on Windows 8, stack 1.1.2

There is no locally installed GHC:

ghc --version
'ghc' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

stack setup --reinstall
stack will use a locally installed GHC
For more information on paths, see 'stack path' and 'stack exec env'
To use this GHC and packages outside of a project, consider using:
stack ghc, stack ghci, stack runghc, or stack exec