Figured it out - for anyone running into this problem.
Win 11 - I had to go into ‘uninstall programs’, select Cubase 14,
select ‘repair’,
and then follow the message directing me to point it to the .msi file in the ‘downloaded programs’ area.
It then installed smoothly.
Weird - but hey, I’m up and running now, so I can check out all the bugs. 
Maybe try what worked for me. Go into ‘control panel’, select ‘uninstall a program’.
Select Cubase 14, but instead of uninstalling, select ‘repair’.
I got a message telling me to direct it to the downloaded .msi file, and when I sent it to that file in downloads, it started installing 14.0.3 right away.
I hope it works for you.
Hey bro. Incredibly, your workaround worked! Thank you very much!
I only hope they get it right next time to avoid all that frustration. 
Dear Steinberg Team,
I was excited to use the mouse sheen to scroll through the mixer finally.
However, it’s not working smoothly. Unfortunately, it’s often not working at all.
First I want to tell you what I had really wished for:
Shift Hold + scroll wheel at ANY mouse location should scroll horizontally through the mixer. This should be what everyone would expect, just like normal behavior in 2025!
And with the track pad, you should be able to scroll in ANY direction just like any other app in 2025!
But besides that, the standard function is not even working. When the mouse is over an empty insert for example, you even cannot scroll up and down through the upper region any more.
Also, there may be soooo much space left sometimes depending on the screen, between the strip and the fader section yet you can’t use this are to scroll horizontally! You need to move the mouse over the faders for example to scroll!
Comeon, this is 2025!!!
As a side note: when you press middle mouse button, you can grab and move vertikale VERY smoothly! This is the way it should be with the mouse scroll wheel, too!
Why are you making things so complicated?
And also, all these tiny tiny buttons on hover up, for example when you move over one send, it makes working sooooo shitty, because it’s so small icons that you press all by accident! Just like the pre/post send position. It’s so damn small. And also, wasn’t there the option to hold click some keys on order to open the destination plugin from that send you clicked on?!?! It’s gone?!?!
Pleeeease make the sends not like a fragile egg shell yet something to work with without getting frustrated by accidentally pressing buttons.
And please make horizontal scroll movement better!!! Shift + scroll wheel → from any location!!
