4 Fixes: System administrator set policies to prevent this installation
Installing a program shouldn’t be a difficult thing to follow through but sometimes it’s been made impossible by errors similar to this one. This particular error occurs when the users is trying to install a program on their PC and the message goes like:
The System Administrator Has Set Policies to Prevent This Installation
Sometimes there is an error code displayed as well which should help users research the cause of this error. The error is not a dangerous one and it can be fixed by implementing some of the methods which you can see below. The methods are quite easy to follow through so make sure you try out each one.
Solution 1: Simply Try Running the Setup File as an Administrator
This fix is definitely the simplest one and the reason why it’s included is because it has definitely worked in several occasions. So, before trying the more complicated fixes, make sure that you have tried this one out and saved yourself a couple of hours.
- Locate the setup file of the program you want to install and right-click on it.
- Choose the Run as administrator option from the context menu and agree to all popup alerts which may appear.
Solution 2: A Simple Registry Fix
The first method on our list has been declared as quite a successful one so that is the reason why you should first try this one out. The method includes editing the registry which can be somewhat dangerous if you are not sure what you are doing or if you accidentally edit the wrong key.
Follow the instructions displayed in this article in order to safely backup your registry so that you can fix the potential damage if it occurs.
- Open the Registry Editor by typing this into the Start menu or in the search bar located at the left part of the taskbar. You can also open the Run dialog box and type in “regedit”.
- Navigate to the following key in the registry editor:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer
- Right-click on the right section of the Registry Editor windows and click on New >> DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Set its name to DisableMSI and set its value to 1.
- Next, navigate to the following location and search through the list until you find the product that has been struggling to install on your computer.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\
- After you locate its key which should look like a folder, delete the entire folder by right-clicking on it and choosing Delete. After that, try installing the software again and check to see if the error message still appears.
Solution 3: Turn of User Account Control (UAC) and Try Installing Your Program
Since Windows can sometimes overreact with their security warnings and messages, you can turn them off for a short period of time needed for you to install the program you are struggling with. You should undo these changes as soon as you are done with the process since the last thing you want to do is leave your computer unprotected.
- Open Control Panel by searching for it in the Start menu.
- Switch the View by option in Control Panel to Large Icons and locate the User Accounts option.
- Open it and click on “Change User Account Control Settings”.
- You will notice that there are several different options you can choose on the slider. If your slider is set at the top level, you will definitely receive more of these pop-up messages than usual. Also, the error messages similar to the one you are experiencing right now are usually caused by User Account Control.
- Try decreasing this value by one if it’s at the top slider and check to see if it helped. Repeat the process if the error still appears or turn of UAC completely.
- We recommend you turn it off for now as the file should probably install successfully. You may also be able to run the file even if you don’t disable UAC completely, but you should definitely leave it on as it serves to protect your PC.
Solution 4: Use the Hidden Administrator Account
Even though you are probably the administrator on your PC, this error message might implicate that you are not actually the real admin. This is a bug and it can be fixed for the particular program if you use the “hidden” administrator account which can be unlocked by several commands in Command Prompt.
- Click on either the Start menu or the search button right next to the Start menu button on the taskbar and search for Command Prompt. Right-click on it and choose the Run as administrator option.
- Copy and paste the following command in Command Prompt and click Enter. You should be able to see the “The command completed successfully” message in no time.
net user administrator /active:yes
- Log into this admin account and wait for a couple of minutes before everything is ready.
- Now you can try restarting your computer, logging into the new administrator account and running the setup file.
- After you are finished with the hidden administrator account, you can disable it again by opening an administrative command prompt and typing the following command:
net user administrator /active:no
Solution 5: Use the Group Policy Editor
This error is explained in a way which tells us there may be something wrong with the Local Security Policy and it needs to be edited. You can safely edit these settings by following the instructions below and navigating to the settings which needs to be changed.
- Hold the Windows key and press the R button from your keyboard.
- Enter “gpedit.msc” in the Run dialog box, and press the OK button in order to open the Group Policy Editor.
- On the left section of Local Group Policy Editor, under Computer Configuration, double click on Administrative Templates, and navigate to the Windows Components >> Windows Installer.
- Select the Windows Installer folder, and navigate to its right side section.
- Double click on the “Turn off Windows Installer” policy option, check the box next to the “Enabled” option, and set the Disable Windows Installer option to Never.
- Finally, restart your computer in order to save these changes and check to see if the program can be installed.
