How do I fix FSX installation error 1607?

FSX installation error 1607 means the boxed DVD installer cannot start or register its InstallShield scripting runtime. Restart Windows, run the first disc’s setup.exe as administrator, repair Windows Installer, then rename the shared InstallShield Driver folder so setup rebuilds it. FSX: Steam Edition usually needs different troubleshooting.

The complete message is normally -1607: Unable to install InstallShield Scripting Runtime. It appears before Microsoft Flight Simulator X is properly installed, so entering a product key, changing activation settings or applying service packs cannot fix it.

Does error 1607 affect boxed FSX, Steam Edition or Windows 11?

Error 1607 chiefly affects boxed Standard, Deluxe and Gold editions of FSX because their DVD installer uses legacy InstallShield components.

Windows 11 does not change the meaning of the error. Its stricter permissions can expose problems in an old installer, but error 1607 alone does not prove that FSX is incompatible with Windows 11. Do not begin by applying Windows XP compatibility mode; it does not repair a missing or unregistered scripting runtime.

FSX error 1607: what to do first

1. Confirm which installer produced the message. If all you have is a bare 1607 dialogue, check its title and any product name displayed behind it. A Steam add-on, driver package or bundled utility can use InstallShield and report the same number even though FSX itself is not failing.
2. Restart Windows and begin with the correct DVD. A restart clears abandoned setup.exe and msiexec processes. Sign in with an administrator account, open the first FSX disc in File Explorer and run setup.exe as administrator instead of relying on AutoPlay. Gold owners must install the base Deluxe simulator before the Acceleration disc; our boxed FSX Gold installation order and DVD checks explain that edition’s sequence.
3. Clear the user temporary folder. Press Windows key and R, enter %temp%, and delete only the contents Windows permits you to remove. Skip files reported as in use. Check that the Windows system drive has free space, because InstallShield extracts its runtime there even when FSX will be installed on another drive.
4. Re-register Windows Installer. Open services.msc and confirm that Windows Installer is not Disabled; Manual startup is normal. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run msiexec /unregister, followed by msiexec /regserver. These commands may finish without displaying a confirmation. Restart Windows afterwards.
5. Reset the shared InstallShield Driver folder. Close all installers. On 64-bit Windows, look in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver; on 32-bit Windows, use C:\Program Files\Common Files\InstallShield\Driver. Rename Driver to Driver.backup, then run the DVD’s setup.exe as administrator again. Renaming is reversible and lets setup create the runtime it expects; do not delete the entire Common Files or InstallShield directory.
6. Remove any partial FSX entry. If Microsoft Flight Simulator X now appears under Installed apps or Programs and Features, uninstall that entry and restart before another attempt. If setup continues to detect FSX or refuses to uninstall it, use our procedure for removing a failed FSX installation and stale installer records. Avoid registry cleaners, which can remove unrelated Windows Installer data.
7. Test a fresh local administrator profile. Legacy InstallShield releases can fail when a user profile’s temporary-folder permissions are damaged or its path contains characters the installer cannot interpret. A local administrator account with a short Latin-letter name is a useful test. If setup works there, the fault is in the original Windows profile rather than FSX or the DVD.

What if the InstallShield Driver folder is not there either?

If the Driver folder does not exist, skip the rename step; do not create an empty folder or download a replacement. First check the Program Files (x86) path on 64-bit Windows, because looking only under ordinary Program Files is a common mistake.

An absent folder can simply mean that no InstallShield runtime has yet been installed. Run the original parent setup.exe as administrator after repairing Windows Installer. If it still cannot create the folder, test the fresh administrator profile and the Windows system repairs below.

Should I download ISScript.msi to fix error 1607?

Do not download an arbitrary ISScript.msi or individual InstallShield DLL from the internet. InstallScript runtimes are version-dependent, and installing one taken from an unrelated application can replace error 1607 with registration conflicts or a DLL-loading failure.

If trusted original installation media contains an InstallScript prerequisite, launch its parent setup.exe and let that installer select the correct package. Do not guess which ISScript.msi version FSX requires or manually copy DLL files into Windows system directories.

What if the error 1607 fix still doesn’t work?

The next action depends on whether 1607 affects every installer or only the FSX disc.

• Other MSI or InstallShield applications also fail: the problem is system-wide. On Windows 10 or Windows 11, open Command Prompt as administrator, run DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, allow it to finish, then run sfc /scannow and restart.
• Only the FSX DVD fails: inspect and clean the disc, then test whether Windows can copy its files without a read or CRC error. A disc that cannot be read reliably points towards damaged media or the optical drive. Errors 1305 and 1335 appearing later in setup are also stronger evidence of a DVD-reading problem than error 1607.
• Access is denied when renaming the Driver folder: another installer, security software or damaged folder permissions may be holding it open. Restart and retry before changing permissions. Do not give Everyone full control over Program Files or take ownership of the entire directory tree.
• Setup works in another administrator profile: continue the installation there. Changing the FSX destination folder will not repair the original profile’s temporary-folder permissions.

Why did FSX error 1607 change to error 1603, 1628 or 0x80040702?

A changed error normally means InstallShield has progressed to a different stage, so repeating the same 1607 repair indefinitely is unlikely to help.

• FSX error 1603: this is a general fatal installation error rather than a specific scripting-runtime message. Note the component being installed and the point where it fails. Remove a partial FSX entry if one now exists, restart, check free space and retry from the original media. If 1603 appears while reading cabinet files, concentrate on the DVD and optical drive.
• Error 1628: InstallShield started but could not complete the installation. Follow the specific repair sequence for FSX error 1628 rather than continuing to reset the scripting runtime.
• Error 0x80040702: setup cannot load a required DLL. Use our safe DLL-loading diagnosis for error 0x80040702; downloading a loose DLL is not the solution.

What if Intel Connectivity Performance Suite or ICM reports error code 1607?

If the message names Intel Connectivity Performance Suite for wireless products or Intel Connectivity Manager, it is not an FSX installation failure. The shared Windows Installer re-registration, temporary-folder cleanup and InstallShield Driver reset may still apply, but FSX disc checks and installation order do not.

Remove any partial entry for the named connectivity package, restart, and rerun the approved driver bundle intended for that exact computer and wireless device. The programme named in the error dialogue—not the number 1607 by itself—determines which installation package needs attention.

What should I do after this and FSX installs successfully?

Launch the base simulator once and close it normally before adding aircraft, scenery or expansions. This confirms that the clean FSX installation starts before another installer changes its files.

For boxed Gold, install Deluxe first and verify that it runs before installing Acceleration in the correct order. For FSX: Steam Edition, do not apply boxed FSX service packs or install the boxed Acceleration expansion over the Steam build. Add-ons should come only after the correct edition runs without an installation error.