QuickBooks Error 1335: Windows Installer Cannot Read a Cabinet File

Error 1335 halts a QuickBooks Desktop install when Windows Installer cannot read a cabinet file. Our engineers explain the causes and the fix.

Error 1335 stops a QuickBooks Desktop installation while Windows Installer is unpacking program files. The setup window reports that a required cabinet file is corrupt. In our experience the fault sits with the installation package or the machine reading it, not with your books. The sequence below clears it in most cases.

What does the error message say?

The full text reads:

Error 1335. The cabinet file 'Data1.cab' required for this installation is corrupt and cannot be used. This could indicate a network error, an error reading from the CD-ROM, or a problem with this package.

The named cabinet changes with the release, so you may see a different file ending in .cab. Some setups shorten the wording to a single line stating that the cabinet file is corrupt. The code and the meaning stay the same.

What does error 1335 mean?

A QuickBooks setup package keeps most of its payload inside compressed cabinet archives. Windows Installer unpacks these into a temporary folder and copies the contents into place. Code 1335 means one cabinet could not be read to the end.

Either the archive itself is damaged, or the read failed part way through. The second case points to a bad sector, a faulty memory chip, or a dropped network link.

Note what the error is not. It is a Windows Installer code raised during setup or repair. It has no connection to your company file, and nothing in your accounting data is at risk.

What triggers error 1335?

Any of these will produce the same message:

• A truncated or corrupted download of the QuickBooks installer. This is the most common cause we see today.
• A scratched, dirty, or failing installation disc on older media-based setups.
• A damaged cached copy of the setup package, which surfaces when you repair or update an existing installation.
• Leftover corruption in the Windows temporary folder where the installer extracts files.
• A third-party extraction tool that opened the download and truncated a cabinet.
• An interrupted read when installing from a network share or a USB stick.
• A failing hard drive or faulty RAM that corrupts files as they are written.

How do you fix error 1335?

Work through the scenarios in order. The first one resolves most cases that reach our engineers.

Damaged download

1. Delete the installer file you already have.
2. Press Windows+R, type %temp%, and press Enter. Delete the folder contents and skip anything reported as in use.
3. Download the installer again from its original source in a fresh browser session. Save it to a plain local folder, such as the Desktop.
4. Right-click the saved file and choose Properties. If an Unblock checkbox appears, tick it and choose OK.
5. Right-click the file and run it as administrator.
6. If the error appeared during a repair or an update, run the fresh installer and choose its repair option.

Disc-based install

1. Inspect the disc under a bright light. Wipe fingerprints from the center outward with a soft dry cloth.
2. Copy the entire contents of the disc into a new folder on the hard drive, then run setup from that folder. This removes the optical drive from the equation.
3. If the copy fails part way, the disc is unreadable. Use a different drive, or switch to a downloaded installer.

Windows Installer engine

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run msiexec /unregister, then run msiexec /regserver.
3. Install any pending Windows updates, restart the machine, and retry the QuickBooks setup.

Hardware faults

1. At an elevated command prompt, run chkdsk C: /f and allow the scan at the next restart.
2. Run Windows Memory Diagnostic from the Start menu and let it finish.
3. If either tool reports faults, address the hardware before installing again. Repeated cabinet corruption from known-good installers points at the drive or the memory.

How do you keep error 1335 from coming back?

Download installers fresh rather than reusing copies that sat in email or on old USB sticks. Run setup from a local drive, never from a network share or removable media. Keep Windows and the Installer engine current through normal updates.

Clear the temporary folder before any large install. Make sure the target drive has room for both the extracted files and the installed program.

Treat a second occurrence as a signal. One corrupt cabinet is bad luck. Two or three from different downloads usually means the machine is damaging files, and a disk or memory check will find the cause.