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Windows Installer Error -- iCloud for Windows

busy bowlers asked on

Split from this thread.


I am also having this problem but it is for the iCloud on iTunes. I get a message saying there is a problem with this Windows installer package, A program run as part of the set up did not finish as expected Contact your support personnel or package vendor. i do not want to have to re install iTunes as I could lose all the photographs and music I have on there. Apple have tried to help but apparently there are a lot of people having this problem and I was told I should contact Microsoft as that is where the problem is coming from. busy bowlers.
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The answered status icon Answer

I split your question from the thread where you originally posted because that thread was quite old and related to problems with a different application.

Apple's iTunes is a completely separate program from Apple's iCloud for Windows.  Uninstalling iTunes more than likely would have no impact on your current problem, but you should know that uninstalling and reinstalling iTunes will NOT cause you to lose your music or photographs.

According to this thread in the Apple support forums, the problem seems to be Apple's rather than Microsoft's, but it's very common for companies to point fingers at each other in such similar situations.  See https://discussions.apple.com/message/26647924#26647924

I suggest that you try the steps given by "droyls" in the above-linked thread which I have copied below:

Thanks jab336 - I had this same issue but was able to follow your steps on Windows 7 (32bit) and have now got iCloud 4.0 installed apart from needing to do a system restart.

Steps were:

1. Sign out of iCloud.

2. Uninstall iCloud - did this using CCleaner

3. Removed contents of C:/Program Files/Common Files/Apple/Internet Services apart from 2 Shellxxxx DLLs that said were in use.

4. Ran Apple Software Update - found iCloud 4.0

5. Installed iCloud 4.0 successfully - restart required.

One major problem with the suggestion by "jab336" earlier in that thread is that I don't know where you can find iCloud 3.1 if you don't have the installer file for it on your computer already.  "droyls" seems to have managed to install iCloud 4.0 without installing the older version first. 

You can find CCleaner here -->  http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner  It's safe to download and use, but please do not use the "registry cleaner" function.  As with any downloaded program, be very careful to read the fine print during installation and UNcheck any options to install toolbars or search engines or the like (you may have to select "Custom install" rather than "typical" to see these options).

Finally, note that according to Apple, iCloud Drive will not work unless you've upgraded your iPhone/iPod to iOS 8, although most other iCloud features work at least with iOS 7.

MS MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) 2006-2009
Microsoft Community Contributor (MCC) 2011-2012
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CristianStanescu replied on

Found another easier solution . I have win 10 64, outlook 365. I simply unpacked the installer with an archive program ( right click/open with ...zip) then opened the folder created and run only the icloud64.msi installer and it worked. Seams that some other programs in the package are the ones that gave that error.  Try that and please give some feedback here to help others with the same problem.

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sbhawkins replied on

I tried this approach -- experienced the same error message as with trying to install from the full download
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Move-Over replied on

I tried both suggestions, but have had no success with WinZip 64bit.  Is there a specific archive program used.  I am running Windows 10 64-bit.  This has been a problem for over a year since I upgraded from Windows 7 Ultimate.  I.e. the existing iCloud version is the same version 3.1 I had before upgrading to Windows 10.  It seems to still work, but the new iCloud is passing through version 5.x.   (The installer fails at the very end and rolls back.  No Apple support message has offered any alternative solution.)

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7-zip works quite well and is also free  --> http://7-zip.org/
MS MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) 2006-2009
Microsoft Community Contributor (MCC) 2011-2012
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Ramius1019 replied on

7 Zip and then clicking on the 64 bit worked!   Now, I'm not a techie at all.  However, can anyone tell me what it worked, in layman's terms?  Meaning, why wouldn't the program just install?  Is this a Microsoft stonewall attempt?

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I came in at the end of this discussion, and personally I have not had any difficulty installing iCloud using the complete installer package (iCloudSetup.exe), but here is what I believe to be going on.

That "package" is what is called a self-extracting compressed file.  That is, it includes 8 files that have been compressed to make a smaller file that is faster to download (iCloudSetup.exe is about 123 MB in size; the 8 files contained in it total about 140 MB -- not a large saving, but some):

icloud.msi

icloud64.msi

SetupAdmin.exe

AppleApplicationSupport.msi

AppleApplicationSupport64.msi

AppleSoftwareUpdate.msi

Bonjour.msi

Bonjour64.msi

Normally, when you double-click iCloudSetup.exe, it uncompresses all of the contained files into a temporary folder and then executes SetupAdmin.exe.  That program follows some logic in order to execute the individual installer files (files that end with an MSI extension) in a pre-determined order.  Because the compressed file includes both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of some of the individual applications,SetupAdmin.exe apparently detects what type of system you have and selects the appropriate MSI files to run.

Apparently, for some people -- including you -- when SetupAdmin attempts to run one of those files, it causes an error that aborts the whole process.

CristianStanescu came along and noted that if you extracted just the file icloud64.msi (which is the installer for 64-bit iCloud) from the setup package, that piece worked without problems.

If you already have iTunes installed, you almost certainly already have AppleSoftwareUpdate, AppleApplicationSupport and Bonjour already installed.  You can go to Control Panel > Programs and Features and confirm this.  Thus, it doesn't matter that you're not installing them again from  iCloudSetup.exe (in fact, the problem may be related to the fact that the programs are already installed; some Apple software is fussy that way).

In any event, if there is a problem here, it's not a Microsoft issue but an Apple issue.  Apple is the creator of iCloudSetup.exe and if it doesn't work properly, Apple should fix it.


MS MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) 2006-2009
Microsoft Community Contributor (MCC) 2011-2012
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Ramius1019 replied on

Thanks so much for that thorough explanation!   Makes a lot of sense.  

I'm having same issue with  iTunes not wanting to upgrade either (same exact error).  I'm betting similar issue and solution should fix it and will try tomorrow.  It is funny; I hate apple stuff. All of this is being done so I can download my wife's photos off of her cloud for her.  Ease of use my butt!

Thanks so much again!

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You're welcome.

With respect to iTunes, unless you have a really old version, you probably don't need to update it.

The usual fix for problems upgrading iTunes is to completely uninstall it and then "clean install" the latest version.  See https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204275

In addition, some "security" software is overly aggressive.  When installing programs from a source you're sure is malware-free (like iTunes), you may get a smoother process if you temporarily disable (or uninstall) your antivirus or other security software.

MS MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) 2006-2009
Microsoft Community Contributor (MCC) 2011-2012
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LR_345 replied on

... and if it is specifically the icloud.msi and/or icloud64.msi installers that are throwing the errors? 

tried uninstalling all other apple software before running them, tried running them individually after everything else had been installed individually, all the combinations I can think of and specifically the icloud installers are the ones saying they've thrown an error and cannot complete. Everything else in the icloudsetup package run fine individually.

Is there anyway of finding out what is throwing the error, some sort of log perhaps? at least something a lot more useful than "there was an error"...?

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