Fix Setup wizard ended prematurely because of an error in Windows 11

Fatal errors are becoming a common issue that pops up after installing any application. The “Setup wizard ended prematurely because of an error” generally appears because of some misconfigured services. Furthermore, corrupt registration and malware may give rise to this issue.

If the Windows Installer Service is disabled, then this message pops up. However, disabled .NET Framework 3.5 or 4.8, lacking Administrator permission, or interference of Antivirus Software or other applications, may cause this installation problem.

Setup wizard ended prematurely because of an error

Here’s how to fix Setup wizard ended prematurely because of an error in Windows 11/10:

Start the Setup as Administrator

Running as an administrator allows you to run applications with full access to the system settings and resources. The Installer may require a System Resource that lets program allow by running it as administrator.

1. Right-click on the Installer.
2. Choose “Run as administrator”.

3. Click Yes in User Account Control.

See: How to Run Program as administrator in Windows 11 (12 Ways)

Change Service configuration of Windows Installer Service

Windows Installer Service handles the processes regarding installation, therefore, when it is disabled, installing a program becomes troublesome.

This may throw Setup wizard ended prematurely because of an error. To enable Windows Installer Service, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows + S keys.
2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
3. Find and Right-click on “Windows Installer”.
4. Choose Properties.
5. Click the Start.

6. From the Startup type drop-down select Automatic. Note: The Startup type drop-down might be greyed out in your system. Don’t worry, this is an essential service so the system by default makes it unclickable; leave it.
7. In the end, click Apply and OK.

After that, check the error whether is showing. It’s always better to run the Installer as an Administrator.

See: How to Disable or Enable Windows Installer Service in Windows 11 or 10 [msiserver]

Again Register VBScript.dll & Windows Installer Service

Windows Installer Service and VBScript.dll might be corrupted because of malware scan, system restore, or any other reasons ending up with Setup wizard ended prematurely message.

In this case, you need to re-register both Services from Powershell to restore their functionalities.

1. Press Windows Key and type “PowerShell”.
2. Right-click on it and choose “Run as administrator.
3. Write the following command to Re-register VBScript.dll and press Enter: regsvr32.exe vbscript.dll
4. Type the following commands one by one and Press Enter to re-register Windows Installer Service

msiexec /unreg
msiexec /regserver

5. Close PowerShell.
6. Restart your Computer.

Read: How to Register DLL File in Windows 11 or 10 64 and 32 bit

Enable .NET Framework 3.5 or 4.8

.NET Framework is an Important drive for Windows to create and run applications and if this is not enabled, the installation may fail and show “Setup wizard ended prematurely because of an error”. To turn on .NET Framework 3.5 or 4.8 on your Windows 11/10, follow these steps.

1. Click Start and type “Windows Features”.
2. Click “Turn Windows features on or off” from search results.
3. In Windows 11, find and check the box for the .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 Advanced Services. In Windows 10, find and check the box for .NET Framework 3.5.
4. Click OK.

5. Wait for Searching.
6. Click “Restart Now”.

Turn off or pause Antivirus

Antivirus Software can misidentify the threats and may interfere with the Installer setup, which can cause the Setup wizard to fail. I have read a user review whose “Ended Prematurely because of an error” was fixed when he disabled an Antivirus Software.

In Windows 10/11, you might be using Windows Defender; disable off temporarily and check the issue.

Windows Defender:

1. Press Win Key and type the term “Security”.
2. Click “Windows Security” from the search results.
3. Select “Virus & threat protection”.
4. Click “Manage settings”.
5. Turn off the toggle switch of “Real-time protection”.
6. You may notice User account control pop-up; click on Yes.

Bitdefender

1. Launch the Bitdefender app.
2. Select “Protection” located in the sidebar.
3. Click on Open from the Antivirus section.
4. Select “Advanced”.
5. Disable the option “Bitdefender Shield”.
6. Set a time until when you want to keep turning it off.
7. Click “OK”.

Avast

1. Open the Avast antivirus.
2. Click Menu.
3. Choose the option Settings.
4. Click “Protection” from the panel.
5. Select “Core Shields”.
6. Disable Core Shields and select a time period, for example, Stop for 10 minutes/1 hour Until your next restart/Indefinitely.

Norton

1. Click on Show hidden icon “^” from the Left Side of the Taskbar.
2. Right-click on Norton and select “Disable Auto-Protect”.
3. Pick “More Options”.
4. Set a time frame until the system restarts permanently and by default 15 minutes.

To turn it on again, select Enable Auto-Protect from the right-click menu in System Tray.

By disabling the Antivirus temporarily, the Installer Setup is allowed to install all the necessary files without any restriction and interference from third-party apps.

Repair corrupted system files

SFC and DISM Scan can help to fix the Setup wizard ended prematurely because of an error by repairing the system files, which may cause the installation process to fail.

These tools help to scan, verify, and repair the corrupted system files.

1. Click the Windows and type “CMD”.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to Run as administrator and click Yes in UAC.
3. Once the Command Prompt appears, type SFC /SCANNOW and press “Enter”.
4. Wait for some time until the scan, verification, and repair is completed to 100%.
5. Reboot your system and check the flaw is fixed. Suppose the error message continues to persist then again open the Command Prompt as Administrator.
6. Write the underneath commands sequentially and hit “Enter”.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

7. Reboot your Computer.

Conduct a Clean Boot

The applications other than built-in services programs can affect the Installer, which may give Setup wizard ended prematurely fatal error. But, you can disable them using clean boot to avoid third-party interference with a Setup.

1. Hit the Windows + R keys.
2. Type “msconfig.exe” and hit “Enter”.
3. Go to the “Services” tab.
4. Tick “Hide all Microsoft Services”.
5. Click “Disable All”.

6. Go to the Startup tab.
7. Click the link that says “Open Task Manager”.
8. Right-click the application that is showing “Enabled” under status. Choose “Disable”, so they will not auto-start on Windows startup.
9. Go back to System Configuration.
10. Click Apply and then OK and select “Restart”.

After restarting, check the error is showing on the Installer Setup.

Very Important: If the error doesn’t appear, then install the application completely. Then, Enable All services that you were disabled in MSConfig to avoid other app issues.

Methods:
Start the Setup as Administrator
Change Service configuration of Windows Installer
Again Register VBScript.dll & Windows Installer Service
Enable .NET Framework 3.5 or 4.8
Turn off or pause Antivirus
Repair corrupted system files
Conduct a Clean Boot

Thats all!!