SQL Server 2008 Installation error message: Unable to open windows installer file

5
votes

When running the SQL Server 2008 setup, I receive the following error message:

TITLE: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Setup

The following error has occurred:

Unable to open Windows Installer file 'G:\x64\setup\sql_engine_core_inst_msi\sql_engine_core_inst.msi'.

Windows Installer error message: The system cannot open the device or file specified. .

Click 'Retry' to retry the failed action, or click 'Cancel' to cancel this action and continue setup.

...

Please let me know how can i fix this is as i am unable to continue the installation process ... please help!

Regards

5
sql-serversql-server-2008installationwindows-installer
i tried to see path in explorer but then the installer runs for a while and then says that error writing to file: access is denied. verify that u have acces to directory – Sana.91
Have you restarted Windows? Have checked process if there is another instance of this setup already opened? Is another msi setup already running? – Robert Niestroj
no nothing else was running except that setup – Sana.91

5 Answers

5
votes

This happened to me. The installer actually seemed to be working with no error for over 2 hours, but I knew something had to be wrong with that. I restarted it left it overnight and came in to see the error mentioned in your post.

Copying the files from the CD to the hard drive, and then running the setup.exe from there helped me resolve the issue. I see that in the comments below the selected answer this is sort of mentioned, but the comments ended with hoping it would fix the problem, and for me it did.

4
votes

Try to copy .msi to drive C:\ and execute it from there.

2
votes

This answer relates to installing a 2008 R2 service pack, not installing 2008 from scratch, but this question was one of the first results when searching for the error message. Might help someone...

I got the same "The system cannot open the device or file specified." message.

I looked in the setup installation logs here: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log

Found the error, and the file it was looking for in the Windows\Installer directory.

Went to the Installer directory, found the file, backed it up, and deleted it.

Ran the setup again, and got a more meaningful error, explaining the missing file, and the corresponding file from the initial installation, in my case, 2008 R2 SP1.

Downloaded SP1 on my PC, extracted it, dug out the file, in my case, sql_common_core.msp.

Just copied that file to the server, ran it, it repaired/installed/did something quickly.

Ran the setup again and everything went through just fine.

A whole lot of details regarding fixing these types of setup errors is here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969052/en-us

1
votes

This unfortunately, is very open-ended. I'm assuming G:\ is a removable media drive? Are you able to see the file path in explorer?

1
votes

The same problem was with me. I turn off my windows firewall and re-try it, and it works for me. You can turn off your firewall while installing SQL Server.