FAQ: MSI: While installing a bunch of msi files I am getting the following error after few msi installation. "The installation can not continue because a system reboot is pending.:. What might be the issue and how to resolve the issue.

Cause
Any application can set a pending reboot flag in the operating system through a registry key.  Sometimes a reboot does not clear the flag.  This is what the setup is detecting.
Resolution
For XP: 1. Open Registry Editor
    1.1 Click the Start Menu > Run
    1.2 Type "regedit" without quotes.
    1.3 Click OK
2. Find the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager"
3. Rename the "PendingFileRenameOperations" value to "PendingFileRenameOperations2"
For Vista:
1. Open Registry Editor
    1.1 Click the Start Menu
    1.2 Type "regedit" without quotes.
    1.3 Right click on RUN and select Run as administrator
2. Find the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager"
3. Rename the "PendingFileRenameOperations" value to "PendingFileRenameOperations2"