npm install fails with error C2373 with vs2015 update 3

Question

After reinstalling my machine with windows 10, setting it up with Visual Studio 2015 I encountered this error on installing my git repositories:

→ npm install fails on different projects with:

...
C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\src\win_delay_load_hook.c(34): error C2373: "__pfnDliNotifyHook2": [...]
gyp ERR! build error
gyp ERR! stack Error: `C:\Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\14.0\bin\msbuild.exe` failed with exit code: 1
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onExit (C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\lib\build.js:276:23)
gyp ERR! stack     at emitTwo (events.js:87:13)
gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (events.js:172:7)
gyp ERR! stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:200:12)
gyp ERR! System Windows_NT 10.0.10586
gyp ERR! command "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\bin\\node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
gyp ERR! cwd C:\Users\...\node_modules\buffertools
gyp ERR! node -v v4.4.7
gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v3.3.1
gyp ERR! not ok

Answer 1

This error stays in relation with npm, node-gyp and Visual Studio 2015 and is already fixed in [email protected], but npm is still pointing to an old version. As I workaround I can propose this:

1. Go to your folder where npm is installed, e.g.: C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm

2. Open: package.json

3. Remove entry for node-gyp in bundleDependencies

4. Bump version number to 3.4.0 for node-gyp in dependencies

5. Make a npm i in this directory to install [email protected] to fix the problem

Relating GitHub issues can be found here:

1. nodejs/node#7286
2. nodejs/node-gyp#956
3. npm/npm#13199
4. npm/npm#13200

Answer 2

Or update npm:

npm install npm -g

Answer 3

An alternative solution that doesn't involve messing with npm installation is to run

SET CL=-DDELAYIMP_INSECURE_WRITABLE_HOOKS %CL%

before running npm install