Users have reported an error while trying to install new programs,update drivers, reinstall the OS, etc. The error is:
A referral was returned from the server.
This error would prevent the installation and merely restarting the system wouldn’t help.
Cause
While the exact cause is unknown, the reason might be a Windows update. This has been assumed since many users mentioned that the issue got resolved when the rolled back the latest update.
We could try the following steps sequentially to fix the issue:
Solution 1] Change the UAC settings
You can alter the UAC settings to get rid of the error.
1] Press Win + R to open the Run window. Type control panel and press Enter to open the Control Panel window.
2] Go to User accounts.
3] Choose Change User Account Control Settings from the options. You would find a bar with 4 options for the ease of notifications.
4] Push the bar as low as comfortable for you, possibly the second last option. In this case, it won’t notify you when you make changes to Windows settings.
5] Click on OK and restart the system.
Solution 2] Rollback a Windows update
1] Click on the Start button and then the gear-like symbol to open the Settings page.
2] Go to updates and security.
3] Click on View updates history and then on Uninstall updates.
4] The window would show the list of recently installed Windows updates. Please right-click and delete the most recent update.
Solution 3] Log in with the hidden administrator account
Once you are logged in to the system as the administrator, follow the following procedure:
1] Press Win + R to open the Run window. Type the command cmd and press Enter to open the Command Prompt window.
2] Type the following command to log in to the hidden administrator account:
net user administrator /active:yes
3] Install the program if possible.
4] Type the following command to log out of the hidden administrator account:
net user administrator /active:no
These steps should be helpful in resolving the issue.
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