IBM Support

Installation Manager Fails to Start with "The registry information does not exist or does not match with this executable"

How To


Summary

Installation Manager fails to start and presents an error indicating a mismatch or absence of registry information.

Environment

Product: IBM Installation Manager (IM)

Component: Installation Registry

Problem Description

When attempting to launch or run the IBM Installation Manager (IM), the operation fails with the following error message:

ERROR: The Installation Manager cannot be started. The registry information does not exist or does not match with this executable. This may happen if you are trying to run Installation Manager installed by another user.

Cause

The core issue is a missing or corrupt Installation Manager registry file, specifically the InstallationManager.dat file.

This critical registry file stores metadata about the IM installation itself (e.g., the user who installed it and its own executable location). If the file is missing, corrupt, or being accessed by a user different from the installer, the IM executable cannot validate its integrity or ownership, leading to the error.

Locations of InstallationManager.dat

The file is typically found in the following data locations:

Installation Type

Location

Non-Root/User Installation

<user_home>/etc/.ibm/registry/InstallationManager.dat

Root/Administrative Installation

/etc/.ibm/registry/InstallationManager.dat

Steps

Resolution and Recovery Options

Important:

IBM Installation Manager does not support manual alterations or removal of registry files. If files have been altered or removed from the registry path, the only recovery options available are as follows.

Option 1: Restore the Registry Path from a Backup

Restore the entire Installation Manager registry path (the directory containing InstallationManager.dat) from a backup that was taken prior to the file alteration or removal.

  • same IIM version
  • same install path
  • Binary location

Option 2: Copy the Registry from Another Server (Donor)

Copy the Installation Manager registry from a functional "donor" server to the damaged machine.

  • Crucial Requirements: The donor Installation Manager registry must reflect the exact same configuration as the damaged one, including:
    • Same IIM version
    • Same install path
    • Binary location
Option 3: Use -reinstallIM parameter 

Please ensure you download the exact same version of the Installation Manager (IM) kit as the IM instance you are attempting to repair.

Once the correct IM kit is downloaded, follow the steps outlined below:"

  • Extract the zip file to \tmp\im_install
  • From \tmp\im_install run:
  • For admin install run: ./installc -reinstallIM  -iD <IIM-Home> -dL <IIM-datalocation> -acceptLicense -sVP
  • For non-admin install run: ./userinstc -reinstallIM  -iD <IIM-Home> -dL <IIM-datalocation> -acceptLicense -sVP
  • For group install: ./groupinstc -reinstallIM  -iD <IIM-Home> -dL <IIM-datalocation> -acceptLicense -sVP

Outside of the options above, there are no other recovery options for a damaged Installation Manager registry.

If you cannot perform one of the options above, the only recourse is a complete re-installation:

  1. Uninstall and then reinstall IBM Installation Manager.
  2. Re-install all of the IBM products that were previously recorded in the damaged Installation Manager registry.
Note: This will require you to remove the IM installation along with the binaries manually.
  • rm-rf /var/ibm/InstallationManager
  • rm -rf /opt/ibm/InstallationManager
  • rm -rf IMshared location 
  • rm -rf /etc/.ibm/registry (root)
  • rm -rf homeuser/etc/.ibm/registry (non root)
  •  Move <WAS-install> to <WAS-install>_original
  •  Install Installation Manager
    •  Download the same version of the Installation Manager (https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/installation-manager-and-packaging-utility-download-documents)
    • Extract the zip file to \tmp\im_install
    • From \tmp\im_install run
      •  For admin install run: ./installc -iD <IIM-Home>  -dL  <IIM-datalocation>  -acceptLicense -sVP  
      • For non-admin install run: ./userinstc  -iD <IIM-Home>  -dL  <IIM-datalocation>  -acceptLicense -sVP  
      • For group install: ./groupinstc -iD <IIM-Home> -dL <IIM-datalocation> -acceptLicense -sVP
  •  Install WAS and Java to the same version/fixpack that was installed
  • Copy <WAS-install>_original/profiles to <WAS-install>/profiles
  •  Copy <WAS-install>_original/properties/profileRegistry.xml to <WAS-install>/properties/profileRegistry.xml
  •  Copy <WAS-install>_original/properties/fsdb to <WAS-install>/properties/fsdb
  •  Start WAS and make sure it is working.
  •  Run <IIM_install>/eclipse/tools/imcl listInstalledPackages -long
  • Run <WAS-install>/bin/versionInfo.sh
  • Make sure the WAS versions match.

Document Location

Worldwide

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Document Information

Modified date:
20 October 2025

UID

ibm17246321

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