Error 1603: A fatal error occurred during installation

Last updated on Jun 28, 2023 | Also applies to Creative Suite CS4

Fatal error 1603 occurs during Acrobat installation

The 1603 error is an MSI error code indicating a failure that is generic, but computer-specific. This document lists possible suggestions to solve this error. The following table lists known causes of 1603 errors when installing Adobe software.

[DATE] [TIME] | [INFO] | | ASU | MSIInvoker | MSIInvoker | | | 6016 | utilLaunchApplicationDeelevated : The return Code from Create Process (1603).
[TIME] -(Adobe)- #_AdobeError_# 1603 [TIME] -(Adobe)- -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- END - Adobe_OEMFilesSetAttribute -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Action ended [TIME]: EMSupportBlindCopyCommit.E35C3ECB_5FDA_49E1_AB1F_D472B7CB90171. Return value 3. Action ended [TIME]: INSTALL. Return value 3.

Error code	Details	Solution
Error 1603. Fatal error during installation. (AdobeColorCommonSetRGB)	The installer is trying to install the "sRGB Color Space Profile.icm" on top of an existing copy, which is locked.	Proceed to Solution 1a and 1b
Error 1603. Fatal error during installation. (Double Byte folder)	You have a double-byte folder on a single-byte Windows operating system.	Proceed to Solution 2
All other 1603 errors ("#_AdobeError_# 1603")	The above solutions aren't applicable, or haven't worked.	Proceed to Solution 3 and lower

Solution 1a: Disable startup items and non-Microsoft services

See Disable startup items, services | Windows.

Solution 1b: Fix permissions on the Windows Color Profiles folder

Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers.
Right-click the Color folder and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
Click the Security tab.
Click Advanced.
Click the Owner tab.
If the current owner is not the Administrators group, choose the Administrators group from the list of names in the Change Owner To field.
Select Replace Owner on Subcontainers and Objects.
Click OK.
If you get a message indicating that it's necessary to reopen the object's properties dialog box before you can view or change permissions, click OK and continue. If not, skip to step 14.
Click OK to all remaining dialog boxes until you have exited the Color Properties dialog box.
Right-click the Color folder and choose Properties from the pop-up menu.
Click the Security tab.
Click Advanced.
On the Permissions tab click Edit.
Select the Administrators group in the list of permission entries.
Click Edit.
Change the Apply to option to "This folder, subfolders, and files."
Select the Full Control option under the Allow column.
Select the options labeled "Replace permission entries on all child objects."
Click OK to exit the Color Properties dialog box.
Try reinstalling your Adobe application.

Note: If you are prompted with a Security dialog box about removing explicitly defined permissions, click Yes.

Solution 2: Install the Adobe product into a single-byte folder

Launch the Adobe installer.
Follow the onscreen instructions until you get to the Installation Location dialog box.
Click Browse and select a folder without double-byte characters.

Note: Double-byte or high ASCII characters are any character that requires more than 1 byte to describe. Most glyph-based languages use double-byte characters to display the language, such as Japanese.

Example: On an English Windows OS you cannot install into a folder named .
Try reinstalling your Adobe application.

Solution 3: Clear contents of user and system temp folders

Navigate to C:\Windows\Temp\, select all the files, and then press Delete. Confirm the file deletion.
Delete the contents of the users Temp directory as follows:
- Windows XP: Choose Start > Run.
- Windows 7/Vista: Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Run.
In the Open box, type %temp% and then click OK. The contents of the Temp folder appear on the computer.
Select all the files in the Temp folder, then press Delete. Confirm the file deletion.
Try reinstalling your Adobe application.

Solution 4: Verify that the Windows Installer Service is started

Do one of the following:
- Windows XP: Choose Start > Run and type services.msc.
- Windows Vista: Click Start and type services.msc in the Start Search box.
Double-click the service named Windows Installer.
Ensure that the value of the Startup Type field is set to Manual.
Click OK to confirm the setting.
Try reinstalling your Adobe application.

Solution 5: Reregister the Windows Installer service

Do one of the following:
- Windows XP: Choose Start > Run.
- Windows Vista: Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Run.
In the Open box, type "msiexec /unreg" and then press Enter.
Do one of the following:
- Windows XP: Choose Start > Run.
- Windows Vista: Choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > Run.
In the Open box, type "msiexec /regserver" and then press Enter.
Try reinstalling your Adobe application.

Solution 6: Install to a folder that is not encrypted

Encrypted folders are protected against further changes, which includes adding files or installing applications. Either remove the encryption or install to a different folder.

NOTE: The Program Files and Program Files (x86) folders cannot be encrypted even if you are installing to a different directory. Some components of Adobe applications install to the OS Program Files folder regardless of what your settings are.

Launch the Adobe installer.
Follow the onscreen instructions until you get to the Installation Location dialog box.
Click Browse and select a folder without encryption.
Try reinstalling your Adobe application.

Solution 7: Run the Adobe Cleaner Tool

To obtain the Cleaner Tool and information on how to run it, see Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems.

Solution 8: Troubleshoot using install logs

To troubleshoot using install logs, see Troubleshoot installation with install logs | CS3, CS4 and Troubleshoot install issues with log files | CS.

If the issue is still not resolved, contact Adobe Support.

Get help faster and easier

New user?