Windows installer doesn't ensure that $USERNAME\AppData\Roaming exists

[othiym23]

npm uses $APPDATA\npm so that non-Administrator roles have a writable place to stash global packages. Since creating that directory if it doesn't exist does require Administrator privileges, npm -g install <whatever> won't / can't work if the base directory doesn't exist (with the correct ACL) before npm is run. The installer should ensure that the whole path is set up at boot time.

Also, either the documentation needs to change, or maybe the installer, because right now, people trying to upgrade npm using npm after they've used the .msi frequently end up confused because npm -g install npm@latest doesn't actually upgrade them to the newest version of npm, because the first npm on their path is the one that was originally installed alongside node in the Administrator directory. Either the positions of AppData\roaming\npm and the Node binary directory need to be swapped in PATH, npm should be installed to AppData\roaming\npm in the first place, or the documentation should be clarified to tell Windows users exactly how to upgrade npm with the .msi-installed Node.

[ismyrnow]

I ran into this same issue doing an installation on Windows 8.1 x64 using node-v0.10.31-x64.msi. For installation, the workaround was to create the $USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\npm directory after installation.

[ciaranj]

This doesn't help with node.js application running as windows services though :/ As those user profiles are within c:\windows\system32...blah, convincing admins to add stuff in there is a challenge!

[tjfontaine]

looks like potentially the solution could be remedied with http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10860731/how-to-create-a-directory-in-wix at or around https://github.com/joyent/node/blob/v0.10/tools/msvs/msi/product.wxs#L170

[joshkpeterson]

The top voted answer in the SO thread did not fix for me, nor did running as admin. Once I installed something with the -g flag, the issue was fixed. Doing npm from then on worked as normal.

It's surprising to me that this bug has persisted for so long. Seems most folks installing on windows are getting tripped up.

[xorcus]

should not be using $USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\npm
=> should be using $APPDATA\npm

[simonjosefsson]

+1, confirmed with v0.10.33-x86.msi

I installed node.js for the first time today.
Ran into this issue trying to follow a tutorial but found a solution on stackoverflow and then this issue.
Loving node.js so far but this is probably stopping some people from trying it out

[othiym23]

@xorcus That's actually what the prefix is set to, so I've updated my original comment to reflect that fact.

[hex64dbg]

Just installed 10.35 x64 on Windows 8.1 and the issue is still there even with an admin command prompt. Just use the workaround from @ianchanning for now.

[Liam-Ryan]

Confirmed today as local Administrator on fresh install of server 2008 RC2. Created folder manually and ran elevated command prompt to work around it

[aliteralmind]

" I ran into this same issue doing an installation on Windows 8.1 x64 using node-v0.10.31-x64.msi. For installation, the workaround was to create the $USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\npm directory after installation." (link)

Same here.

"It actually turned out the install had simply set the wrong PATH ENVIRONMENT VARIABLE so anything trying to run it wasn't able. It had a trailing slash...once I removed that everything worked fine. Hope that helps someone." (link)

My path had C:\applications\programming\javascript\nodejs\. I changed it to C:\applications\programming\javascript\nodejs, relogged in, and it still didn't work.

[BalaRavilla]

Try to find this .npmrc file in your user folder in c eg: C:\Users\baravill and make changes there as per the new instillation. Let me know if it works :)

[teckjon]

I have followed https://github.com/npm/npm/wiki/Troubleshooting#error-enoent-stat-cusersuserappdataroamingnpm-on-windows-7 for windows 7 installation but I still keep getting error 1909. I have created the c/users//appdata/roaming/npm and appdata/npm as other users have suggested. The installer however keeps rolling back undoing it's installation the moment it hits error 1909.