How to fix installation issues with Windows Connector

In some cases, A ClickOnce application (such as TruGrid Connector) fails to install with the following error:

The error occurs during the download/patching phase of installation, even after uninstalling the application or deleting its app data folders.

Cause

The Windows ClickOnce component store has become corrupted. This store is shared across all ClickOnce applications and is not cleaned up by simply removing individual app folders or registry entries. The corrupted store prevents Windows from creating a valid installation path for the application.

Resolution

Step 1 — Run the Cleanup Script

@echo off
echo ============================================
echo  ClickOnce Component Store Reset
echo ============================================
echo.

:: Step 1: Clear ClickOnce app store
echo [Step 1] Clearing ClickOnce app store...
if exist "%LocalAppData%\Apps\2.0\" (
    rd /s /q "%LocalAppData%\Apps\2.0"
    echo   Deleted Apps\2.0
) else (
    echo   Apps\2.0 not found, skipping.
)

if exist "%LocalAppData%\Deployment\" (
    rd /s /q "%LocalAppData%\Deployment"
    echo   Deleted Deployment folder
) else (
    echo   Deployment folder not found, skipping.
)
echo.

:: Step 2: Clean component store registry
echo [Step 2] Cleaning ClickOnce registry entries...
reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Deployment\SideBySide\2.0" /f 2>nul
if %errorlevel%==0 (
    echo   Registry key deleted.
) else (
    echo   Registry key not found or already clean.
)
echo.

:: Step 3: Clear ClickOnce online app cache
echo [Step 3] Clearing ClickOnce online app cache...
rundll32 dfshim CleanOnlineAppCache
echo   Cache clear command executed.
echo.

echo ============================================
echo  Done! Try reinstalling the application now.
echo ============================================
pause

Copy paste the above text into a Text editor on your PC, then, save the file as "All files" and make sure it has a .bat extension. The script performs the following actions:

1. Deletes the ClickOnce app store (%LocalAppData%\Apps\2.0)
2. Deletes the local Deployment folder (%LocalAppData%\Deployment)
3. Removes the ClickOnce SideBySide registry key under HKCU
4. Clears the ClickOnce online application cache via dfshim

Step 2 — If the Issue Persists

If the error continues after running the script:

1. Check path length — If the Windows user profile path is unusually long (e.g., deeply nested or with a long username), the resulting ClickOnce install path may exceed the 260-character Windows limit. Shortening the profile path or username can resolve this.
2. Test with a new user profile — Create a new local Windows user, log in, and attempt the installation. If it succeeds, the original user profile's component store is irrecoverably corrupted and the new profile should be used going forward.

Applies To

• Windows 10 / Windows 11
• Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025
• Any ClickOnce-deployed .NET Framework application

Updated on: 27/02/2026