Privileges
Sunday, 10. February 2008, 09:43:37
It's a privilege to install the latest Opera version, isn't it?
I'll confess: I'm not really an Opera user in the sense that I use the browser daily. But since I design and build websites (and software for building websites), I need to have nice collection of browsers handy to test with. Opera, in various versions, is one of those.
It was time to install a new version then (keeping the old ones around, of course). So after downloading Opera 9.25 Friday, yesterday I set out to install it on Grace, my “main” computer and dashboard to the world. The process was ... interesting.
Grace runs Windows 2000. I still prefer that over Windows XP (and let's not mention... oops). So, I look at my Opera installations to see how I've called the installation directories, and start the installer. Tell it where to install (a new directory next to the existing Opera versions), and a few other parameters, and let it rip. Go off to get something to drink, and return to my desk to find this:
So what does this mean?
Error 1303.The installer has insufficient privileges to access this directory: R:\Config.Msi. The installation cannot continue. Log on as administrator or contact your system administrator.
I am logged on as administrator. R: is my system drive. But I never heard of that directory … and it doesn't exist! On a hunch, I create a directory at the indicated location, and hit retry… and lo and behold, the next thing I see is this:
So, I click “Finish”. And then have a look at my brand-new R:\Config.Msi directory. It's blissfully empty.
Since when can't installers create directories they need?
thanks for stopping by in my blog.
By chanmok, # 12. February 2008, 01:31:23
A few minutes googling...
This is the MSI installer wanting to create a directory for temporary backup (in case you abort the installation). This is almost always the folder config.msi on your system drive. If the install doesn't have sufficient privileges, that causes the error/warning. Seems to happen to the best of them, given the number of hits on Google, for example when installing MS Office and MS SQL Server... Two interesting links:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;228658
http://www.pchell.com/support/configmsifolder.shtml
The folder should be empty after the succesful installation; if the install process didn't have the proper rights to create them, it is not surprising it also couldn't delete them
By Rijk, # 26. March 2008, 15:55:55
I read through both pages you're linking to, but I'm still puzzled:
And yes, I should have watched that folder (after I created it) but I didn't epect any files to be created and removed again.
Anyway, your explanation and those pages tell me what was happening, but not really why.
By JavaWoman, # 26. March 2008, 19:54:34