How to Resolve Fatal Error 1603

How to Resolve Fatal Error 1603

When you try to install MSI based software packages like Skype, java etc. you might encounter this common error message in some scenarios. In this post, I am going to talk about How to Resolve Fatal Error 1603.

This is a generic error code that indicates a problem occurred during the installation.

Reasons why you may see this error message could be due to one of the following reasons:

• The Windows Installer (MSI) is attempting to install an application that is already installed or present on your PC.
• Using Short file name creation is disabled on the target machine.
• The folder might have encryption enabled where you are trying to install the Windows Installer package.
• There might be an older version of Install Shield Developer being used.
• The Windows installer is unable to extract into the Windows Temp folders or is full.
• The drive that contains the folder that you are trying to install the Windows Installer package to is accessed is a different drive or a substitute.
• The Microsoft Windows Installer Service is not started or installed correctly.
• You might need elevated permissions because the “SYSTEM” account does not have Full Control permissions on the folder that you are trying to install the Windows Installer package to.
• An Install Script custom action is scripted incorrectly.
• A file is locked and cannot be overwritten or is read-only.
• The setup was corrupted after installation and, therefore, fails with this error during un-installation.
• Print and File sharing is not installed if your application is dependent it.

How to Troubleshoot MSI error 1603

• Check if the Application is already installed. Un-install the application if listed in the installation list.
• Check for possible encryption on the installation path. Choose a different path.
• Ensure the Windows Installer is running properly.
• Clear all the contents of the temp folder by going to Start>Run>%temp%
• Try installing the Application on the default location like C:Program Files.
• Check for permissions of the User who is trying to install the Application. Give system privileges to the user if necessary or use an Admin account.
• Do not install the application using a silent switch like /qn

If this does not solve the issues, then try to create an installation log using the following command:

msiexec /i <msipath>setup.msi /l*v c:tempmsi.log

Open the log and search for places where the installation has failed.

Microsoft Official Solution here.