting the CD launches "D:\autorun.exe" which in turn attempts to launch
"D:\setup\setup.exe". This second program, however, never seems to launch


Visual Studio:
Inserting the CD launches "D:\autorun.exe" which immediately launches
"D:\setup.exe" The latter file gives a 4 step menu.

Step 1 (Prerequisites) requires a change of CDs and then attempts to launch
"D:\setup.exe" on the _new_ CD. However, the new setup.exe never seems to
launch and I get the "Please go to the Control Panel to install and
configure system components." I manually ran "D:\setup.exe" on the prereq
CD and that worked fine.

Step 2 (Visual Studio) with the prerequs installed I can now attempt Step
2. I'm back to the original Visual Studio CD. When I press the Step 2
button it launches "D:\setup\setup.exe" and then immediately gives me the
"Control Panel" message and the installation quits. I am able to launch
"D:\setup\setup.exe" manually, but I haven't installed it, so I can
continue to debug this problem.

 

[C Nieder]

Hi C,

Resolving problems with the Windows installer:
http://www.rickrogers.org/fixes.htm#Installation

Incidentally, VS requires certain system components to be installed. Check
the help files from the opening screen to make sure you have the appropriate
ones.

Rick, thanks for your the web page. Unfortunately nothing there helped.

1) I had already tried cleaning all the temp directories to no avail

2) I'm running as administrator for these installs

3) I've tried rebooting with all non-MS services turned off and all
3rd-party autolaunch applications removed.

In short, I think I have a clean machine. The fact that this is happening
on two machines with the same two programs leads me to think it is
something related to the way those programs launch their subcomponents.

The fact that in one of the machines the Epson scanner software kicks in
points me in the direction of some autoplay setting in Windows being hosed up.

Carlos

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi Carlos,

How about if you disable the Epson software? I'm thinking the opposite of
what you are, that the problem lies with part or all of Epson's software
loading and running in resident memory. I've installed and run both of those
programs on many systems without any issue like this.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers, aka "Nutcase" - Microsoft MVP

Associate Expert - WindowsXP Expert Zone

Windows help - www.rickrogers.org

 

[Trent©]

I have recently run into an extremely strange problem. I'm running
Windows XP Pro SP 2.

Many CDs usually have a menu-like program that is launched through autorun
(call it autorun.exe). Often this menu will have something like "install"
"readme" "web site" etc. The install button then launches the actual
setup.exe file.

In most CDs I have this works perfectly. However, I have run into issues
with two particular CDs.

* "The Sims" (and expansion packs). When I press "install" nothing happens.
* "Visual Studio .NET 2003" Here there isn't a true "install" button, but
rather a Step 1 button. When it comes time to run the first setup.exe, it
doesn't run and I get the message "Please go to the Control Panel to
install and configure system components."

As if that wan't strange enough, I decided to attempt installation on a
different machine, also WinXP SP2. Again most CDs worked perfectly,
however the same two CDs gave me an issue. This time, however, it was even
more bizarre.

In both cases, when I would expect setup.exe to launch it didn't. What did
launch, however, was the Epson scanner application that is installed on the
machine! This is the application that normally launches when I press the
"scan" button on the scanner. Obviously neither "The Sims" nor "Visual
Studio" should know about the scanner, and yet the program was launched.

So..... I can only assume that there is a setting deep within Windows XP
that controls how certain child processes are spawned. Any ideas?

Carlos

Do a search for 'sp2 lockdown', Carlos. That may be your problem.
They'll be instructions on how to turn it off in the registry.

Good luck.


Have a nice one...

Trent

Budweiser: Helping ugly people have sex since 1876!

 

[C Nieder]

Hi Carlos,

How about if you disable the Epson software? I'm thinking the opposite of
what you are, that the problem lies with part or all of Epson's software
loading and running in resident memory. I've installed and run both of those
programs on many systems without any issue like this.

As soon as I get my hands on that computer, I'll try disabling the Epson
software as well; but I'm 90% sure that it is not memory resident, which
must mean it is set to launch on some event. Of course, it still leaves
the issue of the other computer, which does not have the Epson software.

I have seen at least one other report of the same error I'm getting with
Visual Studio, but the person just gave up and did it manually. Since I
have two programs on which this is happening, I'd like to get to the bottom
of it.

Thanks for the suggestions.
Carlos

 

[Phil Wilson]

I think I've seen this message when you're in a Terminal Services type of
environment. Are you in Fast User Switching mode, and not an Administrator?
It sends you to Control Panel because setups initiated from there are in
install mode. Something like that anyway...

 

[C Nieder]

Thank you to all who replied. I have found the root cause of the problem.

It turns out that the following registry key had gotten corrupted:
HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/App Paths/setup.exe

In the first computer it pointed to:
C:\winnt\system32\setup.exe

Thus the silly message about going to the control panel

In the second computer it pointed to the Epson scanner utility.

It would appear that 98% of setup installations call setup.exe with a fully
qualified path, and thus manage to find the appropriate executable. The
remaining installations, however, seem to just launch "setup.exe" and
windows ends up launching whatever is listed in the AppPath of the registry.

Why the registry entries got changed to begin with is another issue.
Clearly, a file name as generic as setup.exe should probably not even have
a hard-coded path registry entry!

Carlos

 

[C Nieder]

Thank you to all who replied. I have found the root cause of the problem.

It turns out that the following registry key had gotten corrupted:
HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/App Paths/setup.exe

In the first computer it pointed to:
C:\winnt\system32\setup.exe

Thus the silly message about going to the control panel

In the second computer it pointed to the Epson scanner utility.

It would appear that 98% of setup installations call setup.exe with a fully
qualified path, and thus manage to find the appropriate executable. The
remaining installations, however, seem to just launch "setup.exe" and
windows ends up launching whatever is listed in the AppPath of the registry.

Why the registry entries got changed to begin with is another issue.
Clearly, a file name as generic as setup.exe should probably not even have
a hard-coded path registry entry!

Carlos