Why do I receive the error “cannot open C:\Program Files\Stata10\STATA.LIC” on a Windows Vista machine?

Some users may encounter the following error message when attempting to install Stata on a Windows Vista machine:

I cannot open C:\Program Files\Stata10\STATA.LIC for writing.
No Action Taken.

The default Vista permission settings do not allow applications write permissions to their respective install directories, even if you are logged into a machine as administrator. Stata needs these permissions to create its license file.

To get around the problem, you must right-click the Stata executable in the Stata install directory and select “Run as Administrator” from the right-click menu to open Stata. Then you can enter your authorization information, etc., and Stata will create the proper file.