What is "Error 2738? or ?Could not access VBScript run time for custom action? error?
The error 2738 message indicates that the Scripting engine is not currently registered on the machine. ??These scripts are used to design several applications and are needed to install and run on a Windows system. Errors with the scripting engine can create a lot of problems with the installation of a program and for existing programs on the machine that use the scripting software.
Operating Systems affected are:
- Win XP Home and Professional.
- All versions of Windows Vista.
- All versions of Windows 7
Error that appears on the screen
?The installer has encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2738?
?Error 2738. Could not access VBScript run time for custom action.?
What causes Error 2738 and how to fix this problem
The Windows scripting engine mainly includes 2 scripting softwares – VBscript and JavaScript. VBScript was designed by Microsoft and is mostly used by programmers to design software for Windows. The VBscript engine comes bundled with almost all versions of Windows.
All the core files of any software are placed in the system32 folder of the Windows system and they are registered before being placed in that folder. If the scripting files are corrupt or overwritten without permission then the system gives the error 2738.
How to Resolve Error 2738
There are 3 ways this error can be resolved:
- Register the scripting file manually
- Remove the Registry Keys of VBScript
- Reinstall VBScript
Let?s now see how to perform each task ?
Register the Scripting file – VBScript engine can be registered using the following steps.
- Click Start and go to Run.
- Type cmd and press Enter to launch the Command Prompt window.
- Type cd %windir%\system32 and hit Enter. If you are using a 64-bit version Windows, type cd %windir%\syswow64 and hit Enter.
- Type regsvr32 vbscript.dll and press Enter.
- Type regsvr32 jscript.dll and press Enter.
This should solve the problem.? If it does not, then follow the steps below.
Remove entries for the scripting engine from the Registry ? You can remove the registration information of the file from the registry and then re-register. This can solve the problem.
To achieve this follow these steps ?
Warning ? The following steps require you to directly edit the registry. Before you proceed, you must know that any incorrect changes to the registry can cause permanent damage to it, forcing you to reinstall the operating system. Therefore, always back up the registry before you make any changes.
- Click on Start and then Click on Run.
- Type Regedit and Click on OK.
- Click on the plus sign next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER .
- Browse to ?
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{ B54F3741-5B07-11CF-A4B0-00AA004A55E8} - If you see any key referring to VBScript then delete it.
- Now Browse to ?
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{ F414C260-6AC0-11CF-B6D1-00AA00BBBB58} - If you see any key referring to JScript then delete it.
- Close the Registry editor.
- Restart the system.
Now register the VBScript and Jscript using the method specified under the registering scripting file. If this doesn?t work you can go to the next step.
Reinstalling VBscript ? You can install the Windows Scripting engine by downloading it from the Microsoft website. The links are given below:
For Windows 2000
For Windows XP