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Error 26403.Failed to add user to group

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Visual Studio 2013 unattended installation fails on Win8.1/8.0 OSs when deployed via SCCM 2012. As per the MSI log (dd_vs_professional_XXXXX_XX_vs_professionalcore.log):

MSI (s) (00:80) [17:04:35:024]: Executing op: ActionStart(Name=CreateUser,,)
MSI (s) (00:80) [17:04:35:024]: Executing op: CustomActionSchedule(Action=CreateUser,ActionType=11265,Source=BinaryData,Target=**********,CustomActionData=**********)
MSI (s) (00:14) [17:04:35:071]: Invoking remote custom action. DLL: C:\Windows\Installer\MSID2F7.tmp, Entrypoint: CreateUser
CreateUser: Entering CreateUser in C:\Windows\Installer\MSID2F7.tmp, version 3.7.1701.0
CreateUser: Failed to add user: SYSTEM, domain Test to group: Performance Log Users, domain: with error 0x8007056b. Attempting to use Active Directory
CreateUser: Error 0x80005000: Failed to add user Test/SYSTEM to group 'WinNT://Localhost/Performance Log Users'.
CreateUser: Error 0x80005000: failed to add user: SYSTEM to group Performance Log Users
Error 26403.Failed to add user to group.  (-2147463168   SYSTEM   Performance Log Users   )
MSI (s) (00!28) [17:04:35:430]: Product: Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2013 -- Error 26403.Failed to add user to group. (-2147463168 SYSTEM Performance Log Users )
CustomAction CreateUser returned actual error code 1603 (note this may not be 100% accurate if translation happened inside sandbox)

Here, the CustomAction "CreateUser" fails while trying to add the SYSTEM user in the DOMAIN context to the Performance Log Users group. This is a known issue and this is fixed in Visual Studio Update 2. With VS 2013 Update 2 we introduced Slipstream which is Visual Studio and the Updates 1 + 2 into the same installation. Full VS 2013 Update packages Slipstreamed and non-Slipstreamed (Pro/Prem/Ult) are not released to Volume Licensing Service.

In order to resolve this issue,  download Trial version of Microsoft Visual Studio Ultimate 2013 with Update 3  and install it using the command:  “vs_<VERSION>.exe /q /norestart /ProductKey <25CHARKEY>”

Since the downloads of Slipstream on Download Center and MSDN are trial versions only and will require a product key after 30 days, you can use the VL product key provided to you in the “Download” section of Visual Studio 2013 in Volume Licensing Service (called “Setup Key”) with the Slipstream product you are installing. The command “vs_<VERSION>.exe /q /norestart /ProductKey <VOLUMELICENSE_25CHARKEY> ” allows you to do an unattended install and insert ypur product key upon install to avoid having to enter it after the trial period expires. More information on using command-line parameters on install can be found here.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    October 27, 2014
    What if you don't have a product key as you're using an educational copy or a copy obtained via DreamSpark?

  • Anonymous
    October 28, 2014
    Just install it without the product key. Once it is installed, please launch the VS IDE and during sign in, you can use your email ID which is mapped with the education subscription.

  • Anonymous
    November 24, 2014
    I tried this, but no joy.  This gave me even less information in the event log and this time the software just didn't install for me at all.  Any advice at all really would be much appreciated.