'Could not create folder' when installing Windows Agent with PowerShell

When installing the Windows Agent using the PowerShell Installation Instructions, a ‘Could not create folder’ error is encountered when running the installation script:

[2023-10-19-14::44::6::] ExecuteActions.cpp (858): ParseCustomActionData entry
[2023-10-19-14::44::6::] ExecuteActions.cpp (866): need 0 characters
[2023-10-19-14::44::6::] ExecuteActions.cpp (883): no more separators, leaving
[2023-10-19-14::44::6::] ExecuteActions.cpp (910): ParseCustomActionData exit
[2023-10-19-14::44::23::] ExecuteActions.cpp (750): Could not create folder C:\Program Files\Lacework\, or folder unsafe to use (link) - Win32Error: 0 (LW Error = 0x880001)
[2023-10-19-14::45::35::] ExecuteActions.cpp (858): ParseCustomActionData entry
[2023-10-19-14::45::35::] ExecuteActions.cpp (866): need 0 characters
[2023-10-19-14::45::35::] ExecuteActions.cpp (883): no more separators, leaving
[2023-10-19-14::45::35::] ExecuteActions.cpp (910): ParseCustomActionData exit

While you may be logged into Windows with an administrator user, the PowerShell process which invokes the .MSI installer program needs to itself be running with administrator privileges in order to create and write to the \Lacework directory.

Resolution

• Review the install logs in C:\Users\<user_who_ran_the_script>\AppData\Local\Temp\Lacework, if present, for additional details
• If using the Windows GUI, launch a PowerShell Window with Right Click → Run as Administrator, then re-run the installation script
• If using the PowerShell CLI, run  Start-Process powershell -Verb RunAs from thea PowerShell CLI prompt, then re-run the installation script
  • Various PowerShell commands can be used to check whether your current PowerShell environment is running in administrator mode; see How to Check if a PowerShell Script is Running with Admin Privileges, for instance
• If the error is still present, please reach out to Lacework Support for further assistance