Error 1401, 1402, 1404, or 1406 | Install | CS4, CS5 | Windows

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Issue

When you install Adobe CS4 or CS5 Suite or product, the More Info dialog box or installer log indicates one of the following error codes:

  • Error 1401: Unable to create key \Software\Classes\.tif\OpenWithList\Illustrator.exe. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.
  • Error 1402: Could not open key \Classes\.pdf\PersistentHandler. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.
  • Error 1404.Could not delete key \Software\Classes\CLSID\{DF9A1DA0-23C0-101B-B02E-FDFDFDFDFDFD}. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.
  • Error 1406: Could not write value Folders to key \Software\Classes\CLSID\{B801CA65-A1FC-11D0-85AD-444553540000}\PersistentHandler. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.

CS4 products sometimes show the lines of text in the screen that appears when you click Show More Info at the Installer Status screen. CS5 products indicate an exit code 6 or 7 in the Installation Status screen, or after you click the Troubleshooting link. To locate the details of which registry keys are affected, open the installation log file. Search for "return value 3," then look just above that text for the error 1401, 1402, and so on.

For example, here is the result of searching for "return value 3" from an installer log file resulting from a Master Collection CS5 installation attempt:

Error 1402.Could not open key: UNKNOWN\Components\DA42BC89BF25F5BD0AF18C3B9B1A1EE8\68AB67CA7DA73301B7449A0100000010. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.

Action ended 14:54:46: InstallFinalize. Return value 3.

The MSI Error 1402 appears just above the Return value 3 entry. 

Solutions

Do the following in order:

Solution 1: Try the following Microsoft MSI update registration corruption issues fix:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971187

Solution 2: Set permissions to their defaults in the registry.

Important: The registry key in the error messages appears immediately after "Unable to create key," "Could not open key," "Could not delete key," or "Could not write value Folders to key." The parent registry key is the key immediately before the last key referenced in the error. In the error messages above, the parent directory to the 1402 error would be "Components." It is possible that have to set the permission not for just the item listed, but for its parent. It is possible that more than one, or all of the children of that parent require modification by the installer.

The Administrators group listed below is the default local administrative group for Windows XP and Vista.

Disclaimer: This procedure involves editing the Windows registry. Adobe doesn't provide support for editing the registry, which contains critical system and application information. Make sure to back up the registry before editing it. For more information about the registry, see the Windows documentation or contact Microsoft.

Windows XP

  1. Write down the path to the key referenced     in the error message. Multiple registry keys are sometimes referenced in the log file. Write down all of the paths listed in the More Info dialog.
    • For example: "Components\DA42BC89BF25F5BD0AF18C3B9B1A1EE8"
  2. Choose Start > Run, type regedit in the Open text field of the Run dialog box, and then click OK.
  3. Back up your current Registry file:
    1. In the Registry Editor dialog box, choose File > Export.
    2. Type a name for the file and choose the location.
    3. For Export Range, choose All.
    4. Click Save.
  4. Navigate to the parent of the key referenced in the error message. For the example above, search for the string "Components\DA42BC89BF25F5BD0AF18C3B9B1A1EE8"



    Note: These steps can vary slightly depending on the path in the error message. All registry keys listed begin in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive.

     
  5. Right-click the parent key, "Components" and select Permissions.
  6. Verify that the Administrators and SYSTEM are present and that Full Control is selected under the Allow column.
  7. In the Permissions dialog box, click Advanced.

  8. Select the Administrators group (1), check "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" (2), click Apply (3), and select the Permissions tab (4).



    Note: Select the current administrator account if the Administrators group is unavailable.



  9. Select "Reset permissions on all child objects and enable propagation of inheritable permissions" (1) and click OK (2).



    IMPORTANT! If you receive a message that some objects could not be modified during steps 8 or 9, click OK until all dialog boxes are closed. Then, repeat those two steps.

     
  10. Click OK in the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog box. Windows resets the permissions for each child object to correspond with its parent.
  11. Repeat steps 1-10 on any additional registry keys.
  12. After all keys have been repaired, run the Adobe Creative Suite product installation again.

Windows 7, Vista

Important: Accept or continue through any User Account Control dialogs that are displayed to complete this process.

  1. Write down the path to the key referenced in the error message. Multiple registry keys are sometimes referenced in the log file. Write down all of the paths listed in the file.
    • For example: "Components\DA42BC89BF25F5BD0AF18C3B9B1A1EE8."
  2. Choose Start, type regedit in the Search text field, and then press Enter.
  3. Back up your current Registry file:

    1. In the Registry Editor dialog box, choose File > Export.
    2. Type a name for the file and choose the location.
    3. For Export Range, choose All.
    4. Click Save.
    5. Close Regedit.
  4. Navigate to the parent of the key referenced in the error message. For the example above, search for the string "Components\DA42BC89BF25F5BD0AF18C3B9B1A1EE8"



    Note: These steps can vary slightly depending on the path in the error message. All registry keys listed begin in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder.

