FreeCommander Forum

Hi,

I use FCXE 64-bit portable, build 672, on Windows 7 64-bit. I ran into a problem where I cannot run a certain third-party application installer from FCXE. The installer asks me for the language I wish to use for the installation, but then I get an error "The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if the Windows Installer Service is not properly installed.".

However, if I run the same installer from either Windows Explorer or from an older 32-bit version of FCXE (build 663) that I still have available, the installer runs just fine. Go back to FCXE 64-bit, the installer won't run.

To further complicate matters, if I run the FCXE 64-bit .exe "as administrator", then the third-party installer will run correctly. But note that this is not necessary when I run the 32-bit version of FCXE!

So, it appears that something in the 64-bit version is not interfacing with the system properly, causing the Windows Installer service to fail. I don't know if it's something specific to this build, or if the problem has existed in previous builds, but it's the first time I've seen it happen. (I haven't tried launching any other installers from FCXE lately.)

Aimhere

Is the installer public?
Have you tried to start the installer per context menu "Open"?

Karol wrote:Is the installer public?
Have you tried to start the installer per context menu "Open"?

a) Yes. For example, I get the error with something as commonplace as Apple's Quicktime installer.
b) Yes, and also tried "Run as Administrator" from the context menu. Still get the error.

I noticed further problems when running another installer from FCXE 64-bit. This time, it was the "K-Lite Codec Pack (Mega)" installer, which got partway through its installation, then started giving me "access denied" errors when it tried to copy certain codec files into the Windows\System32 folder. I chose "Ignore" in the error dialog to make it skip those files, and eventually started getting other errors, before I aborted it entirely. And "Run as Administrator" from FCXE 64-bit didn't help either. If I run the same installer from Windows Explorer, it finishes without errors. I don't know if this problem is related to the "Windows Installer Service" error, though (but it may be).

I'm hoping this installer issue can be resolved. I use FCXE for just about everything, so it's kind of frustrating to have to switch to Windows Explorer just to install a new application or utility program.

Aimhere

This is just an idea...

I use Avast Anti-Virus (Free) and I often have to disable Avast when I am installing software, because it gets in the way with constant popup windows and can mess with the timing of the installer. I always disable it when I install Windows updates.

I hope this helps.