topic Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify! in Desktop (Windows)

error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

chill3r — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 06:00:49 GMT

I'm running Windows XP and I've recently uninstalled Spotify to get a clean install... Grabbed the latest downloader and tried to install and am getting an Error 18:

"The installer is unable to install Spotify because the files to write are in use by another process. Please make sure Spotify is not running and retry."

Well i've tried everything from rebooting, manually removing the spotify directory in C:\Documents and Settings\...\Application Data\Spotify and nothing seems to be working.

Has anyone seen this or have any suggestions? It's torture without the music!

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

chill3r — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:26:46 GMT

I should also mention that i've opened Task Manager, and there are no spotify processes running as well.. this is very aggravating..

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

4nto — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:02:25 GMT

Hey.
I had the same problem.

If you are running windows, just go to start -> run -> type msconfig
Then go to - I guess it will be named "Start", and then unmark "Spotify". Restart your computer, and reinstall Spotify.

I hope it solved your problem 🙂

Cheers

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

chill3r — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:48:13 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion, but that didn't work as well,

I've also read another suggestion in another thread that to run the setup.exe in compatibility mode which takes me a little further, but now i'm getting an Error code 13: "The installer is unable to install Spotify because the neccesary files could not be created"

I've removed Spotify files in Documents and Settings\User\Application Data\Spotify, the app also does not appear in my Add/Remove Programs... Is there anywhere else to look to clean this app out so I can reinstall?

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

chill3r — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:40:40 GMT

Is nobody else having this issue? I've seen different variations in the forums... I just can't get past this Error 13 now

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

chill3r — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 04:19:08 GMT

Are the spotify tech support not on these forums? I've also sent in a form and i've still yet to get a reply from anyone... other than the automated message

I've since tried installing in safe mode w/ networking and that installed however I can't run the program when i go to normal mode... this is ridiculous.. almost been two weeks without the music...

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

chill3r — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:20:57 GMT

Latest update:

Looking at my event logs, i've noticed that my Comodo Firewall has been blocking the Spotify Installer from doing its thing, even though I have it disabled at the moment...

Just for trial, I uninstalled Comodo, rebooted, and was able to install Spotify...

However, I refuse to run Spotify without having some type of firewall software in between and am going to keep tweaking things in Comodo to see what I can do to have it unblock... either that or hope that Spotify will come out with an update to support running behind Comodo...

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

emelie — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:11:25 GMT

I am having the same problem and nothing is working. i have tried all different ways that i found on different support pages but nothing works..... error code 17 and sometimes 18. what should I do?

@chill3r wrote:
Latest update:

Looking at my event logs, i've noticed that my Comodo Firewall has been blocking the Spotify Installer from doing its thing, even though I have it disabled at the moment...

Just for trial, I uninstalled Comodo, rebooted, and was able to install Spotify...

However, I refuse to run Spotify without having some type of firewall software in between and am going to keep tweaking things in Comodo to see what I can do to have it unblock... either that or hope that Spotify will come out with an update to support running behind Comodo...

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

chill3r — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 05:08:12 GMT

Alright so I somewhat solved the problem...

1) I removed all traces of spotify (check your appdata directory to make sure it's gone)

2) Removed Comodo

3) rebooted

4) installed Spotify successfully

5) install Comodo

6) tested Spotify and it still works fine

This is kind of a hassle just to get it working, but it works now...

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

David — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 11:17:14 GMT

Those error codes mainly indicate a problem with Spotify connecting to the internet. Firewalls / Virus checkers might cause this issue, so adding Spotify to the exceptions list would be the first step I would do here, unless you have to reinstall the program like chill3r had to here.

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

chill3r — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 19:23:13 GMT

Thanks for the response David..

problem is, I had Spotify in my exceptions list in my Comodo firewall, however after the upgrade:

1) Comodo tagged Spotify as causing a buffer overflow

2) after uninstalling Spotify and downloading the latest Spotify downloader, the Spotify setup application was also blocked by Comodo (causing error 13)

Therefore, I uninstalled both Comodo and Spotify and reinstalled both and that seems to be the only (albeit tedious) solution...

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

mrcoolken71 — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:59:51 GMT

Mine keep sayin that the downloader is interrupted and I got Windows 7

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

David — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 09:39:11 GMT

What browser did you try and download with? My first suggestion would be to try using something else (Google Chrome, Firefox) and see if it can download successfully there.

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

Skubbje — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:55:52 GMT

Fixed it!

I removed iTunes and reinstalled it, afterwards is reinstalled Spotify without a problem.

I hope i works for you as well!

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

darkdj09 — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:20:39 GMT

sorry about this, this was a double post I just tried to delete it by deleteing the post content but it dident work. I would appreciate it if someone could delete this for me.

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

darkdj09 — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:17:16 GMT

Well this is the problem im getting but the cause of it is not the same.

Im no spring yellow headed chicken when it comes to computers, in fact I have 6 computer qualifications despite being disabled with Aspergers Syndrome and Learning Difficulties.

For several months now spotify has been giving me the message "Failed to connect to spotify social" this didn't bother me much since I never really used spotify social so I would just close the error message and get on with it. A few weeks after this started I noticed I was now getting a new problem an error message saying spotify was still running after I had closed it, and this would still occur even if I had closed the Spotify process tree in the task manager. It seemed the only way to ensure spotify was closed after using it was to restart the computer.

Well today I decided to run the risk of re-installing spotify so I un-installed it with no problems (so it seemed), but now when I try to re-install spotify it is saying that the files that the setup program needs to write to are currently in use and telling me to to make share that spotify is not currently running. I have checked my virtual machine (windows XP mode) and it doesn't even have spotify on it. The only thing I can think of is that my laptop is networked to my other computers and they all have spotify on them.

But would that cause error code 18 ? Network sharing is not enabled on any of my computers for Program Files or Program Files X86 the spotify data store is not even kept in that location.

Basically im at a loss for an explanation. Could spotify be running in the background on my laptop of a Network location ? Could the files that the setup for spotify is referring to be native to another program ? Or could this be a problem with Spotify itself ?

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

darkdj09 — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:15:28 GMT

Ok just a quick update, It seems there is another Spotify player running from someware on my system as I just solved the mysterious "Spotify cant connect to Spotify Social" issue I was having, were is Root Directory is, I do not know yet. Be back in a jiffy

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

darkdj09 — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:59:53 GMT

after spending 3 hours looking for this I still cant mind it, or any trace of it, after spotify is closed. In other words it only starts on system startup.

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

darkdj09 — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:53:26 GMT

sorted it for me, but more specifically, it was reg keys native to both iTunes and spotify, in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_USER hive in the software folder, just browse to the folder for iTunes and in the folder right click and click modify binary data, top row far right change the 0 to a 1 (it just turns the file off and all that file does is enables hardware support through the sound-card / on bord audio, you will still have audio, just wont be as clear through iTunes as it will be through everything else, change the 1 back to 0 to turn the file back on.), you should restart the computer every time you do this.

Anyway that's how I fixed it.
Good Luck

Re: error code 18 - can't reinstall Spotify!

user-removed — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 06:42:55 GMT

I had no problem Downloading the software the first time, it worked Great:) but a couple day later it would not even open. so I uninstalled it, and i attempted to restall it but in the midst of the install it stops and says i my files are being used by another procees (Error Code 18 ) ?