Could not load 'KERNEL.DLL'

[Jeff Latimer]

I have had a problem for quite a while that I cannot run setup or 
install and get the following error:

[dad at frank dad]$ wine g:\\setup.exe
Could not load 'KERNEL.DLL' required by 'BOOTSTRP', error=2
[dad at frank dad]$

Windows and Wine do not have a kernel.dll module hence I assume that 
there is some mapping from kernel32.dll to resolve kernel.dll.  Can 
someone explain how the mapping from the 32 bit dll takes place?

Tracing the setup.exe startup, it appears that Wine is searching the 
path for kernel.dll:

000a:Call ntdll.RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U(2177c730 
L"G:\\setup.exe",2177c468,2177c470,00000000) ret=6601d9b0
000a:trace:file:RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U 
(L"G:\\setup.exe",0x2177c468,0x2177c470,(nil))
000a:trace:file:RtlGetFullPathName_U (L"G:\\setup.exe" 520 0x2177c178 
0x2177c470)
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U() retval=00000001 ret=6601d9b0

000a:trace:file:append_entry long L"." short L"" mask L"setup.exe"
000a:trace:file:match_filename (L".", L"setup.exe")
000a:trace:file:append_entry long L".." short L"" mask L"setup.exe"
000a:trace:file:match_filename (L"..", L"setup.exe")
000a:trace:module:NE_LoadDLLs Loading 'KERNEL'
000a:trace:module:GetModuleHandle16 (KERNEL)
000a:trace:module:MODULE_LoadModule16 Trying native dll 'KERNEL.DLL'
000a:trace:file:OpenFile16 "KERNEL.DLL" OF_READ OF_SHARE_DENY_WRITE
000a:Call ntdll.RtlInitAnsiString(2177c974,2177cd40 "KERNEL.DLL") 
ret=6601be28
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlInitAnsiString() retval=00000000 ret=6601be28
000a:Call ntdll.RtlAnsiStringToUnicodeString(4e2c9bf8,2177c974,00000000) 
ret=6601be9b
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlAnsiStringToUnicodeString() retval=00000000 ret=6601be9b
000a:Call ntdll.RtlGetFullPathName_U(4e2c9c00 
L"KERNEL.DLL",00000208,2177c998,00000000) ret=66038210
000a:trace:file:RtlGetFullPathName_U (L"KERNEL.DLL" 520 0x2177c998 (nil))
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlGetFullPathName_U() retval=00000034 ret=66038210
000a:trace:module:GetModuleFileName16 10ef -> 'G:\setup.exe'
000a:Call ntdll.RtlInitUnicodeString(2177cae4,5c4f0410 
L"c:\\windows\\system") ret=66037ec4
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlInitUnicodeString() retval=00000024 ret=66037ec4

000a:Call ntdll.RtlInitAnsiString(2177c964,5c54cbb0 
".;c:\\windows\\system;c:\\windows;G:;c:\\windows\\system;c:\\windows") 
ret=6601be28
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlInitAnsiString() retval=00000000 ret=6601be28
000a:Call ntdll.RtlAnsiStringToUnicodeString(2177c95c,2177c964,00000001) 
ret=6601be9b
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlAnsiStringToUnicodeString() retval=00000000 ret=6601be9b
000a:Call ntdll.RtlDetermineDosPathNameType_U(4e2c9c00 L"KERNEL.DLL") 
ret=660390da
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlDetermineDosPathNameType_U() retval=00000005 
ret=660390da
000a:Call ntdll.RtlDosSearchPath_U(5c54cc00 
L".;c:\\windows\\system;c:\\windows;G:;c:\\windows\\system;c:\\windows",4e2c9c00 
L"KERNEL.DLL",00000000,00000208,2177c990,00000000) ret=66039334
000a:trace:file:RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U 
(L".\\KERNEL.DLL",0x2177c834,(nil),(nil))
000a:trace:file:RtlGetFullPathName_U (L".\\KERNEL.DLL" 520 0x2177c5f4 
(nil))
000a:warn:file:wine_nt_to_unix_file_name L"KERNEL.DLL" not found in 
/home/dad/.wine/dosdevices/z:/home/dad/bin
000a:trace:file:RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U 
(L"c:\\windows\\system\\KERNEL.DLL",0x2177c834,(nil),(nil))
000a:trace:file:RtlGetFullPathName_U (L"c:\\windows\\system\\KERNEL.DLL" 
520 0x2177c5f4 (nil))
000a:warn:file:wine_nt_to_unix_file_name L"KERNEL.DLL" not found in 
/home/dad/.wine/dosdevices/c:/windows/system
000a:trace:file:RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U 
(L"c:\\windows\\KERNEL.DLL",0x2177c834,(nil),(nil))
000a:trace:file:RtlGetFullPathName_U (L"c:\\windows\\KERNEL.DLL" 520 
0x2177c5f4 (nil))
000a:warn:file:wine_nt_to_unix_file_name L"KERNEL.DLL" not found in 
/home/dad/.wine/dosdevices/c:/windows
000a:trace:file:RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U 
(L"G:\\KERNEL.DLL",0x2177c834,(nil),(nil))
000a:trace:file:RtlGetFullPathName_U (L"G:\\KERNEL.DLL" 520 0x2177c5f4 
(nil))
000a:warn:file:wine_nt_to_unix_file_name L"KERNEL.DLL" not found in 
/home/dad/.wine/dosdevices/g:
000a:trace:file:RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U 
(L"c:\\windows\\system\\KERNEL.DLL",0x2177c834,(nil),(nil))
000a:trace:file:RtlGetFullPathName_U (L"c:\\windows\\system\\KERNEL.DLL" 
520 0x2177c5f4 (nil))
000a:warn:file:wine_nt_to_unix_file_name L"KERNEL.DLL" not found in 
/home/dad/.wine/dosdevices/c:/windows/system
000a:trace:file:RtlDosPathNameToNtPathName_U 
(L"c:\\windows\\KERNEL.DLL",0x2177c834,(nil),(nil))
000a:trace:file:RtlGetFullPathName_U (L"c:\\windows\\KERNEL.DLL" 520 
0x2177c5f4 (nil))
000a:warn:file:wine_nt_to_unix_file_name L"KERNEL.DLL" not found in 
/home/dad/.wine/dosdevices/c:/windows
000a:Ret  ntdll.RtlDosSearchPath_U() retval=00000000 ret=66039334
000a:warn:file:OpenFile16 (KERNEL.DLL): return = HFILE_ERROR error= 2
Could not load 'KERNEL.DLL' required by 'BOOTSTRP', error=2