SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

icemonkey — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 10:06:38 GMT

I'm getting this problem with Windows 10 Pro version 1903 OS build 18362.592.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Lucky Sawyer — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 18:12:32 GMT

Many programs that have been installed in sandboxes just before those critical updates in Win10 when particular sensitive things were broken with Sandboxie or even under previous versions of Windows (7, 8, 8.1) still continue functioning flawlessly with any current Win 10 build. But we cannot deploy them afresh within a sandbox anymore. Some users here or in other forums suggested installing such programs on another machine (e.g. virtual one) running Win 7 or Win 8.1 then moving sandboxes back to the actual host system. The next problem is that specific applications are strictly hardware-dependent, that is why they totally fail to run with hardware changed. And even a VM may be technically perceived by them as a different hardware configuration. I personally use a Win 8.1 instance (the most modern, MS supported but still compatible version) with Sandboxie installed on an virtual drive (VHD(X)) either. But I have added it to the main boot menu of my PC instead of letting it boot on a virtual machine (there is a lot of information on the internet on how to do that). Not imperative for each and every application though. This is only to make the hardware set-up recognized by the application 100% identical. Besides that, the installation process runs faster and more predictable on a real machine than on a virtual one. The bad side is that two successive physical reboots are needed every time when trying to install anything in that way.

So, the whole installation procedure shall be as follows then:

Reboot. Chose the relevant Win 8.1. boot menu item. Install yor desired application sandboxed. Reboot again. Attach your VHD(x) (this is necessary when you have placed the Sandbox folder on the System disk under the Win 8.1). Find and move the sandbox containing the installation to the Sandbox folder of your host system. Attach it to your sandbox list ( by creating a new sandbox entry named appropriately or by giving the sandbox the name of an already listed one). Run your application sandboxed under the current Win 10 build.

This might be the only reliable workaround to date. Unluckily.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Artem S Tashkinov — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 01:17:46 GMT

This is still not fixed, sigh.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Pedro López — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 01:12:44 GMT

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

dannn x — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 06:51:37 GMT

I tryed to look at resource monitor to search what installers need.

Letter "b" is censored now? :) Looks strange

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

bj m — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 14:30:29 GMT

[quote user="David B1"]

Even the new version of Sandboxie has this problem.

[/quote]
Hmm, I was replying to the post above mine that has since disappeared.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

David B1 — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 14:22:00 GMT

Even the new version of Sandboxie has this problem.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

bj m — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 10:49:34 GMT

Um, and you've tested as fix for:

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Kasia Kassia — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 07:07:22 GMT

[deleted]

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Ralph W — Mon, 07 Oct 2019 16:35:20 GMT

The communication of this company is really very bad. Not just during the time between the beginning of the sandboxie problem and the announcement that it will be made open source, but also after these announcement. When they would answer to the most urgent questions, and tell us a time schedule of making it open source, the discussions in the forum (and also outside in other forums) would be less negative. Missing communication is the real problem here.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Pedro López — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 22:41:20 GMT

[quote user="Bellzemos"]Will this get fixed (soon)?[/quote]

Barb is gone. Seth doesn't want to reply to questions about community and support. Sophos is neither publishing the source code nor telling when it will be published.

In this situation, do you really think any problem will get fixed soon?

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Bellzemos — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 16:27:43 GMT

No need to be sorry, I wish it would work! This is a big problem, I'm unable to install programs under Sandboxie anymore. Will this get fixed (soon)?

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Sir Toto — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 17:44:22 GMT

Hello Bellzemos,

My bad ! I't not working: I didn't realize that the installer was not running sandboxed the way I did.

I'm sorry, I should have noticed that.

My apologies for this false hope...

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Bellzemos — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 17:07:30 GMT

Hello Sir Toto,

I tried your trick but it didn't work for me, I still get that message. Maybe I didn't do it right. My steps:

1. Made a folder on the desktop.

2. I right-clicked on the folder and opened it up in the default sandbox.

3. I right-clicked in the sandboxed folder and created a new notepad file.

4. I opened it, wrote something in it and saved it.

5. I then copied the msi installer from outside the sandbox into the sandboxed folder.

6. I run the installer - and got the error message.

What have I done wrong?

Thanx.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Sir Toto — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 09:32:17 GMT

I thought that I found a workaround but no: I was not awake enough, it was not working...

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

ordinaryorange — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 02:01:55 GMT

I can confirm the issue too. One machine with windows 10 build 18362 and SBoxie 5.31.4 throws the installer error.

Another machine with Windows 10 build 14393 and SBoxie 5.31.4 lets the installer run just fine.

So yes it looks to be a windows update issue.

I also tried all sorts of windows installer repair and other hacks but keep hitting the same wall.

If anyone finds a workaround, please post. Sandboxie is dead in the water until this is resolved.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

bj m — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 13:37:48 GMT

DanH wrote: it seems that the latest windows 1903 updates changed something and sanboxie lost the ability to install software.

Um, I can install for example "CCleaner" executable installer sandbox'd. I cannot install ... msi installer....sandbox'd....same as opening poster.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Dan H — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 07:41:40 GMT

Hello,

Same situation, it seems that the latest windows 1903 updates changed something and sanboxie lost the ability to install software. Any software already installed in a sandbox works fine. Tried some online suggestions to try to fix windows installer service in sandbox but none of the worked. Let's hope that someone finds a workaround or maybe a fixed version from sophos because at the moment sandboxie is badly crippled.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Maram Alav — Sat, 14 Sep 2019 15:28:58 GMT

Hello.

Windows 10 last updated and sandboxie last update, today.

I have the same problem:

I had installed some softwares months or years ago and is today working fine.

If I try to reinstall the same software or file update, I can not install. Message about windows installer apears.

For example, today I was reinstaling an update as file inside sandboxie and the same message popup "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed". No installation.

Is there any way to work around?

Thanks in advance.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Sir Toto — Sat, 14 Sep 2019 01:57:28 GMT

Same issue for me with the same configuration. It happened also with Sandboxie 5.30. It may be related to this Windows update: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4512941/windows-10-update-kb4512941, or the latest: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4515384/windows-10-update-kb4515384

Only workaround for me is to run the program in Comodo sandbox.

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

Redacted — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 18:09:55 GMT

Thanks for confirming that it's not just me, does anyone happen to have a workaround?

Maybe Barb@Sophos has any ideas?

RE: SB v5.31.4 "The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed" when trying to install programs.

plat 1098 — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 16:56:23 GMT

I can confirm this using 5.31.2 beta with no other settings marked or unmarked in default box settings. Likewise, Windows 10 18362.356 (1903) Google via "Sandboxie, all versions" will get you a listing of the release versions. Googling "Sandboxie beta versions" got me the Sandboxie beta 5.31 version page with the 5.31.2 download.