How do I fix: 🔍 Why This Happens?

The primary cause of this error is a restriction imposed by the WIX installer, which checks if the installation directory is on a local drive before proceeding with the installation process. This check is intended to prevent installations on network locations or external drives that may not be acces

How do I fix: Workaround using command-line arguments?

Step 1: Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the directory where the installer executable is located.Step 2: Run the installer with the following command-line argument: '/DInstallDir=:\

Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: "Installation directory must be on a local drive" msi install error

Q: Step-by-Step Verified Fixes Resolving the issue by modifying the WIX installation settings?

Step 1: Open the WIX project in a code editor and navigate to the 'Property' section. Locate the property 'InstallDir' and modify its value to point to a local drive or folder on the user's machine.Step 2: Save the changes and rebuild the installer using the WIX toolset. This should allow the instal

Installation directory must be on a local drive error in WIX installer

Quick Answer: Check for any file system restrictions or permissions issues that may be causing the problem.

📋 Table of Contents

🔍 Why This Happens
🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes
✨ Wrapping Up

The error 'Installation directory must be on a local drive' is affecting some users in your organization, causing frustration during product installation. This issue specifically occurs when the installer attempts to write the installation directory to a network location or external drive.

This problem is particularly vexing because it doesn't seem to affect Windows 10 users, and no one has reported issues with other versions of Windows aside from 8.1. Despite numerous tests, changing the path or using alternative root folders hasn't resolved the issue.

🔍 Why This Happens

The primary cause of this error is a restriction imposed by the WIX installer, which checks if the installation directory is on a local drive before proceeding with the installation process. This check is intended to prevent installations on network locations or external drives that may not be accessible or stable.
An alternative reason for this issue could be related to the custom action 'WixUIValidatePath' used in the installer, as mentioned in the bug report submitted on SourceForge. However, without further investigation, it's difficult to determine if this is indeed the root cause of the problem.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Resolving the issue by modifying the WIX installation settings

Step 1: Open the WIX project in a code editor and navigate to the 'Property' section. Locate the property 'InstallDir' and modify its value to point to a local drive or folder on the user's machine.
Step 2: Save the changes and rebuild the installer using the WIX toolset. This should allow the installation process to proceed without the 'Installation directory must be on a local drive' error.
Step 3: Test the installation process with the modified settings to ensure that it works correctly and doesn't produce any other errors.

Workaround using command-line arguments

Step 1: Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the directory where the installer executable is located.
Step 2: Run the installer with the following command-line argument: '/DInstallDir=:\

✨ Wrapping Up

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