Unable to load required components: Sourcetree upgrade failure

Problem description

A silent upgrade of Sourcetree (e.g., 4.x to 5.x) may terminate mid‑install, leaving the application directory with a mix of old and new binaries. The installer does not create a backup or expose a rollback option, and the Windows Installer transaction may not fully revert file changes. Consequently, launching Sourcetree can result in a crash with the message "Unable to load required components", and the registry may point to a non‑existent executable path.

Recovery constraints

• No official rollback mechanism is provided. • The registry does not record the previous version, making manual re‑registration difficult. • Windows 10 and Windows 11 may handle incomplete transactions differently. • User data (repositories, settings) is stored outside the installation directory, so a full reinstall risks data loss if not preserved.

Unresolved questions

1. How can we reliably detect whether the upgrade was partially applied and identify which files remain in an inconsistent state?

2. What manual steps can restore a functional installation while preserving user data, given the lack of a backup or rollback feature?

3. Is there a supported method to force a clean reinstall that automatically restores missing components without affecting user repositories?