Quick-Fix: The Installer Package Cannot Be Opened

When you’re attempting to install a software, the installation begins and soon closes with an error message:

This installation package cannot be opened. Verify that the package exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer Package.

As the error clearly indicates, there is a problem accessing the installation package contents. In most of the cases, this issue arises when the package contents are corrupted, missing or your hard drive is failing.

Download the Diagnostic

There are certain situations when missing entries in your registry and registry corruption causes this problem. Try running a registry scan to identify if there are any such issues.

1. Click the button below to download and install the Diagnostic
2. Perform a Registry scan and fix any problems detected.
3. Restart your computer.

Estimated Download Time: 10 Seconds

---

Grant Folder Access Permissions

The installation may not have sufficient permissions to access the installation folder contents. Change the installation folder settings to provide read/ write access permissions. If that doesn’t work, simply re-launch the Setup with Administrative privileges.

Method # 1: Check Folder Security Settings

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista:

1. Double-click This PC, My Computer or Computer depending on your Windows version.
2. Go to the parent directory that contains your installation directory. For example: C:\Program Files (x86) or C:\Program Files
3. Right-click the folder you’ve chosen for installation.
4. Select Properties.
5. Click on the Security tab.
6. Click on Edit.
7. Check-up Full control in the Allow column.
8. Click OK | OK.

Method # 2: Re-launch Setup with Admin Privileges

To re-launch the setup again with administrative privileges, right-click on the Setup.exe, Install.exe or concerned file and choose the Run as Administrator option.

Redownload Setup From Another Source

Some of the installation files could be missing, deleted, renamed or corrupted. Try redownloading the Setup program again from another source, say a different website/ host server.

Check Disk For Errors

When your hard drive is failing, the installer fails to access some of the installer package contents. Use the Check-Disk feature in Windows to diagnose this issue.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista:

1. Double-click This PC, My Computer or Computer based on your OS version.
2. Right-click the installation drive, for example, C:\
3. Select Properties.
4. Click on Tools, followed by Check.
5. Hit Scan Drive to start the scan.

Restart Windows Installer Service

Windows Installer may have failed to access the Windows Installer service during the installation process. Use the Services tool to properly configure the service.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista:

1. Press Windows Key + R keys simultaneously.
2. In the Run dialog box, type Services.msc and hit ENTER.
3. When you have the Services tool opened up, check for a service named Windows Installer.
4. Right-click that service, and select Properties.
5. Set the Startup Type: Automatic
6. If the Service Status is already running, click on Stop.
7. Click OK.
8. Restart your computer and the Windows Installer service will automatically be started up.

Reregister MSIEXEC

Some users have fixed This installation package cannot be opened by simply unregistering and re-registering the MSIEXEC.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8:

1. Press Windows Key + X keys simultaneously.
2. Select Command Prompt (Admin).
3. Execute the following commands one by one:
   • msiexec /unregister
   • msiexec /regserver
   • exit
4. Restart your computer for the changes to take effects.

For Windows 7/ Vista:

1. Click Start.
2. Click All Programs | Accessories.
3. Open the Command Prompt program.
4. Follow the Step # 3-4 in the above Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8 user’s section.

Clean-Up Temporary Installation Files

There may be problems with the files extracted during installation. Delete the setup extracted temporary files using Disk CleanUp.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista:

1. Double-click This PC, Computer or My Computer icon on your Desktop depending on your Windows version.
2. Right-click the C:\ drive, and choose Properties.
3. Click the General tab.
4. Click on Disk CleanUp.
5. Wait for some time till the Disk CleanUp analyzes the size of temporary files on your hard drive.
6. Once the scan is finished, check-up all the boxes, and then perform a clean-up.

Temporarily Turn-Off Antivirus

The Real-Time Scan feature of your Antivirus analyzes any open files on a constant basis for malicious code. There are cases when your Antivirus blocks installations against your will. Temporarily disabling your Antivirus might help.

For McAfee Antivirus Plus:

1. Right-click the McAfee Antivirus Plus icon on the system tray area.
2. Choose Change settings, followed by Real-time Scanning.
3. Click on Turn Off in the new window that appears.

For Kaspersky Internet Security:

1. Right-click the Kaspersky Internet Security icon on the system tray area of your Taskbar.
2. Select Pause protection option.
3. Select Pause for the specified time and choose a time interval using the drop-down box.
4. Click Pause protection.

Repair Registry Issues

Some issues in the Registry may have caused the installation to begin and stop with Installation Package error. Here are the most commonly reported issues:

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista:

1. Press Windows Key and R keys simultaneously.
2. Type RegEdit, click OK.
3. Locate the following sub-key:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | SYSTEM | CurrentControlSet | Control | Session Manager
4. On the right-hand side of your screen, check for a string named PendingFileRenameOperations.
5. If such string ever exists, delete it. (Right-click > Delete)
6. In the confirmation prompt that appears, click Yes.
7. Now, locate the following sub-key:
   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates
8. In the right-hand side of your screen, search for a string called UpdateExeVolatile.
9. Double-click UpdateExeVolatile string, and replace its value with 0. Click OK.
10. Exit out of the screen and restart your machine.

Temporarily Disable UAC

UAC is a security feature that prevents the execution of malicious code. Temporarily disable it during the installation, and re-open the setup.

For Windows 10:

1. Click on Start.
2. Type UAC.
3. From the Search Results that appear, open Change User Account Control Settings.
4. In the new dialog on your screen, set the Slider to the extreme bottom (in order to select Never Notify).
5. Click OK.
6. Restart your system.

For Windows 8.1/ 8:

1. Press Windows Key + X, select Control Panel from the context menu options.
2. Click on User Account and Family Safety, followed by User Accounts.
3. Click on Change User Account Control settings on the bottom of your screen.
4. In the subsequent screen, move the Slider to the extreme bottom, and then click OK.

For Windows 7:

1. Click on Start.
2. Type Change User Account Control Settings.
3. Open Change User Account Control Settings from the Search Results.
4. Move the Slider to the extreme bottom, and click OK.
5. Reboot your machine.

For Windows Vista:

1. Click on Start.
2. Select Control Panel.
3. In the Search Box on the upper right corner of your screen, type UAC.
4. Open Turn User Account Control (UAC) On Or Off from the Search Results displayed on your screen.
5. Uncheck Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer.
6. Click OK.
7. A system reboot is crucial.

Check For Compatibility Issues

If the software you’re attempting to install was built for an earlier version of Windows, configure its setup to load in compatibility mode.

For Windows 10/ 8.1/ 8/ 7/ Vista:

1. Right-click the Setup.exe, Install.exe or the relevant installer file.
2. Select Properties.
3. Click the Compatibility tab.
4. Check-up Run this program in compatibility mode for.
5. Choose an earlier version of the Windows operating system, and then click OK.