What "custom action" means: Windows Installer lets software vendors embed small executable programs inside their installer packages that run during setup — to check system requirements, register components, or install dependencies. Error 1722 fires when one of these embedded programs fails. For QuickBooks, the custom action is almost always related to .NET Framework registration or MSXML component setup.

Error code

1722

Windows Installer · Custom Action

Related: 1920 · 1328 · 1603 · 1935

What it means

Error 1722 is a Windows Installer error code meaning "custom action failed." During QuickBooks installation, the installer runs embedded helper programs to register Microsoft components like .NET Framework, MSXML, and Visual C++. When one of these helper programs cannot execute or complete — because the component it depends on is damaged or missing — the installer reports Error 1722 and rolls back the installation.

Your company data is safe. Error 1722 is purely an installation error. Your company files and financial data are completely unaffected.

Error 1722. There is a problem with this Windows Installer package.
A program run as part of the setup did not finish as expected.
Contact your support personnel or package vendor.
Action NewCustomerAction1, location: C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\Temp\FP_AX_MSI_Installer.exe, command:

Damaged .NET Framework

Primary cause — QuickBooks' custom action installer depends on Microsoft .NET Framework. If .NET is damaged, missing, or an incompatible version is present, the custom action fails immediately with 1722. The Install Diagnostic Tool repairs this automatically.

Corrupt MSXML or C++ Components

MSXML (Microsoft XML Core Services) and Visual C++ redistributables are also required by QuickBooks' custom actions. Damage or version conflicts in either component causes 1722 during the component registration phase of installation.

Corrupted or Incomplete Download

If the QuickBooks installer itself was corrupted during download — partial download, interrupted connection, or disk error — the custom action executable embedded inside the installer is incomplete and fails when extracted and run. Re-downloading from Intuit resolves this variant.

Antivirus Blocking the Custom Action

Real-time antivirus can flag and block the temporary executable that Windows Installer extracts to run the custom action — particularly FP_AX_MSI_Installer.exe — because it appears as an unknown process being spawned from a temp folder.

Invalid Windows Registry Entries

Orphaned registry entries from a previous QuickBooks installation can conflict with the custom action registration process — the custom action tries to write to a registry key that already exists with incompatible data and fails.

Outdated Windows OS

QuickBooks requires specific Windows updates to be present before installation can succeed. Missing critical Windows updates — particularly those that deliver updated .NET Framework versions or Windows Installer patches — cause custom action failures that surface as Error 1722.

METHOD 1 Run QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool Resolves majority of 1722 cases — repairs .NET, MSXML, C++

The Install Diagnostic Tool automatically detects and repairs all Microsoft components that QuickBooks depends on — .NET Framework, MSXML, and Visual C++ redistributables. These are precisely the components whose damage causes the custom action failure behind Error 1722.

METHOD 2 Repair or Re-enable .NET Framework Manually If Install Diagnostic Tool did not fully resolve .NET

If the Install Diagnostic Tool ran but 1722 persists, the .NET Framework damage may be deeper than the tool can automatically repair. Manually verifying and re-enabling .NET Framework through Windows Features addresses this.

METHOD 3 Re-download QuickBooks Installer from Intuit If installer file itself is corrupted

If the QuickBooks installer download was interrupted or corrupted, the custom action executable embedded inside the installer is incomplete — and will fail every time regardless of how healthy the system is. A fresh download from Intuit produces a complete installer.

METHOD 4 Run System File Checker and Install Windows Updates If Windows system files are damaged

Corrupted Windows system files can prevent custom actions from executing regardless of QuickBooks-specific fixes. SFC repairs these system-level issues, and Windows Update delivers the component versions QuickBooks requires.

METHOD 5 Install in Selective Startup Mode Eliminates antivirus and background interference

If antivirus or background software is blocking the custom action executable, Selective Startup removes all third-party interference during installation. This is also the recommended approach when the installer file appears intact and Windows components are healthy but 1722 still fires.

METHOD 6 Clean Install QuickBooks Last resort — removes all residual conflicts

If all previous methods have not resolved 1722, orphaned registry entries from a previous QuickBooks installation are causing the custom action to fail. A clean install removes all residual entries before reinstalling.

What is a "Windows Installer custom action" and why does it fail?

A Windows Installer custom action is a small program or script that the installer runs during setup — outside of the standard file copy and registry write operations. Software vendors use them to run checks, install dependencies, register COM components, or configure the environment before the main application installs. For QuickBooks, custom actions register Microsoft components like .NET Framework and MSXML. When these custom actions fail — because the component they are trying to register is damaged, missing, or incompatible — Windows Installer reports Error 1722 and rolls back the entire installation.

I got Error 1603 immediately after fixing Error 1722. Are they related?

Yes — Errors 1603, 1722, 1920, and 1935 are all installation errors that typically trace back to the same root cause: damaged Microsoft components (.NET Framework, MSXML, Visual C++). If fixing 1722 produced 1603, it means the repair resolved one custom action but another is still failing. The fix is the same: run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool again. In some cases the tool needs to be run twice before all components are fully repaired. If both 1603 and 1722 persist after two tool runs, proceed to the manual .NET repair in Method 2.

How is Error 1722 different from Error 1328?

Both are Windows Installer errors during QuickBooks installation. Error 1328 is a file version conflict — the patch found a file already modified by another method and refused to overwrite it. The fix is renaming the Config.Msi folder. Error 1722 is a custom action failure — a program that the installer runs during setup failed to execute or complete. The fix is repairing the Microsoft components that program depends on. They fail at different points in the installation and have entirely different fixes.

How do I prevent Error 1722 from recurring?

Keep Windows fully updated — Microsoft delivers updated versions of .NET Framework and MSXML through Windows Update, and having current versions eliminates the component damage that causes 1722. Add the QuickBooks installation folder to your antivirus exclusion list so custom action executables are never blocked. Always download QuickBooks from Intuit's official download portal rather than third-party sites. And when installing, always right-click the installer and select Run as administrator rather than double-clicking — this ensures the custom action processes have the elevated privileges they need to complete successfully.