QuickBooks Error 1706: Installer Cannot Find Its Setup Source

QuickBooks Error 1706 stops an install or repair when the original setup files are missing; here is what the code means and how to get past it.

Error 1706 stops a QuickBooks Desktop install, repair, or update partway through and closes the installer. The code is not a QuickBooks defect. It is a Windows Installer message, and it means the setup package recorded for the program can no longer be reached. Our engineers see it most often on machines where the original install came from a disc or a network share.

What does the error message say?

The dialog that appears reads:

Error 1706: No valid source could be found for product QuickBooks. The Windows Installer cannot continue.

The product name may include your specific edition, and the wording varies slightly between releases. Windows sometimes opens a browse window first and asks where the installation files are. The 1706 message follows when that window is cancelled or the chosen folder does not help.

What does error 1706 mean?

Windows Installer keeps a record of where every program's setup package came from. When it must add a component, apply an update, or run a repair, it returns to that recorded location for the files it needs. Error 1706 means the location no longer answers: the disc is out of the drive, the share is gone, or the cached copy on the machine is damaged. The request comes from QuickBooks, but the failure belongs to Windows.

What triggers error 1706?

These are the situations behind most of the cases our engineers handle:

• The install originally ran from a disc that is no longer in the machine.
• The setup files lived on a mapped network drive that has since been disconnected, moved, or retired.
• The downloaded setup folder was deleted after installation, so a later repair or update has nothing to find.
• A disk cleanup utility emptied the hidden Windows Installer cache, which forces the system back to the original source.
• The installer file is damaged, or the download never completed.
• The share is reachable, but the installer runs with elevated rights and cannot see the mapped drive.

How do you fix error 1706?

Work through the scenarios below in order. The first covers the most common cause we see.

The original disc or share is still available

1. Put the disc back in the drive, or reconnect the share and restore the drive letter the install used.
2. Run the same setup, repair, or update again.
3. If Windows opens a browse window asking for the source, point it at the disc or the share rather than cancelling.

The original source is gone for good

1. Download the full setup package for your exact edition and version from Intuit's own download page.
2. If your release is no longer listed there, use your own archived copy of the setup files.
3. Save the package to a plain local folder, such as one under Documents, not to a mapped drive.
4. Run it as an administrator and choose the install or repair option.
5. If the old dialog appears again, browse to the new local folder.

A local copy matters here. Windows does not always hand mapped drives to installers running with elevated rights.

The failure continues even from a known good source

1. Open the QuickBooks Tool Hub and choose Installation Issues.
2. Run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool and let it finish completely.
3. Restart the machine, then run setup again.
4. If the code still returns, re-register the installer service. Open Command Prompt as an administrator, run msiexec /unregister, then msiexec /regserver, restart, and try once more.

How can you stop error 1706 from coming back?

A few habits prevent nearly all repeat cases:

• Keep the setup files for your version in a permanent folder on a local disk, and note which edition and release they match.
• Record your license and product numbers somewhere you control. The program shows both in its product information window.
• Prefer installs run from a local copy rather than a disc or a mapped share.
• Steer cleanup utilities away from the Windows Installer cache. Its contents look like clutter and are not.
• If you run an older release, archive its installer now. Older setup files become harder to find as time passes, and your own copy is the one source you fully control.