WindowsAppRuntime installation error: The package could not be installed because a higher version of this package is already installed.

[rcohn]

Hello -

Is there a way around the problem in which WindowsAppRuntime will not install because a higher version of that runtime is already installed?

Here is the error I see:
c:\temp\Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.Redist1.1.0>windowsappruntimeinstall --license INFO: Provisioning of WindowsAppSDK packages will be skipped as it requires elevation. Installing license: MSIX_MAINPACKAGE_LICENSE Install result : 0x0 Installing license: MSIX_SINGLETONPACKAGE_LICENSE Install result : 0x0 Deploying package: Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.1_1000.516.2156.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe Package deployment result : 0x80073d06 The package could not be installed because a higher version of this package is already installed. One or more install operations failed. Result: 0x80073d06

This is problematic because a previously installed app with a higher WindowsAppRuntime version would prevent a lower version from installing. And the WindowsAppSDK for that lower version is what was built with.

What would you suggest as a solution to always make sure the version needed by the App is installed?

Thank you.

[DrusTheAxe]

Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.1.1_1000.516.2156.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe Package deployment result : 0x80073d06 The package could not be installed because a higher version of this package is already installed. One or more install operations failed. Result: 0x80073d06

That's a bug - it should be OK, not an error.

If v1.1.3 is installed and you run the installer for v1.1.2 we call packageManager.AddPackageAsync(...v1.1.2...) which reutrns 0x80073d06 == ERROR_INSTALL_PACKAGE_DOWNGRADE which is technically an error but functionally it's OK. If you build with 1.1.2 we don't require the runtime packages exactly match 1.1.2, but rather that there needs to be a package equal-or-higher than 1.1.2 (i.e. >=1.1.2 not ==1.1.2). If 1.1.3 is installed then all is well.

Problem is we should be trapping ERROR_INSTALL_PACKAGE_DOWNGRADE and treating it as success.

That's a bug on our part. The fix seems easy but checking with @sachintaMSFT to make sure the right bits are tickled. Will have a PR up later today (maybe even a complete one :P) and will aim to have it in main and the next servicing update.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention!

[rcohn]

Thanks for the reply @DrusTheAxe -

Actually, we decide to go around this problem by using <WindowsAppSDKSelfContained>. So far (fingers crossed), this seems to be working out OK and insulating our installation from installed versions of WindowsAppRuntime.

But it's good to know that if the self-contained approach does not work out for some reason, that future versions of WindowsAppRuntime will be fixed against the bug I reported.

Thanks again.

[DrusTheAxe]

PR WindowsAppRuntimeInstaller.exe fails if newer version present #2723

[gabbybilka]

This issue was fixed and released in Windows App SDK 1.1.3 - check out the release notes and NuGet to try it out 🎉