Error "800A0046 - Permission Denied" when installing the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility in Windows Vista

Symptom

When you try to install the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility in Windows Vista, the following error may appear:

Script: C:\Users\Ramesh\AppData\Local\Temp\IXP000.TMP\StartMsi.vbs
Line: 17
Char: 1
Error: Permission denied
Code: 800A0046
Source: Microsoft VBScript runtime error

Cause

With the User Account Control (UAC) enabled in Windows Vista, you may be denied write access to the Program Files directory and its sub-directories by default. The error above occurs when the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility's setup script (StartMSI.vbs) attempts to copy the extracted files from the Temporary folder to the C:\Program Files\MSECache\WICU3 folder.

Resolution

To resolve the problem, you need to install the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility as administrator. To do so, right-click the setup file (msicuu2.exe) and choose Run as Administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.