     
  5. Right-click the parent key, "Components " and select Permissions.
  6. Verify that the Administrators and SYSTEM are present and that Full Control is selected under the Allow column.
  7. In the Permissions dialog box, click Advanced.

  8. Select the Administrators group (1) and "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects" (2), click Apply (3), and select the Permission tab (4).



    Note: Select the current administrator account if the Administrators group is unavailable.



  9. Select "Replace all existing inheritable permissions on all descendants with inheritable permissions from this object," (1) and click OK (2) on the Permissions tab.



    IMPORTANT! If you receive a message that some objects couldn't be modified during steps 8 or 9, click OK until all dialog boxes are closed. Then, repeat those two steps.

     
  10. Click OK in the "Advanced Security Settings" dialog box. Windows resets the permissions for each child object to correspond with its parent.
  11. Repeat steps 1-10 on any additional registry keys.
  12. After all keys have been repaired, run the Adobe  product installation again.

If the Adobe Creative Suite product installation More Info or Installation Status dialog still displays an error, then investigate permissions on the registry key causing the error. Occasionally, renaming the key allows the installer to re-create the key and reset the permissions if the key is corrupted. If you can't change permissions or rename that key, then contact Microsoft or your hardware vendor for assistance.

Solution 3: Remove spyware.

Note: Adobe provides this information as a courtesy only. Adobe Technical Support does not support third-party applications. Users are encouraged to read the release notes for these applications before installing.

Some programs can install software that can be damaging to your Operating System. Scan for these programs with an anti-spyware utility.

Solution 4: Check your system for viruses.

System viruses can cause erratic behavior and prevent the product from installing. Use current anti-virus software, such as McAfee VirusScan, to check your system for viruses. Make sure that you have the latest virus definitions for the anti-virus software you use. Although virus infections are rare, they can cause strange system behavior, including system errors. Running virus-detection software regularly prevents viruses from damaging software on your system. For instructions, see the documentation for the anti-virus software.

Solution 5: Disable Webroot Spy Sweeper.

For more information or help disabling Spy Sweeper, contact Webroot Corporation. Adobe technical support does not support third-party applications.

Solution 6: Remove all previous versions of previous Adobe products, and then reinstall.

  1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Add Or Remove Programs.
  3. Select Adobe product and click Remove.
  4. When prompted, confirm that you want to remove.
  5. Repeat the above procedure for all installed versions of previous Adobe products.
  6. Restart the computer, and then try the installation again.

Additional information

These errors occur when the installer cannot create, read, or write the necessary registry entries.

Adobe Creative Suite installation log

The Adobe Creative Suite installer log contains detailed messages on why the install failed (or succeeded). The log file can help you diagnose the problem faster. Every attempted installation appends information to the previous installation log. Deleting the current installation log and running the installation again can simplify the troubleshooting process. The log file is created on both Windows and Macintosh. The error messages differ in format because of Operating System differences.

  1. Navigate to the Adobe Creative Suite log file.

    \Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Installers folder.
  2. Decompress the Adobe Creative Suite log file.



    Important: The log file is archived using a compression utility called gzip and requires a decompression tool such as Winzip or WinRAR.

    Note on log names:
    • The log file for the Creative Suite 5 Design Premium, for example, is: "Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium [date stamp].log.gz"
  3. Search the log files for Error 1401, Error 1402, Error 1404, and Error 1406.
  4. Record the paths identified near the error message.

Important: The registry key in the error messages appears immediately after, "Unable to create key," "Could not open key," "Could not delete key," or "Could not write value Folders to key." The parent registry key is the key immediately before the last key referenced in the error. In the error messages above, the parent directory to the 1401 error is "OpenWithList."

Adobe Creative Suite 4 product More Info sample error:

Adobe Illustrator CS4: Error: Error 1401.Could not create key \Software\Classes\.tif\OpenWithList\Illustrator.exe. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel. Action ended 25:52:19: InstallFinalize. Return value 3.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 product installer log sample error:

Action 14:54:46: InstallFiles. Copying new files Error 1402.Could not open key: UNKNOWN\Components\DA42BC89BF25F5BD0AF18C3B9B1A1EE8\68AB67CA7DA73301B7449A0100000010.   Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel. Action ended 14:54:46: InstallFinalize. Return value 3.

 Adobe

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