Error 1324 On Install

[Mystech]

While attempting to install OpenOffice.org 2.3 for Windows (32bit intel) I continually receive the following error just after hitting the install button in the install wizard:

Error 1324. The Path Program Files contains an invalid Character.

At first I took this to mean that it didn't like the "Program Files" folder - perhaps for the space in it's name (a longsot I know) but after having tried to install the program several times using the "custom" install mode, and manually setting the install destination to as simple a location as I can possibly think of (quite often just C: D: or X:\OpenOffice - trying on each of my machine's three hard drives), however they all yielded identical results.

I do not know if this is the least bit relevant, but the error message appears while the install progress bar is a bit more than 2/3 toward completion and the status reads "Computing space requirements".

This error is preventing me from installing the program at all, and I'm at a total loss to solve it at this point - my only guess is that something is wrong with the installer, though I have re-downladed it several times, both bundled with JRE and without, to no avail.

*edit: It should be noted that I am running Windows XP SP2, with JRE installed, and have already re-installed Microsoft Installer to ensure that it is not a problem with that component. In the past I have installed previous versions of Open Office without trouble, and no other program or .msi or .exe installation file for any other program currently suffers from this program (I uninstalled and reinstalled a few just to be sure).

[huw]

I don't know how to do it myself, but have you checked your download is not corrupt? This is done with the MD5 checksum. I assume there are loads of instructions on the web, because I see MD5 mentioned everywhere.

[hol.sten]

Error 1324. The Path Program Files contains an invalid Character

Try these:
- http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic ... error+1324
- http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic ... error+1324

[Mystech]

These are not particularly helpful, though one theme I have found is that, like one of these other posts - I have a partial install of a previous version of Open Office stuck on my machine.

A previous install of version 2.2 was made onto a drive labled E:, I later renamed that drive to D: for unrelated reasons. The files from that install are now gone, but my add/remove programs folder still sees the installation as being there, and frankly I don't know how to get rid of the final remnants.

I've tried to use regedit to delete any reference to open office that I can find - but I'm admittedly not savvy enough with manual registry editing to feel confident that I've really gotten all references.

[hol.sten]

These are not particularly helpful

Sorry, I don't try to help you again.

[Hagar Delest]

These are not particularly helpful

At least they put you on the right path it seems because you hadn't told about the remaining install.

I'm admittedly not savvy enough with manual registry editing to feel confident that I've really gotten all references.

Then use a dedicated application. Plenty of freewares to clean the registry by searching invalid keys.

[dcarlson29]

I just had the same error when trying to install OpenOffice 4.0.1 on Windows XP with SP3 under similar circumstance. My second drive (which had been named D) failed and I installed a new hard drive, which received the letter G. I deleted all the references to OpenOffice that I could find in the Registry, including all subdirectories and it installed fine. I did a search on both OpenOffice and Apache to ensure I found all the references.