[Solved] Fix Office 2013 Installation Error 1603 and Similar Software

I already talked about the significant differences between Office 365 and 2013. The former is more of a subscription based model and has cloud-based support. The latter is more of a traditional upgraded version of spread-sheet software which Microsoft has been earning dollars for years.

Read More : Office 2010 SP2 Update –  KB2687455 Failure ( Solution with Details)

Installing Office 2013 is just like a piece-of-cake if you have the right system requirements like RAM and CPU power. But sometimes, when you have different software like Adobe Photoshop, GIMP and open source like LibreOffice, certain hiccups may follow during the installation phase.

One such error is 1603.

This error is not confined to Office 2013 and is more of a Windows Installer package error.

What are the Symptoms of 1603 Error?

When you try to install a Microsoft Windows Installer package, you may receive the following error message:

Error 1603: A fatal error occurred during installation.

If you click OK in the message box, the installation rolls back.

What are some of the Causes and Solutions to Error 1603?

• Scheduler service was stopped. At a cmd window typing “net start schedule” resolves the problem.
• CMD.exe was customized via the following registry key. Solution was to temporarily disable the customization by changing autorun value to autorun_old.
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftCommand Processor
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWow6432NodeMicrosoftCommand Processor
• Permission issues – seems some custom permissions affected Ingram’s install which he explained in his previous post.
• Environment variable “ComSpec” had been modified (semicolon added). Fix was to remove the added semicolon (there should be no semicolon).

The way to identify you are hitting this specific issue is if in the %temp%OfficeSetup.log there is a mention of “Office64MUI.msi” failing to install with return value of 1603.

Resolution from the Microsoft Support Article

You can also find this KB article which will help you in resolving your problem. The main cause of 1603 error is insufficient permissions to the file or folder where the Windows Installer Package is being installed. Also you may not have administrative privileges for the account you are currently logged in.

There are several solutions to this problem.

• Install the Office 2013 installation package to a folder that is not encrypted.
• Install the Office 2013 installation package to a drive that is not accessed as a substitute drive.
• Sometimes lack of permissions to the SYSTEM account, if you are an Windows 2000 or XP user can also create trouble during installation. Giving FULL control permissions to this account can sometimes resolve the problem.

More to Read

• SharePoint and Office 2013 Offline and Online Sync using SkyDrive Pro
• Free Office 2013 Offer and Qualifying Requirements
• Review of Excel 2013 new features – See what’s new!

QuickBooks Installation Error 1603

Here is an example of QuickBooks installation error which is related to Microsoft .NET Framework, a component used by programs to integrate with Web applications.

There are two solutions to this problem. The first one is to download the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool and let the tool run. It will attempt to correct problems related to Microsoft Components which can cause unexpected errors.

If you are an advanced Windows expert, you can try the second solution. This applies to QuickBooks 2013 and 2012 products. If one is a Windows 8 user, he has to make sure that .NET Framework 4.5 is enabled. This can be found in Turn Windows Features on or off feature. You will find a small box beside this option which has to be check-marked.

If its already checked and you are still having problems, you need to un-check the box and reboot the system and re-enable the box and re-boot again. This whole process is little tiresome but works out.

Trend Micro Titanium Installation Error 1603

The installation of the software stops between 70 and 100 percent. The error can be resolved by looking at this article where the solution is found for Vista, 7 and 8 users.

You need to delete the “Temp“ folder and tmtdi.sys file. Then you need to download the permission tool and run it. You need to delete the Trend Micro folder in the following two locations.

• C:Program Files folder
• C:ProgramData folder

Then you need to delete the TrendMicro registry entries at the following locations in the registry.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftware
• HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftware

Then you need to re-install the Titanium 2014 version according to the instructions given.

Conclusion

With Windows XP support being ended this April 8th, security vulnerabilities may creep in if you are using legacy software. Though Office 2010 is still widely being used by the public, the Redmond giant always envisages to go for the newest version. Whether it’s for better security, UI, performance or just as a marketing gimmick, you have no choice, but to jump into the new bandwagon!