Windows another installation in progress

You’ve downloaded a program on your Windows 10 computer, but it refuses to install.

Instead, you keep getting an error message that says, “Error 1500. Another installation is in progress. You must complete that installation before continuing this one”. This could also happen during the download process.

What makes the issue so frustrating is that there’s no other ongoing installation. This leaves you to wonder where the error is coming from.

The problem is not new. It has been encountered by users on previous versions of Windows, including Vista, XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

“Why does this happen? And what can I do to get rid of it?” You’ll get the answers to these questions soon enough. So please, keep reading.

What is Error Code 1500?

“Another installation is in progress” with the error code 1500 occurs when you try to start a program installation at a time when Windows Installer (MSI) is already running.

Normally, as the message points out, all you need to do is check if there are any ongoing processes and then wait for them to complete or terminate them.

But many Windows 10 users report that they get the error even when there are no other actions in progress.

In this case, the problem is suspected to be caused by an ‘In progress’ key left behind by a previous installation.

Let’s now go ahead and look at the fixes for the error.

How Do I Fix “Error 1500 – Another Installation is in Progress”?

There are a handful of methods you can use to successfully get rid of this error.

Let’s get right to it, shall we?

Fix 1: Close conflicting background processes

There may be installer processes that are already running or stuck in the background. These hold up the new program installation, leading to the “Another installation in progress” error.

You will have to kill these background processes through Task Manager.

Follow these easy steps to get it done:

• Go to the Start Menu.
• Type Task Manager in the search bar and click on the option from the search results. Alternatively, you can press the Windows key + X to open the WinX menu. Then select Task Manager from the list.
• Go to the Processes tab.
• Scroll through the Background processes category and locate exe.
• Click on the entry and then click the End Task button.

• Close the Task Manager window.

After completing this fix, check if the installation will go through successfully.

Fix 2: Disable the installation reference using the registry editor

When a program is being installed, a status reference is added to the Registry. The entry is removed after the process is complete.

But sometimes, this fails to happen, preventing you from installing a new program.

Follow the procedure below to resolve the issue:

• Invoke the Run dialog by pressing the Windows key + R shortcut on your keyboard.
• Type regedit into the text box and press Enter or click OK to open the Registry Editor.
• Go to the panel on the left-hand side of the window and scroll down to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Expand it and open the following subkey:

\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Installer\InProgress.

• On the right-hand side of the window, double-click the Default string.
• In the box that opens, go to the Value data field and delete its entry.
• Click the OK button to apply the change.
• Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Once you’re done, try the installation again and see if the error has been taken care of.

Fix 3: Restart Windows Installer

Windows Installer is a component that handles the installation and removal of programs on your computer. Stopping it and starting it up again may help in resolving the issue in discussion.

Here’s how to do so:

• Go to the Start menu.
• Type Services in the search bar and click on the option from the results list.
• On the page that opens, scroll down to Windows Installer and double-click on it.
• Now, click the Stop button or expand the Startup type drop-down menu and choose Disabled.
• Click the Apply button.
• Click the OK button.
• Close the Services window and restart your computer.
• Repeat steps 1 to 3.
• Press the Start button or expand the Startup type drop-down menu and select Manual.
• Click the Apply button and then click OK.
• Close the Services window.

Now try installing the program once more. It should go through without any problem. But if the issue persists, then move on to the next fix.

Fix 4: Run SFC (System File Checker) and DISM Scans

Damaged system files could be the reason your computer is detecting an ongoing installation when there is none.

System File Checker is a Windows utility that can detect and repair these files.

You should, therefore, run a scan with it via an elevated Command Prompt and see if that solves your problem.

Here’s how:

• Go to the Start menu.
• Type CMD in the search bar and right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
• Select Run as administrator.

• Type or copy and paste sfc /scannow into the window and press Enter on your keyboard. (Note that there’s a space between “sfc” and “/scannow”).
• Wait for the scan to complete. The process might take a while.
• Restart your computer.

System File Checker (SFC) might not be able to repair all damaged system files.

