Unable to install: error code 53

[Entropia]

Hi

My work PC just got updated to Windows 7 Enterprise. I started installing all the needed programs including Spotify because I listen to a lot of music at work. However, I'm unable to install. I get this error message:

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Spotify Installer
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The installer encountered an unknown error.

(Error code: 53)
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Retry Cancel
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I tried hitting Retry a couple of times. It downloads the installer again and after a few moments I get the same error message again. I couldn't find anything on this error code on Google or Spotify FAQ/forums.

What do I do to make it work?

[Entropia]

Well, I figured out the problem just moments after posting for help here. Error code 53 means it's unable to start the installer. Our group policy here at work prohibits users to execute programs from any others directories than a few pre-selected ones. Anyway, I moved the installer EXE from the Appdata-directory to a directory I'm able to execute from and now I get a different error code, 17. "Unable to start Spotify". Maybe it's trying to install in Program Files which is blocked. Is there a command-line argument I can use to specify a custom installation directory?

[Entropia · Accepted solution]

Figured out the problem.

Spotify installer unpacked itself to my Appdata-directory and tried to start itself there... Notice a pattern? Anyway, I again moved the files to where I can execute them and it now works okay.

Hope this helps people who are experiencing similar error code 53 and 17 problems.

[kuesschen]

how did you manage to move them. i cannot even find it after downloading it.  but i also get the error 17 all the time

[kuesschen]

OK problem solved... Needed to run a comparability test^^

[vpspotify]

Can you please explain what that means? I am having the same problems you were. Thanks

[Peter__]

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@vpspotify wrote:

Can you please explain what that means? I am having the same problems you were. Thanks

---

Does using the installer package below help at all?:

http://download.spotify.com/Spotify%20Installer.exe

Peter

[vpspotify]

Thanks for the response Peter,  your installer package leads me to error code 17.

If it helps at all, the background for my problem.  Randomly yesterday Spotify stopped opening properly and said "blocked by group policy". Google searches have not come up with much.  So I figured I would delete Spotify and reinstall.  That's when I started running into the error codes 53 or 17 depending on how I try to install it.  I have been trying to look into ways to adjust the group policy settings, but am a little lost.  It is a company computer but I just checked a co-worker's and he can still open and run Spotify.

Thanks again for trying to help!

PS I had also recently downloaded AdBlocker Plus and wasn't sure if that was interferring with Spotify somehow even though I paid for premium. I have gotten rid of ABP and it still didn't help.

[Peter__]

Does installing in Windows Safe Mode make any difference? 

Instructions here. 

Peter

[DarkLurker]

Hi All,

I found this thread when I ran into a similar problem here.  I'm a network admin for a college, and one of my users is having problems with Spotify.  I had downloaded the installer myself so I could install it on my PC and got the Error 53, then googled and found this thread.

My guess is that the reason that a domain policy suddenly popped up preventing running programs that are in AppData (like the Spotify installer, and even, apparently, Spotify itself)  is that we network admins have started using that policy to prevent the Cryptolocker virus from infecting our network machines.  There's quite a writeup about it here and here . I just put a policy for it in place yesterday, and I've already had a call about it this morning.

I don't know why Spotify chose to run the downloaded installer from AppData instead of using a Temp directory like most every other program in existence, but that's what's going on.  Perhaps if this becomes a big enough problem, they'll change how their installer works.

[vpspotify]

After talking to my IT guy, that is exactly what my problem is.  It is just a little strange to me that it hasn't affected my coworkers yet...

[ubelong2matt]

Your coworkers probably haven't logged off and back on to apply the new policies.  They are not applied until you log off and back on again.

[danda1man]

Any word from Spotify about installing to a different directory?  I have local admin privileges, but our GPO prevents anthing not on the whitelist from executing in APPDATA.

[AdamPowers]

Yeah this really needs to be fixed. Just ran into it myself. Same issue.

[nando_UK]

Just came accross with the same problem using my PC at work, i.e., Spotify not running because of some 'privacy settings' that never appeared before (error code 53).

Solution (if you have Spotify already installed): copy ALL the Spotify folder to another folder outside AppData (or 'Application Data'). Then the spotify.exe will work as before. Didn't know it was indeed going to work - but it does.

Hope this helps other people.

[danda1man]

This only helps if the program is already installed.  And you can never update Spotify once you move that folder, which is annoying because the update message never goes away.

[ubelong2matt]

I got the "blue bar" update Spotify notification and here is what I did to install the new version without being able to run executables from AppData:

1. Download a new "web download" from Spotify (https://www.spotify.com/us/download/windows/).
2. Navigate to C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Roaming\Spotify.
3. Run the downloaded installer and watch the folder location above.
4. You'll see SpWebInst0.exe show up while the "Downloading Spotify..." is displayed.
5. When the download completes and you get the "run" error, copy/paste the download to a different location (desktop, for instance).
6. Run the SpWebInst0.exe executable and Spotify will install as normal.

You'll need to repeat the same process above but it beats having to migrate the whole folder every time.

Note:  For some reason this process fails on my desktop because SpWebInst0.exe is deleted right as the prompt is displayed.  However, on my work computer, both running the same CryptoPrevent application from Foolish IT, it works fine and lets me copy/paste it out of the folder.  It could work for you or it could not.  Worth a try.

[danda1man]

Again, that is not an option as I cannot install spotify in the first place.  Our network admin created a GPO that prevents anything from executing in that directory that is not on the whitelist, its not just some app thats trying to block CryptoLocker.

[ubelong2matt]

If you read the response you'll see that you are NOT installing from the AppData folter.  Download the installer from the website and run it.  It creates the directory, even with GPOs in place, and starts downloading the actual installer.  It just cannot execuite the final, downloaded file which is what the GPO blocks.  You can still see it downloading and if you're quick enough you can copy/paste it out of the folder.

[vpspotify]

I was able to copy/paste this file out of the folder while downloading.  However, after trying to run the SpWebInst0.exe from my desktop, I get the message "The installer is corrupt. Please download it from the web site again and retry.    (Error code:1)