Error 1327 Invalid drive

This error was such an odd one, I thought I’d share it.. We’ve been creating MSI packages using Wise, and they have been running very well on pretty much all computers. So imagine my surprise when I get an email from a guy at the Norweigan it department saying that when he tries to install the package he gets an “Error 1327. Invalid drive h:\” message.

He was logging on as domain admin on a setup where they have roaming profiles (i.e. the My Documents folder etc is stored on the network). After some investigation, he found that if he changed the registry key for My Documents (Hkey_Current_user\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folder\Personal) to use the complete UNC path instead of “h:\” as was used before, it all worked without any problems.

First of all, we don’t install anything to My Documents or anything else that should be user related. But apparently, the installation uses that path for storing temporary files or something.

Anyway, just for the heck of it, he tried changing the registry setting to the complete UNC path instead (i.e. \\servername\etc\etc). And voila, the installation succeeded!

It turns out that the server he was using was a Win 2000 instance on MS Virtual Server. After a LOT of searching, I found a couple of articles that mentioned a similar error:
MS KB 255582.
AppDeploy.com FAQ
To sum them up, MSI packages that are installed remotely via Terminal Services on a Win2000 box (and I guess that Virtual Server uses the same functionality) cannot use mapped drives because they are running in a different context (the Windows Installer service is running as a service in the console session , not in the session of the remote user).

The solution.. Well, either use UNC names in the registry or upgrade to Windows XP or 2003 where this problem is supposed to be solved..!



11 responses to “Error 1327 Invalid drive”

  1. Wilfred van Dongen Avatar
    Wilfred van Dongen

    Thanks, this post helped me to resolve an issue regarding virtual server 2005. I got the same error while uninstalling virtual machine additions of a virtual server (to do an update). Although we do not use roaming profiles, the msi installation apparently tried to look for a h-drive. Searching the registry for H:\ and replacing it with C:\ solved the issue. All these keys that i changed, were referring to common files directory.

    Like

  2. Anders Ljusberg Avatar
    Anders Ljusberg

    Glad to have helped! And congratulations on being the first ever to comment on one of my posts! 🙂

    Like

  3. Hi I to have an issue that I am not able to resolve being a little slow with computors, I am looking for some simple instructions on how to stop this error 1327 invalid drive H…. Please please someone help!!!

    thanks Martin

    Like

  4. FINALY!!!! someone with the same problem…..
    i have got a computer from my dads work that used be on a network.
    but now everytime i want to install some thing it says invalid drive h i have heart something about changing the registry key of my documents but how do i do that??????????
    i cant take the network settings and stuff of because its still sometimes being used on that network but i dont want to go over there every time i want to install something….. ur help wud be apreciated…
    thnx!!!!
    Tony.

    Like

  5. Super. Tack!

    Like

  6. Thanks!

    This was exactly what I needed instead of all crappy advices to delete any references to the problem drive. There is a reason why you would use folder redirection.

    This shitty problem occured for me in Windows Vista BTW:-).

    The most embarrasing about it is that it was my own fault. I redirected My Documents and used device path instead of UNC-path and didn’t think about the problem when you use secondary logon…

    Anyways, Thanks!

    Like

  7. Mark in Houston Avatar
    Mark in Houston

    Awesome, I had already used the workaround which involved creating a new admin account and installing software from there. Obviously the new admin account does not have a a mapped documents drive.

    This fix solved hours of frustration trying to install the windows installer cleanup tool which I was trying to use to fix another install problem.

    Kudos

    Like

  8. I used a hex editor and changed c:\spiceopus to x:\spiceopus my x is my root.

    cheers
    N.B. if you do this there are more c: in the file but only change c:\spiceopus

    Like

  9. This solved the problem for me when Serif Photoplus X2 wouldn’t install on Windows 7.

    Really appreciated

    Thanks

    Like

  10. hi my dad’s gots windows vista an he gotten the problem with error invalid drive m when i when to install cyberlink power dvd 9
    i tried using the resgistry fix with pc tools and tried reinstalling it and it sid the same thing now i’m not that good with the pc but i have some knowledge of but i’m lost on how to fix it

    Like

  11. You Rock! I had this problem on a laptop that was upgraded from XP to Vista to 7 and thought it was something wrong with the upgrade….

    You saved me a lot of head aches….

    Thanks…

    Like

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Consultant, Solution Architect, Developer.

Do note that this blog is very, very old. Please consider that before you follow any of the advice in here!

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