How to Fix AutoCAD Admin Credential Requests After Windows Security Update

The primary fix is installing Microsoft's September 2025 updates that address the MSI repair UAC issue. These updates specifically resolve CVE-2025-50173 without breaking AutoCAD functionality.

First, install the PowerShell Windows Update module:

Install-Module PSWindowsUpdate -Force -Scope AllUsers
Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate

Check for and install the September 2025 updates:

Get-WindowsUpdate | Where-Object {$_.Title -like "*September*2025*"} | Install-WindowsUpdate -AcceptAll -AutoReboot

For Windows 11 systems, you're looking for KB5065426 (24H2) or KB5065431 (22H2/23H2). For Windows 10, the equivalent September update will be available.

For enterprise environments, use Group Policy to prevent MSI repair prompts across all domain computers. This is the recommended approach for organizations with multiple AutoCAD installations.

Open Group Policy Management Console and navigate to your target OU. Create or edit a Computer Configuration policy:

Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry

Create a new Registry Item with these settings:

• Action: Update
• Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
• Key Path: SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer
• Value name: DisableMSI
• Value type: REG_DWORD
• Value data: 2

Apply the policy and force a Group Policy update on target machines:

gpupdate /force

For standalone machines or immediate fixes, use PowerShell to modify the registry directly. This creates the same registry entry as the Group Policy method.

Run PowerShell as Administrator and execute this script:

$registryPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer"
$registryName = "DisableMSI"
$registryValue = 2

# Create the registry path if it doesn't exist
if (!(Test-Path $registryPath)) {
    New-Item -Path $registryPath -Force | Out-Null
    Write-Host "Created registry path: $registryPath" -ForegroundColor Green
}

# Set the registry value
Set-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $registryName -Value $registryValue -Type DWord
Write-Host "Set $registryName to $registryValue" -ForegroundColor Green

# Verify the setting
$currentValue = Get-ItemProperty -Path $registryPath -Name $registryName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($currentValue.$registryName -eq $registryValue) {
    Write-Host "Registry modification successful!" -ForegroundColor Green
} else {
    Write-Host "Registry modification failed!" -ForegroundColor Red
}

If AutoCAD still shows Error 1730 or MSI-related errors after applying the registry fix, restart the Windows Installer service to clear any cached repair operations.

Stop the Windows Installer service:

net stop msiserver

Wait 10 seconds, then restart it:

net start msiserver

Re-register the Windows Installer service:

msiexec /unregister
msiexec /regserver

Clear temporary MSI files that might be causing conflicts:

Remove-Item -Path "$env:TEMP\*.msi" -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path "$env:WINDIR\Temp\*.msi" -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Path "$env:WINDIR\Installer\$PatchCache$\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

If the previous steps don't resolve the issue completely, configure AutoCAD executables to run with appropriate compatibility settings. This addresses edge cases where the application still triggers UAC.

Use PowerShell to set compatibility flags for all AutoCAD versions:

$autocadPaths = @(
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2022\acad.exe",
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2023\acad.exe",
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2024\acad.exe",
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2025\acad.exe",
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2026\acad.exe"
)

$regPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers"

# Ensure the registry path exists
if (!(Test-Path $regPath)) {
    New-Item -Path $regPath -Force | Out-Null
}

foreach ($path in $autocadPaths) {
    if (Test-Path $path) {
        Write-Host "Configuring compatibility for: $path" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name $path -Value "HIGHDPIAWARE" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Write-Host "Applied HIGHDPIAWARE compatibility flag" -ForegroundColor Green
    }
}

For systems that still require elevated privileges, you can temporarily set RUNASADMIN flag:

# Only use this if other methods fail
# Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name $path -Value "RUNASADMIN" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Test the solution across different user profiles to ensure it works for all users, including new profiles that haven't launched AutoCAD before.

Create a test script to validate the fix:

# AutoCAD UAC Fix Validation Script
$testResults = @()

# Check registry setting
$regCheck = Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer" -Name "DisableMSI" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($regCheck.DisableMSI -eq 2) {
    $testResults += "✓ Registry fix applied correctly"
} else {
    $testResults += "✗ Registry fix missing or incorrect"
}

# Check Windows Installer service
$serviceStatus = Get-Service -Name "msiserver" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if ($serviceStatus.Status -eq "Running") {
    $testResults += "✓ Windows Installer service is running"
} else {
    $testResults += "✗ Windows Installer service is not running"
}

# Check for September 2025 updates
$updates = Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.HotFixID -like "*5065*"}
if ($updates) {
    $testResults += "✓ September 2025 security updates installed"
} else {
    $testResults += "⚠ September 2025 updates not detected - check Windows Update"
}

# Display results
Write-Host "AutoCAD UAC Fix Validation Results:" -ForegroundColor Cyan
$testResults | ForEach-Object { Write-Host $_ }

# Test AutoCAD launch (if available)
$autocadExe = Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Program Files\Autodesk" -Recurse -Name "acad.exe" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -First 1
if ($autocadExe) {
    Write-Host "\nFound AutoCAD at: $autocadExe" -ForegroundColor Yellow
    Write-Host "Test launching AutoCAD manually to verify no UAC prompts appear." -ForegroundColor Yellow
}

Test with different user accounts:

runas /user:testuser "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2026\acad.exe"

Document the changes made and create a rollback plan in case issues arise. This is crucial for enterprise environments and compliance requirements.

Create a rollback script:

# AutoCAD UAC Fix Rollback Script
Write-Host "Rolling back AutoCAD UAC fix..." -ForegroundColor Yellow

# Remove registry setting
$regPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer"
try {
    Remove-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "DisableMSI" -ErrorAction Stop
    Write-Host "✓ Removed DisableMSI registry setting" -ForegroundColor Green
} catch {
    Write-Host "⚠ DisableMSI setting not found or already removed" -ForegroundColor Yellow
}

# Remove compatibility flags
$compatPath = "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers"
$autocadPaths = @(
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2022\acad.exe",
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2023\acad.exe",
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2024\acad.exe",
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2025\acad.exe",
    "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2026\acad.exe"
)

foreach ($path in $autocadPaths) {
    try {
        Remove-ItemProperty -Path $compatPath -Name $path -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
        Write-Host "✓ Removed compatibility flag for $path" -ForegroundColor Green
    } catch {
        # Silently continue if property doesn't exist
    }
}

Write-Host "\nRollback completed. Restart required for full effect." -ForegroundColor Cyan
Write-Host "Note: Microsoft September 2025 updates remain installed (recommended)." -ForegroundColor Yellow

Document the implementation:

AutoCAD UAC Fix Implementation Log
Date: [Current Date]
Implemented by: [Your Name]
Affected Systems: [List systems/OUs]

Changes Made:
1. Registry: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer\DisableMSI = 2
2. Windows Updates: KB5065426/KB5065431 installed
3. Compatibility flags: Applied to AutoCAD executables

Testing Results:
- Standard users can launch AutoCAD without UAC prompts: [Pass/Fail]
- Admin users retain full functionality: [Pass/Fail]
- No impact on other MSI-based applications: [Pass/Fail]

Rollback Procedure:
- Run rollback script: rollback-autocad-fix.ps1
- Force Group Policy update: gpupdate /force
- Restart affected systems