Windows 10, 64-bit. The problem began when I tried to install the latest version of BOINC. I got the message about needed item being on another drive. I tried to go back to the older version but got the same error. I then uninstalled BOINC and tried to install the latest version. I got Error 2718:Missing Package Name for Product Code. I then used CCleaner to clean the registry. I then used regedit>find next to remove all references to BOINC. Now when I try to install the latest version I get Error 1714:The older version of BOINC cannot be removed. Contact your technical support group.

What can I do to be able to run BOINC?

The thing here is, it's a Windows Installer problem, the problem isn't with BOINC and so removing all you can find about BOINC in the registry is totally unnecessary. Lesson for a next time.

As I said, the problem is with Windows, it forgets where it put the uninstaller of the BOINC that is installed and that is invoked by the installer of the new BOINC.

Normally, running the installer of the old BOINC with the repair option will fix this problem. Windows will know again which BOINC it was and which directory it was installed in.

You may still be able to fix it that way.
You do need the exact same installer as before, so if the 64bit version, then again the 64bit version.

Too bad Microsoft made their own FixIt tool incompatible with Windows 10, or at least it apparently won't run under Win10.

Another option is to remove all BOINC.MSI occurrences on your computer.
To do so open Windows Explorer, type BOINC.MSI in the search and make sure it searches through C:\Windows\Downloaded Installations\
Select all it finds and delete them all.

Here it's only necessary to remove the BOINC Install entries in the registry, found at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Space Sciences Laboratory, U.C. Berkeley
Delete that key.

Then try to install the new BOINC. Make sure that if you changed the path to the data directory, that you edit it again to the new path under Advanced (3rd screen in the installer), or else BOINC will make a new data directory in the default place.

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No luck.

I don't know which version of BOINC was on my computer so I can't go to a previous version.

I used Windows 10 File Explorer to search for BOINC.msi. It didn't find any.

I deleted all previous installers from Windows Downloaded Installers.

I deleted the Space Sciences Laboratory key LOCAL_MACHINE_SOFTWARE from the registry entry.

I tried to install the latest version of BOINC. Got the same 1714 error message.

I searched from BOINC.msi again. Done found.

I went through the same deletion in Downloaded Installers and the registry.

I tried to install version 7.0.64 windows x86_64.

Got the same Error 1714.

Should have been "None found" ins second search for BOINC.msi

Actually, thinking about this common problem of missing msi, I'm sure that I've read that a lot of people have done this same thing of deleting everything.
And still Windows won't install any version of BOINC.

So Windows must have an entry somewhere that says that it still knows about BOINC.
Perhaps what is needed in this "last ditch effort", is for someone who knows about the Windows registry (the most likely place), and/or "other places", to find out where Window's little spy is, so that people can modify/delete it.

I don't know which version of BOINC was on my computer so I can't go to a previous version.

You can find the previous version on the project web pages. The version is listed on the list of your hosts, on the details page of the host in question and in stderr of any task the host has completed.

Thanks to your suggestion I was able to find the version of BOINC that I had on that computer. Unfortunately when I tried to install it I got the same error 1714: The older verion of BOINC cannot be removed.

Thanks for the try.

Ralph

When you try to install that previous version a second time, you need to choose the "repair" option.

The following is for advanced users only.

Start->search, type regedit and hit Enter.
Acknowledge we're going to run the registry editor.

If we're starting anywhere in the registry, scroll all the way up on the left pane, click to close all classes, finally select Computer.
Next click Edit->Find.
In the Find window, type in BOINC.msi (with BOINC in capitals, msi is lower case), and make sure to check Keys, Values and Data in the "Look at" option.
Click Find (or Find Next).

Each key it next finds, delete the whole key. You may go back to the left pane window and select the big numbered value (e.g. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Products\F9AC6B406BDBCE6419993E4EA4F82C55)
Right click this value, click Export, find a nice place to save this key and name it something. Then hit Enter.
Next hit Delete on the keyboard, click OK (or whatever key to acknowledge) on screen.

Afterwards press F3 on the keyboard (Find next), wait for the next value to come up, repeat the above.

And all this until you're through the registry.

If this doesn't work for some reason, do make sure you searched for the correct key.
After this try to install BOINC:
32bit BOINC - boinc_7.6.23_windows_intelx86.exe
64bit BOINC - boinc_7.6.23_windows_x86_64.exe

Now, there are reports that the Install/Uninstall tool by Microsoft FixIt (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/mats/program_install_and_uninstall?wa=wsignin1.0) doesn't work under Windows 10. You may try it anyway. Save it first to someplace, then start it.
If it's truly not compatible, you could try to run it in compatibility mode.

If that still doesn't work, I think you best run by the Microsoft forums and ask them how to fix this problem, as it is really a broken Windows Installer/Uninstaller/registry problem that's leaving you high and dry. You can point them towards this thread to see what you all did.

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Just saying that this is a Windows problem. DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

1.Why not have the installer get the current version of the installed BOINC.
Go to your server.
Download the correct MSI file. and run it.

2. Why not provide the BOINC.msi file by itself. That way people know they can get it from a secure place.

3. During the install. Why not make a copy of the MSI file to the install directory.


People are trying to help cure diseases and you passing the buck is not a real solution.

