Spotify installer - error 24

[Frask80]

Plan

Premium

Country

Italy 

Device

PC

Operating System

Windows 7 Pro

My Question or Issue

My computer is in a work domain and my domain user can't install from the temp directory so I updated Spotify with a local administator to version 1.0.94.262 (until now it has always worked).

With this user everything seems to works fine, I can open the app and listen to the music.

Then I logged in with my domain user and everytime I launch Spotify i get the error "24 - Installer encountered an unknown error"".

What can I do to resolve the problem?

Thanks!

[Sebasty]

Hey @Frask80

Have you tried reinstalling Spotify? Maybe something simply went wrong with the updating process.

You can also try this offline installer: click here.

Since Spotify installs itself into appdata, are you sure you can access that with the domain user?

Let me know 🙂

[Frask80]

Hi Sebasty,

thanks for the reply.

I tried to uninstall Spotify and clean the folders in AppData\Local and AppData\Roaming and then reinstall with the full installer but it still doesn't work.

What I know about the domain's policies is that I can't install from the temp folder in appData. I can only do it with a local admin.

[Valyk]

Hello,

I have the same issue.

Our IT have a policy that no executable can be started from the AppData folder.

I used to manually copy the installed Spotify files from AppData to Program Files, but it's no longer working with the last version. I only get the Error 24 during the installation process and I can no longer start Spotify...

Spotify should let us choose the installation folder, running executables from AppData is a very bad practice...

Thanks

[Frask80]

I solved the problem right now, I just copied the content of the folder

c:\users\<local.admin>\AppData\Roaming\Spotify

in

C:\Program Files (x86)\Spotify

Now it works!

[Tullbooth]

It worked yesterday, but today it does not.  Error 24 is back! =(

[Valyk]

Hi again,

This should do the trick:

1. Go to the APPDATA\Local\Spotify folder
2. There will be a folder named Update
3. Copy it elsewhere

4. Change the content of the .json file to set the new path. Don't forget to use "\\" instead of "\" to separate folders.

5. Run the installer executable containg inside
6. The new Spotify version will be installed (in APPDATA/roaming)
7. Copy the new Spotify files to Program Files
8. It should now work again...

Good luck!

[Tullbooth]

Thank you for the tip. The good news is Error 24 is gone. Bad news is I
now have Error 13 and there is no Spotify in Appdata/Roaming. Other
suggestions? I do have admin access, although I did not run as
administrator (it didn't like that).

[angust63]

Same issues here on Win 7 Pro from within a work domain.

Group policy prevents .exe from launching from AppData folder so I run Spotify from a different folder under my User account.

I removed the Update folder and created Domain User security rights for the Spotify folder and the app launched OK. Went to About Spotify and it advised that an update was available. I should have left everything alone but I clicked on Update. Now I get the Spotify installer - error 24 after being asked to restart the application.

UPDATE:

The version I was running  was 1.0.93.244.g1e3a05e7

I logged in as an Admin and looked in my C:\Users\{USER}\AppData\Local\Spotify\Update\ folder and saw the update install file. I launched the Updater .exe and it completed without any problems.

I then went to C:\Users\{ADMIN}\AppData\Roaming\Spotify\ (while still logged in as an Administrator) and copied the content of this folder over to my Domain User install location (outside of AppData) so, in my case C:\Spotify\. I overwrote all necessary files and folders and logged back in as my Domain User account. Spotify lauched without a problem and I now I have updated Version 1.0.94.262.g3d5c231c running.

I'm not sure why the update went to the AppData\Local\ folder instead of AppData\Roaming folder unless it's because I launched the update from within the App while logged in as a Domain User.

[angust63]

Update 1.0.95.289.g342899da tried to install today and failed. "Spotify installer - error 24" showed up again.

I tried launching the Update .exe file from  C:\Users\{USER}\AppData\Local\Spotify\Update\ but the update would not launch.

I moved the Update folder to different locations outside of APPDATA folder and the it would not launch either.

I logged into my PC as an Admin and Spotify launched normally and showed it was running 1.0.95.289.g342899da

Regardless, I ran the Upgrade .exe as Admin and then copied over the files from C:\Users\{ADMIN}\AppData\Roaming\Spotify\ to my C:\Spotify\ folder and logged back in under my regular user account. Spotify launched successfully and shows Version 1.0.95.289.g342899da as the current build.

[RApple]

Hi!

I had the same issue, but I solved it a very simple way. Just go to c:\users\<domain.user>\AppData\Roaming\Spotify\Update folder, and run the installer as administrator. I'm local admin on my computer, so I coud make it happen this way.

[Valyk]

You may have to change the content on the .json file to set the new path.

Don't forget to use "\\" instead of "\"

[theragnauths]

As with so many Spotify issues, the community solutions are half baked, tecchie suggestions that cause more poblems than they resolve. The 'error 24 problem is a case in point. Fortunatly, the flaw in the software hasn't caused too many problems...YET. Poor support, spotify, be more like Sonos.

[jnak]

I know this is a really old post but I think many people likely run into this problem.  As long as you've already got Spotify working in a different folder from users\user_name\Appdata\roaming, the updates always fail.  The fix outline in here works, but it breaks the Spotify buttons for me (they appear as rectangles). 

A slightly easier fix is to do the following (assuming you've already installed Spotify somehwere else on your machine):

1. When Spotify tries to update and gives the Error 24 message, go to C:\Users\User_Name\AppData\Local\Spotify\Update

2. You will see a folder call Spotify-update followed by a version number and some random characters.  Go in this folder.  It actuall contains the updated install of Spotify.  Copy all the contents

3. Paste the contents into the folder where you have Spotify installed.  For me, it's c:\users\user_name\Spotify.  You might have it elsewhere.  Let Windows overwrite all existing files

This works for me, no editing any files required, and it fixed my missing button graphics issue.

[Ruby1563]

If you move the Spotify folder anywhere other than %APPDATA%, Spotify installer will give you an error after each update on Windows startup. Each time you have to reinstall the program and then move the folder again. 

I simply need Spotify folder out of my main drive because it is a small SSD and I use it for Windows only, everything else goes onto a large HDD. It is incredibly pointless that Spotify doesn't allow us to choose an installation directory. I expect more from a big professional software company. 

[cohenfs]

Wow. "Reinstall" Spotify? You think that no one tries that? Also, you have missed out on all the posts, before yours, on admin access and the "Appdata" folder. I have admin access to my machine and I still get the same error codes.. The default to "Roaming/Appdata" is an issue. You can copy and paste the "Spotify" folder to other parts of the directory and get it to run. Spotify works for a while and then suddenly uninstalls itself and then the error codes reappear. Repeatedly, I have to use the "fullsetup.exe" and then go through the motions of relocating the "Spotify" folder." Have Spotify work and then uninstall and then error codes, wash, rinse, repeat. It's maddening. Spotify simply doesn't care about the desktop app for PC's. The optimal solution, for me, has been to download it from the Microsoft store. It stays installed but you get that box that says something like, "not all application data" backed up or loaded. So, when Spotify runs, it runs well, generally, but with odd little things (like an imperfect sync between what's playing and what's showing in the desktop app).

[mombassajesus]

I posted on this at the link below. I made a batch file that makes these updates much easier.

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Windows/Error-24-when-installing-update/m-p/5072642/highlig...

[rdwmpls]

You can "fix" this each time you encounter this error by deleting (or renaming) the "Spotify" folder in "C:\Users\rdwen\AppData\Local\"