Article ID: 299275 - Last Review: October 13, 2003 - Revision: 3.0

PRB: 'Could Not Update the ini File' Error Occurs When Writing to an .ini File on a Mapped Drive

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SYMPTOMS

During the installation of a Windows Installer package, you may receive the following error message:
Error 1913 "Could not update the ini file [2][3]. Verify that the file exists and that you can access it."
This occurs when the installation involves writing to an .ini file on a mapped drive located on a Windows NT 4-based computer.
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CAUSE

The problem is caused by Windows NT 4, not by the Windows Installer engine. Windows Installer per-computer installations run under the LocalSystem security context. Windows NT 4 services cannot write to a share with read/write permissions when the services are running under the LocalSystem security context. This can be verified by calling the WritePrivateProfileString function from a program on a share with read/write permissions. The WritePrivateProfileString function will fail. Additionally, calling the fopen function in write mode on a share with read/write permissions will also fail.
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RESOLUTION

A fix for this problem is located in the following article:
318705  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318705/EN-US/ ) FIX: Writing .ini Files to Network Location with Windows Installer Results in Error 1913
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WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, perform the installation on Windows 2000 and use the mapped drives on a Windows 2000-based computer. Per-user installation on Windows 2000 may use mapped drives on any operating system.
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STATUS

This behavior is by design.
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MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

The following are the steps to create an .msi package to reproduce this problem:
  1. Create a new .msi file (or locate a pre-existing .msi file).
  2. Open the .msi file in Orca.
  3. Go to the IniFile table and add an entry. In the DirProperty column, make sure the directory property is pointing to a mapped drive.
  4. Save the .msi file in Orca.
  5. Run the installation. The installation will fail under the following scenarios:

    • Per-computer installation on Windows 2000 and the mapped drive is on Windows NT 4.
    • Per-user and per-computer installation on Windows NT 4 and the mapped drive is on Windows 2000.
    • Per-user and per-computer installation on Windows NT4 and the mapped drive is on another Windows NT 4-based computer.
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 2.0
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 1.1
  • Microsoft Windows Installer 1.2
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Keywords: 
kbprb KB299275
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Retired KB ArticleRetired KB Content Disclaimer
This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.
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