Come up with real solutions. Berkeley is supposed to be a place where you learn that sort of thing.

1.Why not have the installer get the current version of the installed BOINC.
Go to your server.
Download the correct MSI file. and run it.

Because the problem isn't with installing the new BOINC, it's with uninstalling the old one.

The new Windows Installer will check in the Windows registry if there exists an entry for the old BOINC's path to its uninstaller, and if found, start that uninstaller to uninstall the old BOINC. Only when that's done will the new BOINC be uncompressed out of the BOINC.msi archive and installed.

The problem is really that Windows forgets the path to the old BOINC's uninstaller and no matter how many capital letters you throw at me, there is no sure way to fix that other than jump through a lot of hoops.

2. Why not provide the BOINC.msi file by itself. That way people know they can get it from a secure place.

How do you come to that conclusion? Anyone can make an executable installer and call it BOINC.msi. You ought to know that when you get the installer from https://boinc.berkeley.edu/download.php that this is a secure place. Not only that, it's THE address where BOINC comes from.

But even with all that in place, hypothetically, if hackers take control of the server, they could put anything on there. We've seen that with the hacked download of Linux Mint not too long ago.

Plus, as you'll see when you read on, Windows doesn't necessarily know what to do with an MSI package. You need the Windows installer for that to work correctly.

3. During the install. Why not make a copy of the MSI file to the install directory.

Because a copy of the BOINC.msi that's used to install the last version of BOINC was already stored in C:\Windows\Downloaded Installations\{Unique 32 character hexadecimal code}\, and the path to this {Unique 32 character hexadecimal code} is also written into the Windows registry.

It's this path that Windows forgets.

Please see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/310598 for all details about what the Microsoft installer/Windows installer does, apart from this:

The Windows Installer technology is divided into two parts that work in combination; these include a client-side installer service (Msiexec.exe) and a Microsoft Software Installation (MSI) package file. Windows Installer uses information contained in a package file to install the program.

The Msiexec.exe program is a component of Windows Installer. When it is called by Setup, Msiexec.exe uses Msi.dll to read the package (.msi) files, apply any transform (.mst) files, and incorporate command-line options supplied by Setup. The installer performs all installation-related tasks, including copying files to the hard disk, making registry modifications, creating shortcuts on the desktop, and displaying dialog boxes to prompt for user installation preferences when necessary.

When Windows Installer is installed on a computer, it changes the registered file type of .msi files so that if you double-click an .msi file, Msiexec.exe runs with that file.

Each MSI package file contains a relational-type database that stores instructions and data required to install (and remove) the program across many installation scenarios.

Apropos

Come up with real solutions. Berkeley is supposed to be a place where you learn that sort of thing.

I do not work at Berkeley, do not live there or elsewhere in America, do not go to school there, I certainly do not get paid to be here.

I'm a volunteer moderator here on the forums, I live and work in The Netherlands and in my free time I try to help on these and other forums.

It's really not much fun when people on their first post just throw shit at you, claiming you're not doing your utmost best to try to help fix the problem, but instead just try to shift the blame to elsewhere. Had you done the slightest bit of legwork and searched for yourself, you would've easily found that this really is a Windows problem, not one of Berkeley or mine.

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It's really not much fun when people on their first post just throw shit at you, claiming you're not doing your utmost best to try to help fix the problem, but instead just try to shift the blame to elsewhere.

Jord my solution to this was here and added 45193 to the last field.

This is not a new problem. It has been around for years now.

Computers do not forget.

If the practice of writing this address to the registry is getting corrupted:


C:\Windows\Downloaded Installations\{Unique 32 character hexadecimal code}\

then why not use

C:\BOINC_temp

Windows Installer is not just an installation program; it is an extensible software management system. Windows Installer manages the installation of software, manages the additions and deletions of software components, monitors file resiliency, and maintains basic disaster recovery by using rollbacks.

In addition, Windows Installer supports installing and running software from multiple sources, and can be customized by developers who want to install custom programs.

The Windows Installer includes the following functionality:

• It restores the original computer state if there is an installation failure. Windows Installer keeps track of all changes that are made to the system during the program installation process. If the installation does not succeed, the installer can restore the system to its initial state. This is known as "rollback."
  
• It helps prevent certain forms of inter-program conflicts. A program that is being installed or removed may cause problems with another program already on the computer, or even to cause the computer to stop responding (hang). The installer enforces installation rules that help prevent conflicts caused when an installation operation makes updates to a dynamic-link library (DLL) file shared by an existing program, or when a removal operation deletes a DLL file shared by another program.
  
• It diagnoses and repairs corrupted programs. A program can ask the installer to determine whether an installed program has any missing or corrupted files. It can then ask the service to repair that program as necessary by copying again only those files found to be missing or corrupted.
  
• It reliably removes existing programs. The installer can reliably remove any program it previously installed, and remove all the associated registry entries and program files, except for those shared by other installed software.
  
• It supports the on-demand installation of program features. The installer can be instructed to initially install a minimal subset of a program. Later, additional components can be automatically installed the first time you use a feature that requires additional components.
  
• It supports unattended program installation. The installer supports the ability to script a program installation according to administrator instructions.
  

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