Error 2908 when updating node in Windows XP

[deliverymanager]

An issue that I have seen when trying to upgrade node (using msi file) in Windows XP machines, no matter which version was already installed in the machine, is that I get an error 2908 during the installation process.
I have done a lot of research and found out that this error is related to the registry.
So this issue is resolved by doing a defragment of the registry with an external software.

But I am really curious why this happens when I try to upgrade to a newer version.
Most installation packages probably handle this defragment internally, so that the user will not have to make the registry defragment externally.

Also, the same error appears if I first uninstall the already installed node version and then install the new version. The error 2908 still appears when installing.

This is issue is only related with Windows XP and I have never seen it in other Windows version for example windows 7 that I have tested many times.

[misterdjules]

@deliverymanager Is this a recent regression, or has it been like this for a while?

[deliverymanager]

This has always been an issue. At least from 0.10.33 that I started installing node in Windows XP machines. So it is not related to any recent version.

I think it is just something missing during the installation process. It is just only then that the problem appears and only in Windows XP.

If you try to install in a clean Windows XP that node never existed in the PC before, you will not see any issue. But then if you try to upgrade to a newer version, or even uninstall and then reinstall you will probably see the error 2908 during the installation process.

[deliverymanager]

I want to emphasise that the error 2908 appears during the upgrading/installation process only!
And only if node was previously installed in the Windows XP machine.

[nirmalksamuel]

I came in here to report this bug, as a thank you note to all the developers who work on node.js. Today i tried to install the 4.x stable version on a Windows XP machine and saw this error. I am attaching a screenshot herewith. The only thing i could think of at that time was that I was running the node.js Command Prompt from the prior version during the installation. I don't recall the exact version number of prior installation, but i am sure it was 0.x.x which i installed during summer 2014. I closed that Command Prompt window and retried installation, which went through fine this time. But, i am not sure if that is because the prior installation attempt did not clean up
registry entries (I had to use Windows Task Manager to kill the installation process, which was stuck in an infinite loop of showing that error box you see in the attached image).

[deliverymanager]

Yes the error still appears only on Windows XP when updating.
The solution that I came up with.

1. Uninstall all the versions of node.
2. Install a software that will make registry defragment. If you dont find any let me know.
3. Restart your computer and now the installation process will procees.