Summary

'Error -4075: File not found. An error occurred merging module for feature .'

Symptoms

When building an InstallShield project, the following error may occur:

?Error -4075: File not found. An error occurred merging module <MODULENAME> for feature <FEATURENAME>.

<MODULENAME> and <FEATURENAME> are placeholders that contain the merge module and feature associated with that merge module that caused this error.

Cause

Please see possible causes and solutions below.

Resolution

Merge Module is Not in the Correct Location

This error is known to occur when the merge module specified in the error message is not located in the location the build engine expects. The error occurs when the appropriate file cannot be found.

To ensure the merge module is linked correctly, follow these steps:

1. 1. Select the Tools -> Options: Select the Merge Modules tab.
2. 2. Note the path(s) listed in the Merge Module Locations field.
3. 3. Make sure all locations specified in this field can be accessed successfully. If some locations cannot be accessed even by Windows Explorer, you may not have the proper permissions to access these folders. Contact your system administrator for additional information.
4. 4. Make sure the merge module specified in the error message is located in one of these folders. If it is not, add the path to this merge module in the Merge Module Locations field.*
5. 5. Rebuild the project.

NOTE: If adding a path to the Merge Module Locations field, separate each path using the comma (,) character.

If using the Standalone Build (also known as the Clean Build System or SAB), a command-line parameter exists that allows you to set the merge module search path. For more information on how to specify the merge module search path by using the -o command-line parameter, refer to the InstallShield Help topic Standalone Command Line Build.

Merge Module's GUID does not match in the Project

If a project was migrated to another machine or a Merge Module file with a different GUID than the original Merge Module is being used, this error can occur. To resolve this, do one of the following:

1. Copy the Merge Module from the original build machine and replace the problematic Merge Module on the current machine.
2. Go to the Direct Editor view and drop the row for the Merge Module in question under the ISMergeModule table. Go to the Redistributables view to check the Merge Module back in. This will update the ISMergeModule table to use the correct GUID for the Merge Module.

Building a Project with an InstallScript MSI Object In InstallShield 12 or Later

This error is also known to occur in InstallShield 12 and later because InstallScript MSI Objects projects are no longer supported. This error will occur when attempting to build a project that includes an InstallScript MSI Object (.imm file).

To resolve this build error in InstallShield 12 and above when an InstallScript MSI Object is included in the project, simply remove the InstallScript MSI Object from the setup.

Opening an InstallScript MSI Object project in InstallShield 12 and later will convert the object project into a Merge Module project. Predefined InstallScript events are not available in merge module projects that have InstallScript custom actions.

Therefore, if you have an InstallShield 11.5 or earlier InstallScript MSI object project that has script code in any events, you must move that code to one or more InstallScript custom actions either before or after the project is converted to a merge module project in InstallShield 12 or later. Otherwise, attempting to include the InstallScript MSI objects (.imm files) will result in the error as they cannot be consumed by the project file.

Additional Information

Additional information on Merge Modules can be found in the following InstallShield Help Library topics:

• Troubleshooting Merge Module Issues

• Adding InstallShield Prerequisites, Merge Modules, and Objects to Basic MSI, InstallScript MSI, and Web Projects

• Managing the Redistributables Gallery