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WINDOWS INSTALLER ERROR · ERROR_INSTALL_PACKAGE_OPEN_FAILED

Error 1619 and 1620: This Installation Package Could Not Be Opened

Windows Installer was pointed at a package file and could not open it. Microsoft's text for 1619 asks you to verify that the package exists and is accessible; its text for 1620 goes straight to asking the vendor whether the file is a valid Windows Installer package.

WHAT WINDOWS SAYS

This installation package couldn't be opened. Verify that the package exists and is accessible, or contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer package.

Error 1620 (ERROR_INSTALL_PACKAGE_INVALID) is the same sentence without the first check: "This installation package couldn't be opened. Contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer package."

Wording from Microsoft's documentation, linked under Sources.

TECHNICAL SUMMARY

Number1619, 1620
Windows nameERROR_INSTALL_PACKAGE_OPEN_FAILED
Where it appearsExit code of msiexec.exe
In PC Tweaker UninstallerShows the exit code

What causes Error 1619 and 1620

  • The package does not exist at the path that was given: a moved or deleted download, or a typing mistake in a command.
  • The package exists but is not accessible from where the setup runs, for example on a network share or a drive that is not connected.
  • The file is not a valid Windows Installer package: Microsoft's message sends you to the application vendor to verify it.
  • During an uninstall or update, Microsoft lists 1620 among the messages that a missing Windows Installer cache file can trigger.

How to fix Error 1619 and 1620, safest step first

Microsoft's message contains the order: verify that the package exists, that it is accessible, then ask the vendor whether it is valid.

  1. Verify the file exists where the setup looks for it

    Run the check below with the full path of the .msi in quotation marks. If you typed an msiexec command, put the path in quotation marks there too, as Microsoft's examples do.

    To undo: Nothing to undo: you only looked.

  2. Copy the package to a local folder and run it from there

    Copy the .msi from the network share, archive or removable drive to a folder on the PC, such as Downloads, and start it from that copy.

    To undo: Delete the copy.

  3. Get a current installer from the publisher, or ask its support

    Download the program's current setup from its publisher and run that one. Microsoft's message says to contact the application vendor to verify that the file is a valid Windows Installer package; a fresh download replaces one that arrived incomplete.

    To undo: Nothing to undo until a setup completes; after that, uninstalling the program is the way back.

  4. If it happens while uninstalling, treat it as a missing source

    A removal does not use the file you downloaded: it uses the package Windows cached at install time. Follow the steps for error 1612, which covers the missing cache.

    To undo: See that page for each step's undo.

Check it yourself, without changing anything

  1. Check the package file (PowerShell)

    Replace the path with yours. An error means the file is not there or cannot be reached; a Length of 0 means the file is empty. Nothing is changed.

    Get-Item "C:\path\to\setup.msi" | Format-List FullName, Length, LastWriteTime
    PowerShell

  2. Read what Windows Installer logged (PowerShell)

    Microsoft documents event 1033 (installation completed with status) and 1034 (removal completed with status): each names the product, its version and the status number, which is 0 on success. Nothing is changed.

    Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{ LogName='Application'; ProviderName='MsiInstaller'; Id=1033,1034 } -MaxEvents 10 |
  Format-List TimeCreated, Id, Message
    PowerShell

What PC Tweaker Uninstaller does with Error 1619 and 1620

Shows the exit code

PC Tweaker Uninstaller removes a Windows Installer program with the command it shows you first in the Removal Brief, msiexec.exe /x {ProductCode} /qn /norestart, after asking Windows for a restore point when the removal needs administrator rights. It never points Windows Installer at a package file: the removal names the product code only. If msiexec.exe still returns 1619 or 1620, the report shows that exit code, and the missing-source page is the one to follow. The Uninstaller cannot repair or replace a package.

PC Tweaker Uninstaller: see the exact command before a removal runs

Common questions

What is the difference between error 1619 and error 1620?

Microsoft's texts differ by one clause. 1619 asks you to verify that the package exists and is accessible, or to ask the vendor whether it is valid. 1620 goes straight to the vendor to verify that the file is a valid Windows Installer package.

Does error 1619 mean the download is corrupted?

It can, but check the simple things first, in the order of Microsoft's message: that the file exists at that path and that it can be reached. Then download it again from the publisher.

How should the path look in an msiexec command?

As in Microsoft's own examples, with the full path in quotation marks: msiexec.exe /i "C:\example.msi". Error 1619 asks you to verify that the package exists at the path you gave.