Fatal Error 1603

The word fatal usually puts people into a panic, due to the fact that when we use or hear the word fatal it is not in combination with good news in real life or in the computer world. Fatal errors can often have fatal consequences to your system if they are not addressed.

When you are attempting to run or install an application on your computer, you may receive one of many types of fatal error messages. Two very common fatal error messages are: Fatal Error 1603: Occurred during Installation, and Error 1603: General Windows Installer Engine Error. Increase Disk Space requirement in Setup.ini and try again. These error messages are basically telling you that you don’t have enough space to install or run an application.

The lack of disk space for the size of the application you are attempting to use is the most common reason for Fatal Error 1603. You can check to see if you have enough room on your hard drive by checking the amount of free and used disk space. Start by double clicking on My Computer (Computer in Windows 7). Right click the drive where you are attempting to install the program and select Properties. Click on the General tab and check the boxes where free space is indicated. Make sure that you have enough free space to install the program. As a general rule; double the amount of space that the software indicates is necessary for installation to determine how much you will need to successfully install it.

If you realize after checking that you do not have enough space, you can take one of the following quick and simple steps to increase your disk space:

• Empty your recycle bin. You would be surprised how much space is used up by the files sitting in the recycle bin. Although you have deleted them from your computer, by sitting in the recycle bin, they are still on your computer somewhere.
• Remove installed programs that you are not using. The best way to do this is to uninstall them through Control Panel and clicking Add Remove Programs or Programs and Features (in Windows 7). Select the programs you want to uninstall and click change/remove or uninstall.

If these two options do not provide enough free space, you should try a disk cleanup. You can perform the disk cleanup process by first clicking on My Computer. Select the drive where you are attempting to install the application and right click on that drive. Select Properties and then click on the General tab. Below the boxes where the free space is indicated, there is a Disk Cleanup button. Click the Disk Cleanup button and then click OK to start the cleanup process.

Increasing disk space using one or all of the previous methods is a good first step to remedying Fatal Error 1603.