Error: Cannot Create Data Directory When Launching AutoCAD (Installation Error 103)

This article describes a solution for AutoCAD installation error 103, specifically when the installation or repair process gets stuck, and AutoCAD cannot create its data directory due to permission issues on the C drive.

Symptoms

• AutoCAD Installation Error 103 occurs.
• The repair process gets stuck at the final stage when using deepuninstaller‘s extended features.
• Installing AutoCAD to the D drive completes successfully, and the application opens normally.
• Installation attempts on the C drive continuously load or get stuck.
• When attempting to run acad.exe (the main AutoCAD program) using “system permissions” via extended features, the following error message appears:Cannot create data directory Microsoft Edge cannot read and write its data directory C:\windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2023\R24.2\chs\Webview211\EBWebView OK
• The “Run AutoCAD” button within extended features is unresponsive or unable to launch the application.

Cause

The root cause is insufficient permissions for the systemprofile to create or write data to the specified AutoCAD data directory path on the C drive, specifically affecting components like Microsoft Edge’s WebView2 used by AutoCAD.

Solution

The issue was resolved by addressing the system profile’s permission limitations related to the AutoCAD data directory. After correctly configuring the necessary permissions, AutoCAD was able to launch successfully.

Note: The original problem description implies that the problem was identified by attempting to run AutoCAD with system permissions, which then revealed the specific “Cannot create data directory” error. The resolution involved adjusting these underlying system profile permissions.