node-gyp: msbuild error MSB4025

I’m using Windows 10, node 7.7.2, npm 4.1.2

I get this error when running node-gyp rebuild for after installing the binding module leveldown (My objective is to rebuild it for electron). The specific error is…

MSBUILD : error MSB4025: The project file could not be loaded. Root element is missing.

I searched for this error but it seemed to be specific to visual studio projects and xml files. I don’t have a lot of context since I’m not usually a windows user. Somewhere I found that you can specific --msvs_version=2013, that did not work. But I tried with 2017 (because that’s the latest download) and I got the following error.

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\Gebruiker\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\gyp\gyp_main.py", line 16, in <module>
    sys.exit(gyp.script_main())
  File "C:\Users\Gebruiker\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\gyp\pylib\gyp\__init__.py", line 545, in script_main
    return main(sys.argv[1:])
  File "C:\Users\Gebruiker\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\gyp\pylib\gyp\__init__.py", line 538, in main
    return gyp_main(args)
  File "C:\Users\Gebruiker\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\gyp\pylib\gyp\__init__.py", line 514, in gyp_main
    options.duplicate_basename_check)
  File "C:\Users\Gebruiker\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\gyp\pylib\gyp\__init__.py", line 98, in Load
    generator.CalculateVariables(default_variables, params)
  File "C:\Users\Gebruiker\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\gyp\pylib\gyp\generator\msvs.py", line 1900, in CalculateVariables
    generator_flags.get('msvs_version', 'auto'))
  File "C:\Users\Gebruiker\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\gyp\pylib\gyp\MSVSVersion.py", line 434, in SelectVisualStudioVersion
    versions = _DetectVisualStudioVersions(version_map[version], 'e' in version)
KeyError: '2017'

If anyone has any idas I would be very grateful! -S

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 7 years ago
Reactions: 14
Comments: 65 (26 by maintainers)

Commits related to this issue

Add support to build node.js with chakracore. Microsoft's chakracore engine is dependent on Windows SDK, and build tools should know the version installed on user machine. This change adds those depe... — committed to nodejs/node-gyp by kunalspathak 8 years ago
Update Find-VS2017.cs This makes the parsing more robust and fixes the additional issue related to #1144 — committed to Loghorn/node-gyp by Loghorn 6 years ago
win: improve parsing of SDK version This makes the parsing more robust and fixes the additional issue related to USB Device Connectivity component. Fixes: https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp/issues/1... — committed to Loghorn/node-gyp by Loghorn 6 years ago

Most upvoted comments

Except it uses the msbuild.exe on the path by default, so you need to either ensure the v14.0 msbuild in %PROGRAM_FILES(x86)%\MSBuild\v14.0\Bin is the one it finds, or install the v140 C++ toolchain in VS 2017. Ugh.

3.6.0 supports VS2017 You can install Build Tools for Visual Studio 2017, make sure to select C++ tools, Windows 10 SDK and MSBuild and your set.

This bug can be closed /cc @rvagg

Edit

for node-gyp@3.6.0 do not install any of the special SDKs (red) only any of the greens P.S. you only need one, and best tested is 10393

+16

refack on Apr 18, 2017

I solved this error by running npm install --global --production windows-build-tools --vs2015 (note the --vs2015)

endnch on Dec 31, 2018

For my case, i just want to install bcrypt in angular 8 app, here is how is the story i finally get it work:

First, this is what the error I get: 111

It say can’t find python, then I try run this in administrator terminal:

npm install --global --production windows-build-tools
npm install node-gyp

Then i try install bcrypt, i get some header files missing: 22222

After google, i get my Windows 10 SDK via Visual Studio Installer 333

Then i try again install bcrypt, get another error “MSBUILD : error MSB4025: The project file could not be loaded. Root element is missing”, which lead me here: 4444

Finally, i run this command from https://github.com/nodejs/node-gyp/issues/1144#issuecomment-450620159, it get me works:

npm install --global --production windows-build-tools --vs2015
npm install node-gyp
npm install node-gyp -g

Result: 66666

watchingon9 on Jun 17, 2019

@Noxillio

#1691 Is the same problem. For me the solution was to npm config delete msvs_version and npm config delete msvs_version -g

Chrissie on Mar 15, 2019

@refack i don’t know how to thank you. it’s been more then 5 to 7 days i was trying to solve it. this is my first time in node and first package i installed. thank you is not enough…

@himadrinath Ohh man, what a hard first time. I’ve seen like 100,000 package installs first time it’s so hard. If you are a bug magnet I want to hire you as QA 😜

refack on Apr 18, 2017

@refack i don’t know how to thank you. it’s been more then 5 to 7 days i was trying to solve it. this is my first time in node and first package i installed. thank you is not enough…

himadrinath on Apr 18, 2017

So who really solved this problem and how? I’ve tried everything still this error.

