Why am I getting a notification that 1Password couldn't complete its install?

When I turn on my computer a text box comes up with the following: **1Password couldn't complete its install.
Your 1Password folder is in use or is read-only. Check the permissions of 1Password directory and close other programs that may be using that folder.
There is an option to retry but this does not work and trying the cancel option does not remove the text box. Please explain what I have to do. I am running the latest version of 1Password.

Thanks,

Jayne


1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided

Comments

  • JJForbes
    JJForbes
    Community Member

    Thanks in anticipation of your assistance. Jayne

  • This means about what it says, @JJForbes – something is preventing 1Password from completing an update. Do you use Malwarebytes, by chance? If you do, please check for updates in Malwarebytes, install any that are available, restart your PC and let 1Password try its update again. If you don't use Malwarebytes, or this doesn't help, let me know and we'll take things from there. :+1:

  • MatthewBB
    MatthewBB
    Community Member

    I'm having the same issue and message. In pressing the windows key to do a search I don't see a program called Malwarebytes. Suggestions for next steps would be appreciated.

  • rpttrsn
    rpttrsn
    Community Member

    I also received the message, I updated malwarebytes, 1password installed its update, and now malwarebytes has quarantined 1password.exe as a ransomware file (Malware.Ransom.Agent.Generic), also its registry entry. Safe to restore these?

  • rpttrsn
    rpttrsn
    Community Member

    I also received the message, I updated malwarebytes, 1password installed its update, and now malwarebytes has quarantined 1password.exe as a ransomware file (Malware.Ransom.Agent.Generic), also its registry entry. Safe to restore these?

  • @MatthewBB: Have you made sure that all browsers and Windows Explorer windows are closed? If not, give that a try. If you use Microsoft Edge and haven't updated to the new Chromium version yet, the old Edge's 1Password extension (now retired) can cause this as well. Updating Microsoft Edge may help and will ensure you can fill in Microsoft Edge after you update as well.

    @rpttrsn: These are safe to restore, yes, but this is the first I've heard of us being quarantined. Did you reboot after updating Malwarebytes? Some of the fine folks over at Malwarebytes suggested a reboot may be needed to complete that update back when this first cropped up so that could explain us getting snagged there. I'd also keep an eye out for anything funky for a bit. I don't anticipate any danger from restoring those files, but without a better understanding of how that process of quarantine and restore works and how it might impact 1Password, I don't want to overlook anything that might indicate things got mucked up along the way.

  • rpttrsn
    rpttrsn
    Community Member

    No, I didn't reboot after the malwarebytes update, mainly because it didn't ask me to. It usually suggests a reboot when necessary. After updating malwarebytes, I installed the update to 1password, which seemed to complete successfully, but then was greeted with the ransomware alert, 1password was quarantined, at which point malwarebytes required a reboot to complete the quarantine. That is where I sit now, rebooted with the two files still in quarantine. Anything else I should do before I restore the two quarantined files?

  • rpttrsn
    rpttrsn
    Community Member

    I restored the two files, and all seems well. I'll keep you posted.

  • MatthewBB
    MatthewBB
    Community Member

    I rebooted and then went in to 1Password and it worked. The extension is working on Chrome as well. Thanks @bundtkate !

  • frumiousB
    frumiousB
    Community Member

    I had the same problem, saw this page and followed the suggestion to update malwarebytes and restart. Everything's working fine now

  • DarrellR
    DarrellR
    Community Member

    Thanks @bundtkate I struggled with this for a few days now and also followed this thread and got it working. Maybe suggest to development that they bolster that error message a bit more and/or give an error code/message or suggestions we can follow. The error message that the 1Password directory is read-only or in use is a bit of a red herring.

  • cterry877
    cterry877
    Community Member

    I use Chrome and have this issue. Every time I reboot I have the same stupid error messages that I have to click through. Can someone in support give me some answers since you just billed me for another year. I am so tired of seeing these error windows. This is my third message and email to support on this issue.

  • I'm glad this worked out for so many! Thanks to all of you for letting me know. As for adding this to the error message, @DarrellR, we have already included about as many specifics as we can. The trouble is that these issues are nearly always the result of some form of third-party interference so there's only so much that's universally applicable. The error code is also generated by Windows and the same code is given for a number of different causes ranging from files in use to the folders being read-only so it does little to help us pin down what it is in your specific case. We've given some generic advice in the error that won't hurt and can help – check permissions, close web browsers, check your security software – but specific advice requires some human intervention. This round, the vast majority of these issues resulted from one thing, but we see this to some degree every update and it's not always the same stuff twice. And rarely does one thing account for so many of these issues like was the case this time.

    @cterry877, I've already given some suggestions for resolving this here and here. These will be the same for everyone so if you've not tried both, my first suggestion would be to do so. As you can see, this has sorted things for a number of folks so hopefully you'll find the same. If not, the next step would be to take a look at some diagnostics over email. It sounds like you've already reached out there, so if you can provide your support ID (it will look like [#ABC-123-4567]), I can find your email and hop in there, if no one beats me to it. :+1:

  • DarrellR
    DarrellR
    Community Member

    @bundtkate The only other suggestion to maybe help others and deflect call volume or customer sat issues is the development team believes this is a bit of a 'bit bucket/trap door' error that can happen for a variety of reasons (including anti-virus updates), maybe add a hyperlink to an Infobase article that gives the advice to try. The exact error message eventually led me here, but after a few different google searches. "Your 1Password folder is in use or is read-only. Check the permissions of 1Password directory and close other programs that may be using that folder." was an odd message to get. If we in fact believe that this is nearly always third party interference, can't the message just be changed and give suggestions to disable third-party apps? In all my years of using MalWare Bytes and 1Password together, I've never seen that message. So I went looking at the folder trying to figure out if it had somehow magically transformed itself to Read-Only or something else was using it. Spent a while on that, then finally found this. I would ask you to lobby to change the message so that the folks that follow me don't have to have a secret scroll to figure this out. ;-) Stay safe!

  • This was definitely a special case that made this get a bit more out of hand than usual, @DarrellR, so I'm not surprised you've not seen it before. I feel bad we're even talking about Malwarebytes because this was just poor timing and not at all anyone's fault. It could have happened to anyone. I won't promise you'll never see this again as we are all human and make mistakes like anyone else, but Malwarebytes users being able to update 1Password without issue is definitely more common than not by far.

    Funny enough, I just got done writing just such a support article for this. It's been a bit of a saga and I won't bore you too much with the details, but let's just say that we had originally crafted these messages to be more specific based on the error codes before learning that actually the codes being returned weren't nearly so helpful as we'd thought. So we're in the process of changing things once more and I wrote up a little guide covering all possibilities just in case. Too late to help you (sorry!), but sometimes you have to go through the motions and see what doesn't work before you get to that happy place.

    For what it might be worth, I'll take some blame for resist these articles a bit. Ideally, the steps we ask y'all to take should be evidence-based and targeted based on the information we can gather. You know how when you call your ISP they always make you go through the dance of rebooting your router and your modem and unplugging things and plugging them back in no matter what sort of problem you're having? That's what these "kitchen sink" sort of articles feel like to me and I hate the idea of making y'all do work that might not help. But, sometimes there are issues we just can't pin down as specifically as we'd like and this turned out to be one of them. Overall, I definitely support self-help when we can give you the tools to do it, too, so perhaps it's not so bad in the end.

This discussion has been closed.