Troubleshooting · Windows
ScanTailor Advanced Won’t Open? Work This Checklist in Order
Double-click, a brief pause — and nothing. Or the window flashes and closes immediately. “Won’t start” has several different causes on Windows, and guessing wastes time. Work through this checklist in order; each step rules out one cause, starting with the most common.
The Symptom
ScanTailor Advanced does not start at all: nothing happens on double-click, the window appears and instantly closes, or Windows shows an error before the interface loads. The steps below assume the portable Windows ZIP build from the download page.
The Causes, in the Order to Rule Them Out
- The ZIP was never fully extracted, so the program is being run from inside the archive preview.
- The Microsoft Visual C++ runtime is missing, so Windows cannot load the program at all.
- SmartScreen or antivirus software is silently blocking an unsigned program.
- The program sits in a folder it cannot write to, or the path is awkward.
- The download itself is incomplete or corrupted.
The Fix, Step by Step
1. Extract the ZIP fully before running anything
Windows lets you peek inside a ZIP, but programs started from that preview cannot find their own files and typically fail instantly. Right-click the ZIP, choose “Extract All”, and run the program from the extracted folder — never from inside the archive.
2. Install the Visual C++ Redistributable
If you see a VCRUNTIME140.dll or MSVCP140.dll error — or the program fails silently on a fresh Windows install — the MSVC runtime is missing. This is the documented first-run requirement for the Windows build. Full walkthrough: VCRUNTIME140.dll / MSVCP140.dll not found.
3. Check whether SmartScreen or your antivirus blocked it
The Windows build is unsigned open-source software, so SmartScreen may stop the first launch. If a blue “Windows protected your PC” panel appeared, see how to verify the file and run it safely. Also check your antivirus quarantine — a file silently quarantined looks exactly like “won’t open”.
4. Move the folder somewhere simple
Put the extracted folder in a plain location you own, such as C:\ScanTailor, rather than a protected system folder or deep inside synced cloud folders. Start it from there.
5. Re-download and verify the archive
If the ZIP was cut off mid-download, extraction can succeed while files inside are damaged. Download a fresh copy from the official GitHub link on the download page and verify its SHA-256 before extracting — the SmartScreen guide shows the exact PowerShell command and the expected hash.
6. Try a completely fresh folder
Extract the fresh ZIP to a new folder (do not merge it into the old one) and start it there. If it opens, the old folder was the problem — your project files and scans live elsewhere and are unaffected.
Prevention
- Keep one clean, extracted copy of the program in a fixed location; open projects from it instead of re-extracting per book.
- Install the Visual C++ Redistributable once per machine so first-run failures never recur.
- Verify the SHA-256 of every new download before extracting it — it takes seconds and rules out corruption immediately.
More fixes live in the troubleshooting archive.
FAQ
There is no error message at all — the program just never appears. Why?
The two usual silent causes are an un-extracted ZIP (step 1) and a security block (step 3). A missing Visual C++ runtime usually shows a DLL error, but on some systems the failure is silent too, so install the runtime (step 2) before digging deeper.
Could my project or scans be damaged by these steps?
No. Re-extracting or re-downloading replaces only the program files. Your project files and source images are separate files in your own folders and are not touched.
It opened fine yesterday and stopped today. What changed?
Work the same list: an antivirus update may have quarantined the program (step 3), or the folder may have been moved or partially synced by a cloud client (step 4). A fresh extraction in a new folder (step 6) separates program problems from folder problems in one move.