ElectronicLove on Oct 27, 2018

VS 2017 isn’t supported yet (see WIP in #1130) but if you install 2015 and pass --msvs_version=2015, it should work.

bnoordhuis on Mar 14, 2017

As @MadOPcode already pointed out, KeyError: '2017' is present in 3.8.0. Quite sure this error did not occur in the past.

Windows 10, VS2017, Python2.7 installed.

I performed all suggested actions, including uninstalling all the Windows for UWP, x64 and x86, etc. toolkits.

Run of node-gyp configure --verbose in some directory:

gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
gyp verb cli [ 'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe',
gyp verb cli '...\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\bin\\node-gyp.js',
gyp verb cli 'configure',
gyp verb cli '--verbose' ]
gyp info using node-gyp@3.8.0
gyp info using node@10.15.0 | win32 | x64
gyp verb command configure []
gyp verb check python checking for Python executable "python2" in the PATH
gyp verb `which` failed Error: not found: python2
gyp verb `which` failed at getNotFoundError (...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\which\which.js:13:12)
gyp verb `which` failed at F (...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\which\which.js:68:19)
gyp verb `which` failed at E (...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\which\which.js:80:29)
gyp verb `which` failed at ...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\which\which.js:89:16
gyp verb `which` failed at ...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\isexe\index.js:42:5
gyp verb `which` failed at ...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\isexe\windows.js:36:5
gyp verb `which` failed at FSReqWrap.oncomplete (fs.js:154:21)
gyp verb `which` failed python2 { Error: not found: python2
gyp verb `which` failed at getNotFoundError (...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\which\which.js:13:12)
gyp verb `which` failed at F (...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\which\which.js:68:19)
gyp verb `which` failed at E (...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\which\which.js:80:29)
gyp verb `which` failed at ...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\which\which.js:89:16
gyp verb `which` failed at ...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\isexe\index.js:42:5
gyp verb `which` failed at ...\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\node_modules\isexe\windows.js:36:5
gyp verb `which` failed at FSReqWrap.oncomplete (fs.js:154:21)
gyp verb `which` failed stack:
gyp verb `which` failed 'Error: not found: python2
at getNotFoundError (...\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\node_modules\\which\\which.js:13:12)
at F (...\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\node_modules\\which\\which.js:68:19)\n at E (...\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\node_modules\\which\\which.js:80:29)
at ...\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\node_modules\\which\\which.js:89:16
at ...\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\node_modules\\isexe\\index.js:42:5
at ...\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\node_modules\\isexe\\windows.js:36:5
at FSReqWrap.oncomplete (fs.js:154:21)',
gyp verb `which` failed code: 'ENOENT' }
gyp verb check python checking for Python executable "python" in the PATH
gyp verb `which` succeeded python C:\Python27\python.EXE
gyp verb check python version `C:\Python27\python.EXE -c "import sys; print "2.7.14
gyp verb check python version .%s.%s" % sys.version_info[:3];"` returned: %j
gyp verb get node dir no --target version specified, falling back to host node version: 10.15.0
gyp verb command install [ '10.15.0' ]
gyp verb install input version string "10.15.0"
gyp verb install installing version: 10.15.0
gyp verb install --ensure was passed, so won't reinstall if already installed
gyp verb install version is already installed, need to check "installVersion"
gyp verb got "installVersion" 9
gyp verb needs "installVersion" 9
gyp verb install version is good
gyp verb get node dir target node version installed: 10.15.0
gyp verb build dir attempting to create "build" dir: C:\WINDOWS\system32\build
gyp verb build dir "build" dir needed to be created? C:\WINDOWS\system32\build
gyp verb Not using VS2017: Could not use PowerShell to find VS2017

And goes on to complain that this directory actually is not a node project.

lksriemer on Jan 6, 2019