Powerpivot add-in installation issue "Could not find a part of the path"

Question

Hello, 
I got a Windows Server 2008R2 terminal server with Office 2010 and Powerpivot installed. I have an issue for some users, not every user get this error. When trying to add the Powerpivot add-in in Excel the following error message is displayed: 
Name: 
From: file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Analysis Services/AS Excel Client/10/Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList.vsto
************** Exception Text **************
System.Deployment.Application.DeploymentDownloadException: Downloading file:///C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Analysis Services/AS Excel Client/10/Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList.vsto did not succeed. ---> System.Net.WebException:
Could not find a part of the path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Analysis Services\AS Excel Client\10\Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList.vsto'. ---> System.Net.WebException: Could not find a part of the path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft
Analysis Services\AS Excel Client\10\Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList.vsto'. ---> System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: Could not find a part of the path 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Analysis Services\AS Excel Client\10\Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList.vsto'.
   at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String maybeFullPath)
   at System.IO.FileStream.Init(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, Int32 rights, Boolean useRights, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options, SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES secAttrs, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy)
   at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy)
   at System.Net.FileWebStream..ctor(FileWebRequest request, String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare sharing, Int32 length, Boolean async)
   at System.Net.FileWebResponse..ctor(FileWebRequest request, Uri uri, FileAccess access, Boolean asyncHint)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.Net.FileWebResponse..ctor(FileWebRequest request, Uri uri, FileAccess access, Boolean asyncHint)
   at System.Net.FileWebRequest.GetResponseCallback(Object state)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.Net.FileWebRequest.EndGetResponse(IAsyncResult asyncResult)
   at System.Net.FileWebRequest.GetResponse()
   at System.Deployment.Application.SystemNetDownloader.DownloadSingleFile(DownloadQueueItem next)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Deployment.ClickOnceAddInDeploymentManager.GetManifests(TimeSpan timeout)
   at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Tools.Applications.Deployment.ClickOnceAddInDeploymentManager.InstallAddIn()
I have checked the path and I found nothing. I could understand the problem if all users got this error but it's online a handfew of users. Other users can add the add-in in Excel without any issue. All the users are in the same domain and they use the one
and only terminal server on the site.
Any advice? I've searched the web but haven't found anything.
Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Guys, I think I solved the
issue:
Symptoms
1. Power Pivot SQL 2012 32-bit installed over the old version without
deinstalling it
2. Installed with a user with administrator rights
3. It worked under the profile with admin rights, it didn't work under the
normal users w/o admin rights and threw this error message: Downloading file.///c:/Program files (x86)/Microsoft analysis services/AS Excel Client/10/Microsoft.AnalysisServices.XLHost.Addin.VSTO
did not succeed.
4. In the admin profile, it went to the path "110":  C:/Program
Files (x86)/Microsoft Analysis Services/AS Excel
Client/110/Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList.vsto
5. In the normal profile, it went to the - wrong - "10" path:
C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Analysis Services/AS Excel
Client/10/Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList.vsto
SOLUTION
1. ADMIN: Installed VSTO 4.0
2. ADMIN: Checked if the .NET Programmability Support was installed - it was -
if not, install it!
3. NORMAL USER: Create a .reg file (Backup your registry before!) and
use it UNDER THE NORMAL USER!!!
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Excel][HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Excel\Addins][HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Excel\Addins\Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList]
"Description"="Microsoft SQL Server PowerPivot for Microsoft Excel"
"FriendlyName"="PowerPivot for Excel"
"LoadBehavior"=dword:00000003
"Manifest"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Analysis Services\\AS
Excel Client\\110\\Microsoft.AnalysisServices.XLHost.Addin.vsto|vstolocal"
"CartridgePath"="C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Analysis
Services\\AS OLEDB\\110\\Cartridges\\"
4. NORMAL USER: Rename the registry key
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\User Settings\Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList"
into
"HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\User
Settings\Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList_old"
5. NORMAL USER: Start up Power Pivot and it should
work now!
Analysis
IMHO the issue lies in the fact, that the Power Pivot
installer creates two problems:
The first issue is that the path to the add-in under
the NORMAL user is simply wrong and points to a wrong location (the
"10" in the path). In the admin profile, where it was originally
installed, it points to the "110" path which is correct.
The second issue is that the installation procedure
somehow needs to create a registry key (the one under point 4 in the solution)
to complete it self and if this key already exists it fails to install and
throws up weird error messages. If you delete or rename this key, it is created
again (exactly in the same way) but then everything works out.
Hope this
helps!
Regards, Reto