Internal: How to resolve "1607: Unable to Install InstallShield Scripting Runtime" error

David Blackston Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Topic:
Occasionally we hear from customers who have run into an InstallShield error that says "1607: Unable to Install InstallShield Scripting Runtime", when trying to install our products on Windows machines from a CD or DVD. InstallShield reports that there are several possible reasons that one might get this error message. This tech tip lays out the steps that InstallShield recommends for trying to resolve the problem.

NOTE: The InstallShield instructions from which these steps are copied included instructions for older versions of Windows than are now supported by our products. We assume that in step 6, modern Windows users would use the option shown for Windows XP.Discussion:

Make sure that you have administrative privileges to run the setup on the machine. It is recommended that users have full administrative permissions on Windows NT and later machines.
Download and run IsScript.msi (http://consumer.installshield.com/kb.asp?id=Q108322). This file internally sets the ALLUSERS property, which is known to fix the issue in some cases. After downloading the attached file, replace the IsScript.msi shipped with InstallShield Express 3.5 SP4 setup with this updated version. The file IsScript.msi can be found in the same path as InstallShield Express 3.5 SP4 Setup.exe.
Make sure that the Installer folder in the Windows directory on the machine is not read only. The path to the installer folder is typically C:\Winnt\Installer on Windows NT and later machines and C:\Windows\Installer on Windows 9x and Me machines. Right-click on the Installer folder and select Properties. Make sure that it is not read only. On some machines, the Installer folder may be hidden. Before searching for this folder in the above path, make sure to show hidden files and folders in the Windows Explorer options.
You may want to manually uninstall any previous version of InstallShield Express 3.x from the machine before installing the new version. If the uninstallation fails, use MsiCleanUp utility to uninstall the old product. You can download MsiCleanUp from MSDN at 290301 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=290301) Description of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility.
Launch the Task Manager to see if multiple instances of Msiexec.exe or IDriver.exe are running on the machine. You can launch the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete. You should have at least one instance of these files running as these engine files drive the setup. However, if you see more than one instance of Msiexec.exe or IDriver.exe, it could be the cause of the issue. If this is the case, reboot the machine and run the installation again.
Run the file InstmsiA.exe on Windows 9x or Me or InstmsiW.exe on Windows NT, 2000, or XP to install and configure the Windows Installer Service on the machine. These files can be found in the same path as Setup.exe for the InstallShield Express setup. If the issue persists, register the file Msiexec.exe manually on the machine. To do this, run the following command-line option in the Start > Run command or command prompt of the operating system:
If your installation is trying to uninstall a file that is in use, the Windows Installer Service throws the File In Use Dialog. However, when you attempt to uninstall the installation via the Remove option of the Add/Remove Programs applet (ARP), the Windows Installer setup runs the uninstallation in a basic User Interface mode, which does not display the File In Use Dialog, displaying error 1607. As a workaround, you may want to disable the ARP Remove option in the installation. This forces users to uninstall via the Change option of ARP, which will notify the user when a file is in use. To disable Remove option from ARP, open your project in Express and:

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