Cannot Remove Older Version of Zabbix Agent 2 on Win Server Core and install NEW

[Rudlafik]

While trying to install the latest version of Zabbix Agent 2 (64-bit) 6.4.18 on Windows Server Core, I encountered an error message stating that the older version of the agent could not be removed.

Error Message:

The older version of Zabbix Agent 2 (64-bit) cannot be removed. Contact your technical support group.

Troubleshooting Steps and Solution:
Manual Removal of Old Zabbix Agent Files:
I manually deleted the remaining old Zabbix Agent files from various folders, including the default installation directory.

Registry Cleanup:
Using regedit, I searched for any remaining Zabbix-related entries in the registry and removed them. All Zabbix-related keys were successfully deleted.
No way.

Checking MSI Installer Logs:

I ran the following PowerShell command to list installed products using Windows Installer:

Get-WmiObject Win32_Product | Select-Object -Property Name, IdentifyingNumber

No Zabbix-related entries were found.

Persistent Error in Event Logs:

Despite manual file removal and registry cleanup, the installation still failed. Upon checking the Windows Event Log,

Get-EventLog -LogName Application | Where-Object { $_.EntryType -eq "Error" } | Select-Object -First 10

I found multiple instances of the following error:

EventID : 1002
MachineName : server.local
Data : {}
Index : 921972
Category : (0)
CategoryNumber : 0
EntryType : Error
Message : Unexpected or missing value (name: 'PackageName', value: '') in key 'HKLM\Software\Classes\Installer\Products\75101D79775313B409E4D1BA05A 598E0\SourceList'
Source : MsiInstaller
ReplacementStrings : {PackageName, , HKLM\Software\Classes\Installer\Products\75101D79775313B409E4D1BA05A598E0\SourceList, (NULL)...}
InstanceId : 1002
TimeGenerated : 26.09.2024 14:23:23
TimeWritten : 26.09.2024 14:23:23
UserName : nimda
Site : Container :

Unexpected or missing value (name: 'PackageName', value: '') in key 'HKLM\Software\Classes\Installer\Products\75101D79 775313B409E4D1BA05A598E0\SourceList'

---

Solution: Editing the Windows Registry:

I navigated to the following registry path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\Installer\Prod ucts\75101D79775313B409E4D1BA05A598E0\SourceList

The key had a missing or empty PackageName value. After backing up the registry, I deleted the problematic key.

Successful Installation:

After removing the corrupted registry key, I was able to install the latest version of Zabbix Agent 2 6.4.18 without any issues.

Additional Tips:
Run the Installer with Logging: If you're still encountering issues, running the installer with detailed logging can help identify the specific cause of the problem:

msiexec /i "Zabbix_agent_installer.msi" /L*V "C:\path\to\log\zabbix_install_log.txt"

Check Event Viewer: Reviewing the Event Logs can provide useful clues, especially when dealing with MSI-related issues.

This solution should help anyone encountering the same error when trying to install or upgrade Zabbix Agent 2 on Windows Server Core.

[markfree]

I guess that you manually removed the previous version of Zabbix before attempting to install the newer version.
Do you recall how this removal process went? Was there any error?

[Rudlafik]

This zabbix agent on win 16 core wasnt in group of installed apps. Coleague instal this agent by Ansible and dont cleard from system old versions zbx agents. Lot of old apps folders zbx, zbx agents files in folder tmp or temp. I had must clear registry and search old installation folders and delete them, delete and unregistred old zbx service. Long "black work" which nobady see it. I had knowlage with system win 16 gui where i correctly uninstall old version 6.4.2 (zbx agent was in installed apps windows) install new agent 6.4.18 but in zbx server detected older version than I uninstalled! Active version was 6.0.4! Problem was in installation files in folder tmp or temp. And new installation doesnt impacted of older installation in diferent folder. Many new cnowlage an more silver hair on my head. :-D
In atachment I add error which i sea when I started instalation new agent on win 16 core. On start debugging process and problem discovery with installation of agent.

[Rudlafik]

Yes normally, I describe how I resolved damaged instalation an unstalation ZBX agent. Where isnt information about MSI package.