Windows Server 2008: "You do not have sufficient privileges to complete this installation for all users of the machine."

On one of my current projects, migrating a Web application from Windows Server 2003 to 2008, the previous version of the code was migrated from .NET 2.0 to version 4.0. The binaries were assembled into executable setup files for automatic installation and deploy of the web app.

While trying to run the setup file the following error appeared: "You do not have sufficient privileges to complete this installation for all users of the machine."

The current user logged on was a local administrator so all privileges were adequate. After a short googling, the root cause was identified: User Access Control. It's also present on Windows Server 2008 and enforces notification before any changes are made to the system.

The solution:

1. Go to Start > Control Panel


2. Select User Accounts


3. Select User Accounts (again!)


4. Select Change User Account Control settings


5. Change the security level to never notify


6. Restart the machine

After a successful installation you can always revert the settings to the more secure ones.