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Windows Update Fails with a "Cannot Create File" Error

How to fix a MuteDeck update that cannot write to the Qt Installer Framework cache on Windows.

Symptoms​

The update fails while downloading an archive or its .sha1 file. The error may look like this:

Cannot download archive ... Cannot create file C:/Users/<username>/AppData/Local/cache/qt-installer-framework/...: Unknown error

This can happen on Windows 10 or Windows 11 when MuteDeck is being updated from a non-administrator account. The error points to a local installer-cache problem; it does not necessarily mean that antivirus software or the MuteDeck download server is blocking the update.

Fix the Installer Cache and Run the Update as Administrator​

  1. Close the MuteDeck updater and quit MuteDeck.

  2. Press Windows key + R.

  3. Enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\cache and click OK.

  4. Delete the qt-installer-framework folder.

    Only delete the qt-installer-framework folder, not the entire cache folder. It contains temporary update files and will be recreated automatically.

  5. Open C:\Program Files\MuteDeck in File Explorer.

  6. Right-click MuteDeckMaintenanceTool.exe and select Run as administrator. In older installations, the file may be named MaintenanceTool.exe.

  7. Approve the Windows User Account Control prompt, then use the maintenance tool to update MuteDeck.

If your account cannot approve administrator prompts, ask your IT administrator to run the maintenance tool for you.

If the Error Continues​

  • Restart Windows, then repeat the steps above. A running installer process may have kept a cache file open.
  • Confirm that you deleted the cache belonging to the affected Windows user, not another account.
  • If the error says the installer cannot reach the repository rather than Cannot create file, see Installer Can't Reach the Internet.
  • If the update still fails, contact support and include the complete error message, your Windows version, and whether your account has administrator rights.