I recently ran into this error on a PC I was working on it. It seemed very cryptic and I wanted to address it here for those who might run into it in the future.
This was happening when running an installation of new software.
Cause
This error is known to occur when the file “stdole*.*” is missing from the Windows\System folder of the target machine. For example, this file is entitled “stdole32.tlb” and is located in the WINNT\System32 folder on Windows 2000 machines. This error only occurs in InstallScript MSI project types.
Resolution
To resolve this error message, manually copy the “stdole*.*” file for your specific operating system to the Windows\System folder. For additional information on which specific file is used for your operating system, refer to the Microsoft DLL Help Database. In the Microsoft DLL Help Database Search field, enter stdole*. This shows all stdole* files. The More Information link indicates which Microsoft products install that version of the file. You can then copy over the needed file from that Microsoft product installer.
For example, searching for “stdole32.tlb” indicates that this file is installed with Microsoft Access 2000 among other applications. Therefore, I can launch Access 2000 in repair mode to restore this file to its proper location.
More information on this error can be found here.