So, if you still get the “Another installation in progress” error, go ahead and run the DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) tool:

• Press the Windows logo + X shortcut to invoke the WinX menu.
• Select Command Prompt (Admin) from the list.
• Enter the following command line and press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

• Wait for the scan to complete.

After the DISM scan is done, run the SFC scan again as shown earlier. Then restart your PC and see if the issue has been resolved.

Fix 5: Troubleshoot the Windows Store App and Windows Update

You might have encountered the error while trying to install an app from the Windows Store.

If so, you may be able to fix the problem by running the built-in Windows Store Apps and Windows Update troubleshooters on Windows 10.

Follow these easy steps:

• To open the Start menu, press the Windows logo key.
• Type Settings in the search bar and double-click the first option displayed in the results list.
• Select Troubleshoot under Update and Security.
• Locate Windows Store Apps on the right-hand side of the page and run the troubleshooter.
• Follow the instructions displayed on the screen to complete the process.
• Now, go back to Troubleshoot and locate Windows Update. Run the troubleshooter and follow the on-screen prompts.
• Restart your computer and see if the new program installation issue has been resolved.

Related: Ultimate Guide: How to Manually Check and Install Windows Updates

Fix 6: Do a manual reset of the Windows Update components

If the error code still shows up after applying all the fixes above, another option you have is to reset the Windows Update components on your PC. This fixes any missing or corrupt Windows Update files.

Observe the procedure below to get it done:

• Press the Windows logo on your keyboard.
• In the Start menu that opens, type CMD in the search bar and right-click on Command Prompt from the results list.
• Select Run as administrator.
• Now, to disable all the Windows Update components, you’ll have to enter the following lines of command and press Enter after each one:

net stop wuauserv
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver

• Enter the following commands and press Enter after each one:

ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
ren C:\Windows\System32\catroot2 Catroot2.old

This will rename the SoftwareDistribution folder.

• Now, execute the following command lines to start the Windows Update components again:

net start wuauserv
net start cryptSvc
net start bits
net start msiserver

• Close the Command Prompt window and restart your computer.

There you have it.

By the time you’ve performed all these fixes, the problem is expected to be resolved.

Note that you may have a hard time carrying out the above procedures if your PC is slow and hangs often.

Conclusion

To this end, we recommend you use Auslogics BoostSpeed to run a full-system checkup. It will locate and safely remove junk files, speed-reducing issues, and other faults that cause your system to glitch or crash.

We do hope this content has been of help to you. If you have any further suggestions, questions, or comments, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

We’ll like to hear from you.

Is there a worse thing than being unable to install a third-party application as, seemingly, something else is currently installed in the background?

That’s the whole deal with the Another installation is already in progress error on Windows 10. Any solutions? More than a few, actually.

How do I know if the installation is stuck?

The best way of knowing if another installation is in progress is to check the Windows Installer service.

What is Install in progress?

As the message clearly suggests, although you might not even see that, probably another program or update is being installed at the same time.

This issue usually occurs in Microsoft Office but it can happen with any other software. Here are some other examples of the error:

• Installation failed, another installation is already in progress
• Another installation is already in progress in Veeam
• Another installation is already in progress in Microsoft Office, Adobe, Google
• Another installation is already in progress in AutoCAD
• Another installation is in progress Epic Games
• Another installation is already in progress in Python , Java, Node JS, SCCM
• Autodesk: Another installation is in progress
• Error 1500/1618: Another installation is in progress. You must complete – another installation is already in progress. Complete that installation before proceeding (0x80070652)
• Sophos another installation is already in progress
• SCCM another installation is in progress
• Windows setup cannot be launched while another instance of setup is already running
• Another installation is in progress Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 7
• Cannot start another instance of the installer while this instance is running
• Your machine is busy installing a program other than Visual Studio

For all these errors, you will find a suitable solution below and things are going to return to normal.

Right below, in our first solution, you will learn how to do that and even restart the service to fix this issue.

But don’t worry because here, we’re going to show you how to fix that error on Windows 10.

