úterý 1. srpna 2017

Exchange 2016 installation - [ERROR] Installing product E:\exchangeserver.msi failed. Fatal error during installation. Error code is 1603.

If you reached this page, you most probably know, that Exchange is piece of crap. Now, you cannot complete installation. Also, you are not able uninstall this s**t, becuse installation is not completed. Simply Microsoft fun.

You also most probably found following useless links:
http://msexchangeguru.com/2017/02/09/e2016-error1603-unresolved/
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/834484/you-receive-an-error-1603-a-fatal-error-occurred-during-installation-e

Ok, so there is what helped to me:

Problem

Exchange installer disables services in one of the first steps and it tries to start them. Stupid, right? You can confirm it by checking startup type of exchange services once the installer fails. Id they are disabled, following can help.

Solution

1. Prepare command to set all the MS Exchange services to automatic startup type. Include also FMS, HostControllerService, winmgmt, remoteregistry, w3svc and iisadmin services. An example:

Get-Service -name MSExchangeDelivery, MSExchangeRepl,MSExchangeRPC,MSExchangeFastSearch, MSExchangeThrottling, wsbexchange,MSExchangeSubmission, MSExchangeMailboxReplication, MSExchangeMailboxAssistants, MSExchangeIMAP4BE, MSExchangeImap4, MSExchangeIS, MSExchangeDagMgmt, MSExchangeDiagnostics, MSExchangeFrontEndTransport, MSExchangeADTopology, MSExchangeAntispamUpdate, MSExchangeUM, MSExchangeEdgeSync, MSExchangeHM, MSExchangeHMRecovery, MSExchangeServiceHost, MSExchangeTransport, MSExchangeTransportLogSearch, FMS, HostControllerService, winmgmt, remoteregistry, w3svc, iisadmin | set-service -startuptype automatic

2. Start installer again. During step 2, the services should be already disabled again (if you enabled them). It is exact time to fire your prepared command. 

3. Pray