Dandy

Thank you. I don't have any clues as to why the directory change works, only that it works. The directories have equal permissions, and I'm doing both installations under the same user ID. Obviously, there is also no change in Windows system files or services between them. So far as I know, there is no installation log that I can provide or look at myself. If one exists, please let me know where I can find it. I'll be happy to send it along.

Simon Brown affirmed that my workaround was helpful. His link was to an abbreviated and also non-exhaustive list of possible causes that appear to be unrelated to my workaround. Rick Brewster said "chill out", which may be in order, but has nothing to do with tracking down a problem in Paint.NET. Your post contained "slinging arrows", "not being helpful", "big boy pants", "troll face", and "hilarious". I think you can see the offensiveness in that, especially when it's in a first response to a stranger. I encourage you to be more respectful and less arrogant. I hope you go the right way with that. I also hope that my observations have been of use to the adults on the forum. There's something going on in the Paint.NET installer that doesn't have to do with Windows file corruption, services, and so on. Maybe a tracing capability would help.

Look at my post again. Note its observation that the link to the long-standing forum "solution" post didn't work for me - as it hasn't worked for others. Note also that it mentions a workaround (install to the default directory). Then look at Simon Brown's post, just below yours. Note that, contrary to what you say about my "not being helpful", my post helped him to get past the 1603 error and finally get Paint.NET installed. That's one post, one person helped. I wonder what the general average is. Your post, by contrast, contained 0% help, 100% sarcasm. So enough childish projection about "big boy pants" - how about addressing the points I raised instead? Can you say where the problem might be, given that the only change that Simon Brown and I made was to point at the default install directory? Doesn't that mean that Windows file corruption is a red herring? Is it possible that the install script may be "prototyped incorrectly", as the Symantec page says, in a way that is revealed by requesting a non-default install directory?

I've gotten the 1603 error several times in the past. The posted instructions don't work for me. What did work was using the default install instead of specifying a custom installation directory (D:\paint.net). Don't be fooled: This is not a Windows problem. If it were a Windows problem - a corrupt system file or what have you - then the installation would fail regardless of where you install the product. Note also that Microsoft Fix It did nothing to fix the problem for me, nor did the ancient and forever-suggested link given by barbieq25 above. A Symantec page gives a "non-exhaustive" list of conditions that can cause the error. Among other items on the list are: An Install Script custom action is prototyped incorrectly. The setup was corrupted after installation and, therefore, fails with this error during un-installation. In other words, the error can happen in circumstances other than a corrupt Windows system. My own experience confirms this. If the nice folks here at Paint.NET try to insist that the problem is in your Windows installation, you have no reason to believe them. Press them to solve the real problem, whatever it is.