How do I fix Another installation is in progress?

1. Restart the Windows Installer service

1. Press the Windows key + R to start Run, type services.msc, and press Enter or click OK.
   

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2. Scroll down, find Windows Installer, and double-click on it.
   

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3. Look at the Service status and if it reads Running, just click the Stop button below.
   

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4. Then, wait for a few seconds and press the Start button again.
5. Close the Services window and check if the problem is resolved.

Windows relies on its services in order to run properly, and there’s a service called Windows Installer that’s in charge of installing new software.

Whenever you try to install a new application, this service will start and help you install it.

Sometimes, certain repair or uninstall processes can start automatically in the background, and it can require Windows Installer service in order to run.

If you try to install another software while Windows Installer is running, you’ll encounter this error.

One of the simplest ways to fix this problem is to open the Services window and restart the Windows Installer service just like we described in the solution above.

2. End the Windows Installer process

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open Task Manager.
2. Navigate to the Processes tab and locate Windows Installer.
3. Right-click it and choose End task from the menu. Often you’ll see a 32-bit and 64-bit version of Windows Installer running. If you have multiple Windows Installer processes running be sure to stop them both.
   

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4. Close Task Manager and try to install the application again.

As we previously mentioned, the Windows Installer service is in charge of installing new applications on your PC.

Windows Installer process is related to this service, and according to some users, you can fix this problem simply by ending the Msiexec process using Task Manager.

3. Disable Windows Installer service and restart your PC

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run console, input services.msc, and press Enter or click OK.
   

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2. Scroll down and double-click on Windows Installer.
   

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3. Set the Startup Type to Disabled and click Apply and OK to save the changes.
4. After doing that, restart your PC.
5. After your PC restarts, open the Services window again.
6. Locate Windows Installer service and open its properties.
7. Set the Startup Type to Manual and click OK and Apply to save the changes.
8. Close Services window and try to perform the installation again.

Windows Installer service is a common culprit for Another installation is already in progress error, and if restarting the service doesn’t help, you might want to temporarily disable it.

A few of our readers also reported that they fixed the problem simply by changing the Startup Type of Windows Installer service to Automatic just as described in our solution above.

4. Perform Disk Cleanup

1. Click Start, enter disk cleanup in the search window, and select Disk Cleanup from the menu.
   

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2. Select the system drive, by default it should be C:, and click OK. Wait while Disk Cleanup scans your PC.
3. Select all options and click the OK button to clean your disk.
4. Wait for the process to finish and try to install the software again.

Few of our readers reported that performing Disk Cleanup fixed the issue for them. It seems that Another installation is already in progress error is caused by temporary files left by previous installations.

By running Disk Cleanup you’ll easily remove any temporary files left by older installations.

For more advanced clean-up we advise you to check some of the best tools to delete junk files that we selected.

Sometimes errors like this show up because of corrupt files, like installers in our case. This can only be resolved by finding a good version of it with no issues.

For this kind of situation, we use third-party software that searches your system for corrupted files and replaces them with original Windows files from its database.

5. Perform a Clean Boot

1. Press Windows key + R and enter msconfig. Press Enter or click OK.
2. Go to Services tab and check Hide all Microsoft services option and then click on Disable all.
   

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3. Now go to Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager.
   

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4. A list of all available startup items will appear. Right-click each item on the list and choose Disable from the menu.
   

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5. After disabling all startup items, close Task Manager.
6. Go back to System Configuration window and click Apply and OK to save the changes.
7. Restart your PC.

When your PC restarts, check if the problem still persists. If the issue is resolved, it means that a third-party application or service was causing the problem.

To identify the problem, open System Configuration window and turn on disabled services one by one.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to restart your PC after enabling a service in order to apply changes. Be sure to repeat the same process in Task Manager for Startup applications.

6. Check your Registry

1. Press Windows key + R and enter regedit, then click OK or press Enter.
2. In the left pane navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsInstaller\InProgress
3. If you can’t find this key, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer
   

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4. In the right pane locate the Default value and double-click it. Delete the values from Data value field and click OK to save changes.
   

