Windows Installer hangs "creating shortcuts"

[MilesAhead]

I see a lot of hits in google when I search about Windows Installer hanging on "creating shortcuts."  But I don't see any solution that seems to apply to my case.  Most often I get this when trying to update Calibre 64 bit.  But I see it sporadically with many softwares that use Windows Installer.

This is really annoying since it requires killing the installer with Task Manager, then before anything else will install using Windows Installer you have to go through some mumbo jumbo to back off the aborted install.

Has anyone run into a "magic bullet" to get rid of this bug?
Unfortunately Windows Update does not work on this Laptop.
So if an update fixes it I have to get it on the machine without
using the updater, or Windows Installer.

I tried tweaking.com's windows installer fixer but I did not go through all the power down mumbo jumbo since I don't see why I should have to hard button the machine off to apply a fix.

Every different google hit on "creating shortcuts" with a Windows Installer hang talks about a different application.  So the installer itself must be hosed.

[Shades]

Is it the shortcut creation in the program folder itself...or is it the shortcut creation on the desktop?

If it is the latter, don't let the installer create shortcut(s) on the desktop. Instead, copy the shortcut(s) from the program folder to the desktop. Mainly because the desktop has been "protected" by Microsoft in a similar fashion as the Windows root partition (for most people that would be  C:\).

The first time an installer creates a shortcut there, you'll get a GUI message asking you to confirm if it is ok to do that. The installer might "squelch" this message, giving you the impression that it hangs, while it is just waiting for confirmation. Once the shortcut exists (on the desktop) you can alter it by script or GUI tool without any problem.

A fix could be simply running Process Explorer just before running the installer and 'pull' that window to the front. You could also ask the maintainer of the installer to either fix this or ask that he uses different installer creation software that can work around this behavior.

Personally, I hate shortcuts on my desktop, so I never create those to begin with.

[MilesAhead]

Personally, I hate shortcuts on my desktop, so I never create those to begin with

-Shades (October 18, 2016, 05:54 AM)

I don't think it is the inability of the installer to create shortcuts that stops the process.  I think some other problem hangs it at that point.  I have seen this error message in searches all the way back to XP and it is not solved by creating or not creating shortcuts.  That is just the message that is left hanging.

Other times I run a Calibre update and it sails right through to completion.  That is what makes it mysterious.

[MilesAhead]

I ran Tweaking.com's Windows Installer fix.  Got the same thing.  Hung creating shortcuts.  I killed it and uninstalled Calibre.  This made me "back off" the aborted install first.  After completing the uninstall,  installing Calibre worked, including creating shortcuts.  If this work-around will work every time I don't know.  Calibre updates so often I may just do one update a month. 

[mouser]

I assume youve ruled out any antivirus or other protection security apps? Those would be natural first suspects.

[MilesAhead]

I assume youve ruled out any antivirus or other protection security apps? Those would be natural first suspects.

-mouser (October 18, 2016, 11:55 AM)

I only manually scan with AV or anti-malware type programs.  It may be related to the fact that this system has never played well with System Restore, Windows Update etc..

Other installers have no problems.  Only Windows Installer.  A new Tweaking.com Windows filxer was released today.  I ran the Windows Installer fix component.  I'll worry about it the next time I update Calibre.  If I remember to uninstall first then things will likely go faster.

One of these days I need to get a thinner lighter machine.  This beastie should really be left on a desktop.