Summary

ISEXP : fatal error -1014: Cannot rename directory to \folder.Bak. Windows Explorer or a DOS prompt may be pointing to a subfolder of the release output folder (Disk1) or to the Interim folder, locking it. Change the current directory. Close any open files in the Disk1 folder. Close Msidb.exe if it is open.

Symptoms

When building a project within Express, the following error occurs:

ISEXP : fatal error -1014: Cannot rename directory <PATH> to <PATH>\folder.Bak. Windows Explorer or a DOS prompt may be pointing to a subfolder of the release output folder (Disk1) or to the Interim folder, locking it. Change the current directory. Close any open files in the Disk1 folder. Close Msidb.exe if it is open.

<PATH> in the above error points to the path where setup is attempting to build the release.

Cause

As the error message indicates, the folder that the builder is trying to write to is in use. This error normally occurs if:

• Windows Explorer or the DOS Prompt is open and pointing to the build location.
• The existing release that the build is trying to overwrite is in use. This happens when one of the setup files or folders in the build location are being accessed by some external application on the machine.
• The build location may be a network location that may not be accessible during the time of the build.

Resolution

Follow these steps to resolve this build error:

• Make sure that Windows Explorer or DOS Prompt is not open. Close all Explorer and DOS windows that point to the build location.
• Close all running applications if not it is not clear which application may be accessing the release location. If that does not resolve the issue, close the Express project and open it again in the Express IDE and try building the release.
• If the files are being built to a network location, make sure that you can access the network location via Windows Explorer. This test helps you determine if proper network access is available. You may also try building locally as a workaround.
• As a last resort, try rebooting the machine if none of the above resolutions resolve the issue.

Additional Information

This error is briefly documented in the InstallShield Help Library topic Troubleshooting Build Errors and Warnings.