Software⏱️ 4 min read📅 2026-06-19

How to Fix: Different application installers return a 1603 file access error; how to find file that it cannot access?

Error 1603 occurs during installation; unable to access file.

Quick Answer: Use Process Monitor to capture installer's PID and analyze file system access, then use the 'File Access' tab in Process Monitor to identify the inaccessible file.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. ⚠️ Common Causes
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

Error 1603, also known as 'A fatal error occurred during installation,' is an error message that can occur when installing applications on Windows. This specific issue affects users who are trying to install Evernote and Windows SDK applications on Windows 10 version 2004. The frustrating part of this problem is that the application's installer cannot access a file, but the process monitor does not show any 'ACCESS DENIED' errors to the file system.

In order to resolve this issue, we will go through two primary methods for determining which file neither of the installers can access and fixing the problem.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • The first main reason why this error happens is that the installer may be trying to access a file in a location that does not exist or is not accessible due to permissions issues. This could also be caused by a corrupted system file or a conflict with another application.
  • An alternative reason for this issue could be that the file being accessed is a system file and cannot be modified by the installer.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Using Process Monitor to Identify Access Issues

  1. Step 1: First, open Process Monitor and capture the installer's PID. This will allow you to track any access issues that occur during installation.
  2. Step 2: Next, navigate to the 'File System' tab in Process Monitor and filter the results by file path. Look for any files or folders that have a status of 'ACCESS DENIED'.
  3. Step 3: If you do not see any 'ACCESS DENIED' errors, try filtering the results by event ID (ID 0x80070005). This will show you if there are any access issues that are being denied but not visible in the standard view.
  4. Step 4: Once you have identified a file or folder that is causing an access issue, try using the 'Find File' feature in Process Monitor to locate the exact path of the problematic file.

Using the Windows Error Log

  1. Step 1: Open the Event Viewer and navigate to the 'Windows Logs' section. Look for any errors that occurred during installation that may be related to access issues.
  2. Step 2: Filter the results by event ID (ID 0x80070005) to see if there are any access-related errors. If you find an error, try to determine which file or folder is being accessed and why it's causing a problem.
  3. Step 3: If you're still having trouble identifying the problematic file, try using the 'Find File' feature in Event Viewer to locate its path.

✨ Wrapping Up

To resolve the issue of different application installers returning a 1603 file access error, use either Process Monitor or the Windows Error Log to identify which file is causing the problem. Once you've identified the problematic file, try modifying its permissions or location to see if that resolves the issue.

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