InstallSheild build error 6109

Question

I'm using InstallShield (LE) project in VS2013 Update 5 to create an installer package for a number of windows services and a web site. However, every now and again, after updating Nugget packages, the installer project breaks upon build with the following error:

Error 16 -6109: Internal build error ISEXP : error : -6109: Internal build error

The EventLog in Windows doesn't show anything and the log generated by the installer project also doesn't describe the error further.

I've tried "Cleaning" the solution and "Rebuilding", but nothing helps. I've tried deleting to *.suo file for the solution, which helped a few times (but now this doesn't work anymore).

It should be noted that the services and the web site all work as expected.

Any help is much appreciated...

Answer 1

I had the same problem, but with making an installer for a Windows executable. After trying all the suggested fixes in KB article at https://flexeracommunity.force.com/customer/articles/en_US/ERRDOC/Error-6109 (reinstalling InstallShield LE, uninstalling earlier version of application I was creating installer for, checking for missing files specified in application files (189 in all), files with commas in name, repairing VS 2013 (on which I was getting Error -6109 on build for my project) I eventually found I could select all the Application Files from the Program Assistant Application Files screen, right-click and then set Scan at Build for all of then to None. Where the files don't have a Scan At Build option (extensions other than dll or exe) the command is ignored. This allowed the build to proceed without error, but all files required have to be added manually in the Application Files screen of InstallShield. I haven't found any application which replicates the Scan at Build for Dependencies and Properties to identify which files are needed. If files are missing, the installer may complete successfully on the target machine but the application may crash on running. The process of identifying which a files are needed (about 100 altogether, instead of the 6 primary outputs needed by InstallShield) has thus been trial-and-error and very slow.

A project which had previously built OK also failed - haven't tried resetting the Scan at build values for it yet, so I don't know what change caused InstallShield LE to start throwing the error.

Repairing VS 2013 (running on Win 10, with Add-in Express ) was problematic - needed to turn off Malwarebytes malware protection to avoid a hang at Microsoft .Net Framework 4.0 Multi-targeting Pack and then got prompted for some missing msi files (netfx_dtp.msi,SqlSysClrTypes.msi) which I was able to download. I had uninstalled .Net 4.5 which crippled VS 2013. Downloading and trying to install .Net4.5.1 (file NDP451-KB2858728-x86-x64-AllOS-ENU.exe) failed as it said .Net 4.5 was already installed even after I had uninstalled all the .Net 4.5 entries from Programs and Features (Win 10 uses .Net 4.6.2). Fortunately the repair of VS2013 reinstalled .Net 4.5.1 and it appears as a target framework option, but Netver executable (dotnet.exe) still says .Net Framework 4.5 is not installed, but 4.5.1 appears now in Programs and Features list as shown below:

Running Repair again showed no missing msi files, but a few features had not been repaired. I'm loath to uninstall and re-install VS2013 in case something fails and I end up with no Visual Studio at all. Using another machine may have to be the way forward but with a number of add-ins this could get complicated.

Answer 2

It turned out that the issue was caused by the bin folder, which was included in the website project and was compiled as "Content".

Originally I had added that folder to the project because otherwise the installer wouldn't create it, but not sure why sometimes it worked and other times it didn't.