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5. Close Registry Editor.
6. Set the Startup type of the Windows Installer service to Disabled just like in Solution 3.
7. Restart your PC and set the Startup type for Windows Installer to Manual.

Sometimes this problem can be caused by certain values in your registry, so you’ll have to manually edit those values.

Editing your registry can be a dangerous process, so we recommend that you export your registry and use it as a backup in case anything goes wrong.

7. Uninstall and reinstall Office

1. Download the Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant.
2. After the download is finished, run the tool and follow the instructions to remove Office from your PC.
   

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3. Once the uninstall process is finished, restart your computer.
4. After that, try to install Office again and check if the problem is resolved.

Users reported Another installation is already in progress error message while installing Microsoft Office. This can occur because another Office installation or update was running in the background when you started the setup.

To fix this problem, check for the Office icon in the system tray to see if the installation is running. If Office is installing or updating, you’ll need to wait for the process to finish.

If there’s no Office icon in the system tray, you need to uninstall and reinstall Office.

If the problem persists, consider using a professional-level tool. Unfortunately, some apps are really difficult to uninstall completely.

They leave behind residual files that will interfere with the functionality of your system, in one way or another.

We recommend trying one of the best uninstaller software available because they are equipped with up-to-date technologies that detect and safely remove the smallest traces of any app.

8. Uninstall Java and download offline installer

1. Press Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
2. Choose Apps.
   

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3. Locate Java on the list and click the Uninstall button to remove it.

Users reported this error message while installing Java on their PC. To fix this problem you need to uninstall your current version of Java.

After Java is uninstalled from your PC, you need to download offline installation of Java. After you download it, start it and follow the instructions on the screen.

9. Re-register Windows Installer

1. Press the Start button, type cmd, and select Run as administrator from the list.
   

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2. When Command Prompt starts, you need to enter the following lines:
   • msiexec.exe /unregister
msiexec /regserver
3. After both commands are executed, close Command Prompt and check if the problem is resolved.

In most cases, this error is caused by Windows Installer, and one potential solution is to re-register Windows Installer.

10. Create a new Windows user

1. Press Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
2. Select Accounts, then click on Family & other users.
   

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3. In Other people section select Add someone else to this PC.
   

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4. Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
   

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5. Select Add a user without a Microsoft account.
6. Set the username for the new user account and click Next. If you want, you can also protect the new account with a password.
   

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If none of the previous solutions work, your Windows user profile might be corrupted. If that’s the case, you’ll need to create a new user profile and use it instead.

After creating a new user account, log out of our current account and switch to the new one. Check if the error message appears on a new user account.

If everything is in order, you might want to move your personal files to a new account and start using it as your main account.

11. Fix the Another installation is in progress error for Visual Studio 2015

1. Press the Windows key + R, type regedit, and press Enter or click OK.
   

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2. When Registry Editor starts, navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager
   

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3. In the right pane locate PendingFileRenameOperations value. Right-click it and choose Delete from the menu. We have to mention that deleting values from the registry can lead to certain problems, so we advise you to create a backup of your registry just in case.
   

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4. After deleting this value, close Registry Editor.
5. Try to install Visual Studio 2015 again.

Another installation is already in progress error can appear while installing any application, and users reported that it appears while installing Visual Studio 2015.

To fix this problem, you need to delete a single value from your registry. This is relatively simple, but before you make any changes to your registry, we strongly advise that you create a backup.

By doing so, you can remedy any potential issues that can occur after modifying the registry.

How do I stop background installation?

The quickest and easiest way to stop a background installation is to stop the Windows Installer service.

You have the full indications on how to do that right in Solution 1 of this guide.

Another installation is already in progress error will prevent you from installing new software. This can be a tedious problem, but we hope that you solved it by using one of our solutions.

You should also consult our guide on what to do if the Windows 11 Installation Assistant disappeared.

If you have any suggestions on how to fix this problem, we’re waiting for your input in the comments section below.