"No valid sequence could be found for the set of patches."

if I dig into the log file generated I see something like this:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:267]: SequencePatches starts. Product code:
{9C6F44C6-8B35-48F0-976C-5D9D502E9BDA}, Product version: 61.12.7.080123,
Upgrade code: {57C21FC7-0152-2208-2005-000000000000}, Product language 1033
MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:267]: PATCH SEQUENCER ERROR: invalid version
parameter: 61.12.7.080123!
MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:267]: SequencePatches returns error 87.
MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:357]: Product: PMS_Acq - Update
'{FD1428EA-1B7A-4928-BE10-76AE56734322}' could not be installed. Error code
1648. Additional information is available in the log file C:\Documents and
Settings\FusionX\My
Documents\Installation\..\Log\PMS_Acq_61127_61134_install.log.

MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:368]: Note: 1: 1708
MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:368]: Note: 1: 2729
MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:428]: Note: 1: 2729
MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:428]: Product: PMS_Acq -- Installation failed.

MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:428]: Attempting to delete file
C:\WINDOWS\Installer\46945d.msp
MSI (s) (D8:1C) [14:06:07:438]: MainEngineThread is returning 1648
No valid sequence could be found for the set of patches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note that in the patch sequencer error the version parameter has an
exclamation mark at the end. Where does the mark come from? Is it part of the
windows installer message or not? Where could this mark be inserted
otherwise?
I'm generating my patches using the windows installer SDK 4.5, via a couple
of powershell scripts. I've generated patches for other releases in this way,
and didn't find this problem before.

thanks in advance for the reply.
--

Strictly speaking the docs indicate that ProductVersion consists only of 3
fields and 4th is ignored.  However it also indicates that 3rd field has a
maximum value of 65535 - so it's probably that this is also the limit for
4th field even though it is supposedly ignored.

What happens if you adjust your 4th digit to be less than 65535?

Sincerely,
Adrian Accinelli

--
ORLANDO MENDEZ

< snip >

But... I suspect that if your RTM/installed version of the MSI contains such
a version that the problem may not be solved through a minor upgrade --  
since the patch sequencing code surely examines the installed version of the
MSI and maybe that's where the error is coming from.  At that point nothing
in your patch will help because it cannot be applied.

Now if you delete MsiPatchMetadata and MsiPatchSequence table from the MSP
you will effectively make it a v2.0 patch which might bypass the problem
since I don't think it will call same api to perform sequencing on the
patch.  But then you are back into the days of obsolescence which is not
pretty.

Sincerely,
Adrian Accinelli