BUG: An error occurs running Windows Installer installation on Terminal Server or Remote Desktop connection (255582)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Installer 1.0, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 1.1, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 1.2, when used with:
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 3.0, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 3.1, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q255582

SYMPTOMS

When you are installing a Windows Installer-based setup program from a Terminal Services session on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 or when you are using a Remote Desktop session on Windows XP Professional, you may receive one of the following error messages (where myapp.msi is the name of the .msi file that you are running).

On a system running the base version of Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, or Windows XP Professional, you will receive error 2755:
Internal Error 2755. 3 <Path>\myapp.msi.
On a system running Windows 2000 Service Pack 1, you will receive error 1305:
Error reading from file: <Path>\myapp.msi. Verify that the file exists and that you can access it.

CAUSE

These errors may occur if you are running from a Terminal Server session or a Remote Desktop session and the path to the installation files is a mapped drive. The Windows Installer service is running in a different session than the user and therefore has different drive mappings. The errors occur because the .msi files that are needed cannot be found.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, use the full universal naming convention (UNC) path on the command line or run the installation from the Terminal Server console.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

REFERENCES

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

255591 Internal error 2755 installing Windows 2000 Resource Kit on a terminal server

254841 You receive an "Internal Error 2755" error message when you try to install Office 2000 from a remote Windows Terminal Server client

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:2/22/2006
Keywords:kbBug kbpending KB255582
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