Windows cannot find 'SetupFrontEnd.exe'

[koolezt]

Hello folks.

I'm trying to install this much-acclaimed program from Paint.NET.3.36.zip, but the installation fails with this dialog. (Thumbnails are clickable.)

.

I've tried

• [*:10rg6fu3]uninstalling all Microsoft .NET Frameworks and installing dotnetfx35setup.exe which produced
  

and the same failure.[*:10rg6fu3]turning off anti-virus, anti-spyware and 3rd-party firewall:

• Same failure.

[*:10rg6fu3]re-downloading from a different mirror:

• The 2 .ZIPs compare as identical.

[*:10rg6fu3]re-extracting from the new .ZIP:

• Same failure.

[*:10rg6fu3]checking this forum and the FAQs:

• Found 1 possibility: regsvr32 msxml3.dll. The .dll was already installed, but I re-registered it anyway. Same failure.

and now I've run out of tricks.

I'm logged-in as an Administrator, and the system is Windows XP SP3, fully updated, except for

1. [*:10rg6fu3]Update for Microsoft Silverlight, which fails with a similar error. I've ignored that, as I'm not a Silverlight fan;
   and[*:10rg6fu3]Windows Search, which I've declined.

All suggestions are welcome.

[koolezt]

I've now re-tried, checking the Event Viewer: Same failure, nothing logged.

[Rick Brewster]

When that error dialog is up ("Windows cannot find SetupFrontEnd.exe...") go to Start->Run, and type...

%TEMP%\PdnSetup

Then press Enter or OK, and tell me what you see. There should be a SetupFrontEnd.exe, along with many other files, in there.

[koolezt]

Thanks. I found %TEMP%\PdnSetup\ (along with %TEMP%\PdnSetup2\) and ran SetupFrontEnd.exe myself. Installation was successful, and the program runs.

That still leaves 3 issues:

1. [*:1nhgc323]Why doesn't the standard setup find the file?[*:1nhgc323]Is the Microsoft Silverlight update failure related?[*:1nhgc323]I had forgotten to mention initially, but, with the error dialog onscreen, a Search for SetupFrontEnd.exe in Local Hard Drives fails. However, I've now found that, a search

in My Computer does find SetupFrontEnd.exe :!: :?:

Is it possible that my redirection of %temp% from "%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\%UserName%\Local Settings\Temp\" to "X:\temp\%UserName%\" might be involved? (X: is a scratch partition, and I keep only Windows system files in %SystemDrive%\)

[Rick Brewster]

I don't know.

[Assassinator_Games]

When my friend try to download paint.net it dosen't say that it can't find setupfront.exe but just says that it has a problem with it. He has tried the thing where u open up %temp%pndsetup but when he clicks on the setupfrontend.exe it says that the file could not be opened because it might be corrupted or lost.

He has tried deleting it and reinstalling it but it wouldn't work. please help cause he annoying me!!!

THX

[Farticles]

I tried to download Paint.net but this box comes up saying that something is wrong with my "SetupFrontEnd.exe". I have tried to reinstall, download again and going on "%TEMP%\PdnSetup" and clicking on the "SetupFrontEnd.exe" but it says Windows needs to know what file created it. So i opened it with adobe reader but a box comes up saying that the file cannot be opened because it may be lost or corrupt. ???

[PaintNet123]

Have the same Problem - probably the MS update SP2 for .net version 2?

Event viewer hints:

.NET Runtime 2.0 Error Reporting

Faulting application setupfrontend.exe, version 3.36.3158.38067, stamp 48b23e67, faulting module kernel32.dll, version 5.1.2600.5781, stamp 49c4f482, debug? 0, fault address 0x00012afb.

cant install at all as error "please tell Microsoft pops up..."

Edit: fixed the problem by reinstalling .net 3.5 SP1

[jntcoolman]

Ummmm I think Im having the same problem this is what mine looks like error2.bmp

[Ego Eram Reputo]

@jntcoolman: Please don't reply to very old threads. Instead start a new thread in this area and give us your problem in detail along with your system specs.