the folder path '?program files' contains an invalid character

It was suggested a couple of times to rename

It was suggested a couple of times to rename

it's named "Program Files".

????

Ranger4 said:

Hi ziadmario54321, welcome to the Forum.

This MS website might help you & it does suggest a registry edit, so it would be a good idea to back up the registry first. It also mentions changing or renaming hard drives, so fi that applies to you you may need to take note of that.

Error 1324 The path Program file Contains an Invalid Character. - Microsoft Community

Then try either of these two approaches :

Remove Invalid Character from the Registry
You can search the Windows registry for the invalid character that is displayed in the 1324 error message and replace all instances of the invalid character with the correct character. For example, if the 1324 error message refers to "system32/", you should search for "system32/". If you find any instances in the registry, modify them, so that the registry values correctly reference the System32 folder.
1.ClickStart, and then click Run. In the Open box, typeregedit, and then click OK.
2.On theEdit menu, click Find.
3.In theFind What box, type the character string reported in the 1324 error message, and then clickFind Next.
4.If you find the problematic string, make any necessary changes, and then press F3 to find the next occurrence.
5.Repeat step 4 until you locate and change all incorrect references.
6.On theRegistry menu, click Exit.
7.Re-run Office Setup.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ ) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

Or:

Also, this behavior can occur if you type an invalid destination in the Folder name box on the Change Current Destination Folderscreen.
To resolve this issue, specify a destination that resides on a local hard-disk drive in the Folder name box on the Change Current Destination Folder screen.

Source: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...93e4c3b?auth=1

Oh the joys of Ultimate.

Take it this a pretty new install of W7.
have a look at this MS blog, its an explanation and a fix re Iko's 2nd quote.
Basically its redirecting the installer to the wrong place.

Error 1324. The folder path s Blog

Roy

tried before i've posted this thread, still.

update: i used regscanner to find all of these registries which includes "?Program Files", and deleted all of them, the installer worked. even every other installer that uses the windows installer thingy.

Click on the windows icon on the bottom left, search for cmd, right click on cmd and run as admin. Type in chkdsk /f /r and let it run check disk. Then after that's done, type in sfc /scannow and check for problems with the operating system. get back to us if need be.

And glad you found the issue. A bit of advise though, don't play around with the registry files too much without knowing what you're doing, if you corrupt your registry, look forward to reinstalling windows. I am a computer tech, I have an AAS in computer maintenance, and trust me, messing with the registry too much can kill your computer.