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#31
Similar problem, no solution!
For the past three or four days, I have been trying to install Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator (from the CS4 collection), but I keep getting the 1603 error. I have searched everywhere for a solution to this problem; from the Adobe website, to Microsoft, to InstallShield, and finally to many random tech forums, such as this one I stumbled upon.
Here is some of the things I have done so far:
- Used both the CS3 and CS4 cleaning utilities
- Cleaned and fixed my registry with TuneUp Utilities 2009
- Used the Windows disk check utility to run a full scan on my hard drive
- Manually updated my Windows Installer version
- Unlocked different files on my hard drive (as the Adobe forums suggested)
- Unlocked different registry keys (from Adobe)
- Booted in safe mode and tried installing
- Used MSConfig to turn off all non-Microsoft services (including my antivirus and firewall) and booted in that mode to install
- Manually removed all Adobe keys from the registry (after a backup, of course)
- Created a new admin account to install from
- Double, triple, and quadtruple checked my privileges for my admin and SYSTEM accounts
- Tried to install using a "simplified mode" (which is copying all files to the desktop to install from)
Some additional background information...I have no Google programs installed and I am using the (only) admin account on my computer (I deleted the other account I created). I am using Vista Home Premium and everything is completely up-to-date, with no viruses, spyware, or malware. I had Photoshop CS3 awhile back and later upgraded to CS4. Last week, I uninstalled CS4 to upgrade to the CS4 Extended version, plus Illustrator and InDesign. However, no CS4 program will install, because they each report back with the 1603 error.
I used Adobe's Support Advisor program to decipher the error message. It said something about the privileges of a certain key in the registry and some files on my hard drive, which I went in manually and changed these privileges. Here is the topic that the Support Advisor sent me to:
http://www.adobe.com/go/kb403891
I followed everything they suggested, and I think all of that worked. Except...the part of changing the privileges in the registry. I did change it but it gave me an error that said, "Registry editor could not set security in the key currently selected, or some of its subkeys."
I'm not sure if it is supposed to have that message, but I am guessing not. By process of elimination (and mostly out of hope), I think this is probably the problem (...I hope).
Any suggestions? Does anybody understand what this means? Is there ANYTHING I can do?!
In an Adobe support forum that described what to do in the case of a 1603 error, the last step said to install on a different machine. Hm. Does anybody else see a problem with that? Mainly because we pour thousands of dollars into this company that has terrible customer support, just to have them tell us that they don't know what else to do? Um. Hello?
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