Spark skinning windows installer requires MSVCR71.dll

Here is the relevant output from the installer (notice how it sees that a file exists, but does not end up using it):

Unpacking JRE done
JRE dir: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\jre
LoadDLL (0, C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\jre, 0)
Got JRE location C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\jre (java exe: 0)
MinVersion: 1.6, MaxVersion: 1.6
Trying to load JVM-DLL from c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\java.exe
Trying c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\hotspot\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\client\jvm.dll (exists 1)
Trying c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\server\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\classic\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\..\jre\bin\hotspot\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\..\jre\bin\client\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\..\jre\bin\server\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\docume~1\lynnr\locals~1\temp\e4jfa.tmp_dir18248\jre\bin\..\jre\bin\classic\jvm.dll (exists 0)
ERROR: Could not get DLL-Handle.
ERROR: Could not load functions
ERROR: Could not load bundled JRE. Trying to find another JRE.
LoadDLL (0, (null), 0)
Searching for a JVM
Testing location (type Y)
checkJavaExe (C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\java.exe, [out], 1.6, 1.6, 0)
file exists
got version from registry 1.6.0_02
checkJavaExe returning 1
Trying to load JVM-DLL from c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\java.exe
Trying c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\hotspot\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\client\jvm.dll (exists 1)
Trying c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\server\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\classic\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\..\jre\bin\hotspot\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\..\jre\bin\client\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\..\jre\bin\server\jvm.dll (exists 0)
Trying c:\program files\java\jre1.6.0_02\bin\..\jre\bin\classic\jvm.dll (exists 0)
ERROR: Could not get DLL-Handle.
ERROR: Could not load functions
ERROR: Could not find another JRE.
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\i4jruntime.jar
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\content.zip.lzma
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\i4jparams.conf
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\jre.tar.gz
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\License
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\MessagesDefault
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\platform.zip
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\stats.properties
schedule for deletion in delete_file: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248\user.jar
schedule for deletion in delete_dir: C:\DOCUME~1\lynnr\LOCALS~1\Temp\e4jFA.tmp_dir18248

from customer with above problem:
you have to have the msvcr71.dll in the same location
that you run the setup from, you also have to have it the same location
as the .exe for the program to run or it will fail.

( reported on www - not verified or tested .... ) doing: Acceptance Test - Entry: Remove (or rename) all instances of MSVCR71.dll on computer

will cause Adobe to detect someting on C:\WINDOWS\system32\msvcr71.dll possibly not with the results we want.

A short search on my machine shows paths from
C:\WINDOWS\system32\msvcsv60.dll
to
C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.VC80.CRT_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.42_x-ww_0de06acd\msvcr80.dll
with the size of the dll ranging from 1-kb to over half-a-meg. and dates from unspecified to 2005 ( 8.00.50727.42 )

According to 6509291 the dll must be in the same directory as the launch directory and that the dll cannot even be in the system directory, be though it may one is there. ( a question raised here?.. no, not really )

If you go to the link given in 6509291 you get 'not found' Working the issue farther ( on the ms site ) gets the opinion that the issue gets back to dynamic linking iostream.h and that the multi-threaded iostream libs will work, digging deeper suggests that the problem is somewhere around std::out << " ";

With 31 different locations, names and versions, I would think a statically linked custom dll for a windows installer would aid reliability.

Skinning service is not available anymore, therefore closing this ticket.