The directory name is invalid (downgrade fails when initiated using the command line)

Technical Articles ID: KB91643
Last Modified: 2020-10-01 13:16:01 Etc/GMT

Environment

McAfee Agent (MA) 5.6.1 Hotfix 2 and later

All supported 32-bit Windows operating systems

For details of MA supported environments, see KB51573.

Problem

A downgrade of McAfee Agent 5.6.1 Hotfix 2 or later fails when you perform the task locally using the command prompt.

You see the following error when the downgrade fails:

The directory name is invalid

Cause

McAfee Agent 5.6.1 Hotfix 2 or later has restricted permissions on the install folder to address a vulnerability. See SB10288 for more information.

The following occurs when McAfee Agent 5.6.1 Hotfix 2 or later is forcefully downgraded locally through a command prompt:

The installer is invoked with the logged-in user permissions.
The install fails because the user does not have the needed permissions to access the install folder.

Solution 1

Client - To downgrade McAfee Agent 5.6.1 Hotfix 2 or later to a lower version of McAfee Agent:

Open a command prompt as an administrator:
1. Press Windows key + R, type regedit in the field, and then press Enter.
2. In the Start Search field, type cmd, and then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
3. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, click Continue as Administrator.
Remove McAfee Agent 5.6.1 Hotfix 2 using the following command:

frminst.exe /forceuninstall

NOTE: With MA 5.0 and later, frminst.exe is located in the following location: C:\Program Files\McAfee\Agent\x86\frminst.exe
Install the earlier version of McAfee Agent.

Solution 2

ePolicy Orchestrator Console - To downgrade McAfee Agent 5.6.1 Hotfix 2 or later to a lower version of McAfee Agent:

Log on to the ePO Console.
On the System Tree page, select the system on which McAfee Agent is to be downgraded.
Click Actions, Deploy Agent.
Select the earlier version of the McAfee Agent from the drop-down list.
From the 'Installation Option' section, select Force installation over existing version option.
Deploy McAfee Agent to the client.

Knowledge Center

The directory name is invalid (downgrade fails when initiated using the command line)

Environment

Problem

Cause

Solution 1

Solution 2

Related Information

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Knowledge Center

The directory name is invalid (downgrade fails when initiated using the command line)

Environment

Problem

Cause

Solution 1

Solution 2

Related Information

Affected Products

Languages:

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Title

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