Fatal error 1603 when trying to update Turbotax 2020

Hi, My name is Talita. I'm an Independent Advisor and I'll be glad to help you today.

Please see if this article answers your questions:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/community/bugs-and-erro...

Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.
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Possible causes of the error:
• An antivirus, antimalware, firewall, desktop search, or backup program is interfering with Windows Installer.
• You do not have enough free space on your hard drive (s).
• You are not logged on as an administrator.
• An unknown Microsoft Installer error has occurred.

Solution
Follow these steps:
1. Shut down and restart your computer.
2. Log in as the computer's administrator.
3. Temporarily disable running antivirus, antimalware, firewall, desktop search, or backup programs.
4. Try to install TurboTax.
5. If the error persists, try to download the Windows Installer version more

I hope these tips help you. Please let me know if you have any more questions.

Sincerely
Talita C.

Thanks Talita,

Followed your instructions... which included Microsoft Smart..something.... which requires internet access and being turned on..

turned stuff back on and same error message..

Do you know what the Microsoft error 1603 is? or is it a generic type code...

Thanks again,

Eric

I have been dealing with this same problem and trying to fix it, but kept getting 'Error: 1603' until this morning! This morning the TurboTax 2020 Update worked. I think they must have installed a solution overnight. Problem is now solved and I can open TurboTax and continue work on my taxes. Yeah!

Same thing happening here. Software has become a joke. This is the second time during this tax season I had to deal with this. New computer and I have wasted 3 hours trying to fix this and get it to work. Won't even update in safe mode. Not a WIndows problem as no other problems updating software for anything else. Just this program. I will be purchasing different tax software next year after over a decade of using this one.

My wife & I have decided the same thing. Next year we won't be using TurboTax! Thanks.

I agree, everything was updating previous to this last time. I have used TurboTax for years and never a problem until this year. I tested this out and I updated 2017, 2018 and 2019 yesterday and no problems just the 2020 program. Like the others, TurboTax has lost me as a customer. Wish you all the best but you will do it without me. Thanks

Well I got it working again, Yesssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!

I tried all the fixes on other forums, Intuit and such and none worked and I very frustrated. My problem began when I was doing the final Federal review and it wanted to do a critical update and then the error 1603 showed up.

So I tried this, I uninstalled the program using Windows. From the start menu, I selected "Settings" and then  in the Settings box select "Apps"  and page down to the TurboTax 2020 application. Click on the TurboTax 2020 entry and hit the uninstall button and follow prompts. After the uninstall was complete, I logged into my Intuit account and downloaded the TurboTax 2020 software and then opened the file and ran it as an administrator. 

The 2020 icon then showed on my desk top and when I clicked it, the program opened up at the page I was on "final Federal review" and the program did a short update and now runs. All of the information I had entered before is still there and so is the state return. 

I hope this helps someone. 

Good to hear someone got it working. I bought mine from Costco, so my Intuit account has no downloads. Right now am waiting for support to send me link to new installation file.

This is an ongoing intermittent issue with TT. The issue is whenever it happens, you have to reinstall the software, then each time you do, does it count as your second installation and so on until the limit hit? This software is terrible to use.  

I had the same problem. I was able to resolve it by uninstalling Turbo Tax and then re-installing it.