FFXI Install Problem

[Verran]

1628: Failed to complete installation.

This is the error I receive, when I try to install FFXI. This happens at the very end of the installation, right after it reaches 100%. It tells me it is complete, but as soon as I select whether to or not to place an icon on the desktop, it gives me that stupid error.

I've already tried everything to fix it - empty temp directories, tried reinstalling it MANY times, tried plenty of solutions that was posted in help sites, but to no avail.

Does anybody know what the problem could be?
Also: Does anybody know how to select the install path for FFXI in the playonline viewer? The Play Online system viewer says that FFXI is not installed, and that there's not an install path selected. Technically it should be installed, however, as it reaches 100%. PlayOnline simply won't let me play it, all because of this inconvenience.
Thanks in advance, and looking forward to a potential solution. My most humblest of apologies if I should not have asked in the first place, or if I have asked in an improper section.

Verran~

[neighbortaru]

perhaps your CD drive is being flaky. have you tried making an image of the CD, then mounting the image in daemon tools and installing from there?

[Mhurron]

Also if you're installing on XP or 2000 to install as a user that has administrative privileges.

[Verran]

Well, I'm using the 30 day free trial, so I downloaded it from square enix using the downloader... so it's not a CD problem.

and I am using admin privilages, so thats not the problem either.

also, I'm using XP SP2....

It has happened before with other programs that install with installshield, but they have always been fine, although it has to be an installshield problem.

If I knew how to change the install path of FFXI that playonline reads from, it would probably work just fine, because it does fully install, in actuality.

I am terribly eager to play, yet this still remains a mystery to me. Does anybody have any idea how to change the install path of FFXI that playonline reads from, or is there any other methods I could perhaps use to fix this problem?

[neighbortaru]

This is just one of the keys in the registry, but maybe it'll help:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PlayOnlineUS\InstallFo lder]
"0002"="D:\\Games\\PlayOnline\\SquareEnix\\TetraMaster"
"1000"="D:\\Games\\PlayOnline\\SquareEnix\\PlayOnlineViewe r"
"0001"="D:\\Games\\PlayOnline\\SquareEnix\\FINAL FANTASY XI\\"
dunno why the forums display extra whitespace in Folder and Viewer, but they are not supposed to be there.

[Verran]

Thank-you so much, it works! Very excellent job at helping me out, it connected both flawlessly and effectively.
I am in your debt.