Why does MATLAB place the file msdia80.dll in the root of the boot drive for Windows x64?

After installing MATLAB on a 64 bit Windows machine, there is msdia80.dll on the root of the boot drive (C:\). Prior to installation that file was not there. Why is the file in the root and how can I move it?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

There is a bug in the Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Package that will place msdia80.dll on the root of the boot drive (normally C:). The version of this package which ships with MATLAB includes this bug. For the full details of this bug, see the article on Microsoft's website here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927665

MATLAB does not require this .dll file, so it can simply be removed. If you use another package that requires this .dll, you can move the file using the following workaround:

1) Move msdia80.dll to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VC

2) Open a Windows command prompt, and enter the following command:

regsvr32 C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VC\msdia80.dll

This will allow the .dll to be move to the intended location.