Error 1612

The installation source for this product is not available. Verify that the source exists and that you can access it.

Windows is looking for the original installer file to repair, modify or uninstall the program, and it is no longer where it was when you installed it.

What it actually means

MSI remembers the path it was installed from and goes back to it for later operations. If that was a USB stick, a network share or a downloads folder you have since cleared, the path is dead. The program is installed and works; only operations that need the original package fail.

How to fix it, in order

Ordered by how often each one is the answer, not by how clever it sounds.

01Put the original installer back at the same path if you still have it. That is the direct fix and it makes the operation complete normally.
02If you no longer have the exact version, download the same one rather than the newest. A different build has a different product code and will not satisfy the request.
03Point Windows at a new location by running "msiexec /fv path\to\package.msi" to reinstall from the new source and update the cached path.
04As a last resort, use the Microsoft Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter, which removes the registry entries for a product whose source has gone for good.

This is why old installers are worth keeping

An MSI you keep is not clutter. Windows may need it years later to uninstall cleanly, and by then the publisher may not offer that version any more. The version archive on our software pages exists partly for this: it records the file name and hash of past releases so you can identify the right one.

Common questions

What does the installation source for this product is not available mean?: Windows needs the original .msi to complete a repair, change or uninstall, and the path it recorded at install time no longer contains it. The program still works; only these operations fail.

Before you retry the installer

If the package came from anywhere other than the publisher, confirm it is the file they actually shipped. Check its SHA-256 against our index, which settles in seconds whether you are debugging an installer or a damaged download.