my windows installer is broken :(

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by iceni60, Dec 22, 2004.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    sometimes i have to merge "doug knox's MSI File Association Fix" to get .msi installations to work. but, now i want to install a windows power toy with just an .exe setup extension and it says im either in safe mode or i dont have a windows installer. i have got one and im not in safe mode. i was looking at some installer extensions to merge with the registry and i think i might try merging them one by one. is that the right thing to do? is there anything else i can do? thanks.

    these are the extension i want to merge -

    .msi - already done this one, but not the others
    .msm - Windows Installer Merge Module.
    .msp - Windows Installer Patch.
    .idt - Exported Windows Installer Database Table.
    .cub - Validation module.
    .pcp - Windows Installer Patch Creation File

    this is how ive backed up the registry.
    i just opened regedit>right-clicked my computer>export> and exported the whole thing to my desktop, thats how how ive always done it :D :eek:

    this is some stuff about the extensions, with some links too
    http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...i/setup/windows_installer_file_extensions.asp
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2004
  2. nadirah

    nadirah Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2003
    Posts:
    3,647
    SYMPTOMS

    When you try to install a program, such as Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP or Microsoft Office 2003, in Microsoft Windows XP, you may receive the following error message: The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed.
    This can occur if you are running Windows in safe
    mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly
    installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.

    CAUSE

    This issue may occur when both the following conditions are true: •You are using Windows XP in Normal mode.•The Windows Installer Service that is included with Windows XP is unregistered or damaged.
    RESOLUTION

    To resolve this issue, follow these steps: 1.Log on to your computer as an administrator.2.Click Start, and then click Run.3.In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.4.At the command prompt, typemsiexec.exe /unregister, and then press ENTER.5.Type msiexec /regserver, and then press ENTER. 6.Verify that the SYSTEM account has full control access permissions to the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT hive in the Windows registry. In some cases, you may also have to add Administrator accounts. To do so:WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. a. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.b. Click the following registry hive:HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
    c. On the Edit menu, click Permissions.d. If SYSTEM is not listed in the Group or user names list, click Add, make sure that the local computer name appears in the From this location box, type system in the Enter the object names to select box, click Check Names, and then click OK.e. Click SYSTEM in the Group or user names list, and then select the Full Control check box under Allow in the Permissions for SYSTEM box.f. Click Apply, click OK, and then quit Registry Editor.7.Restart the computer. If the problem is not resolved, repair Windows XP. For additional information about how to repair Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 315341 How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP
     
  3. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    wow thanks nadirah. i just tried it but it didnt work, it says something like i dont have the files o_O . i was thinking of running sfc /scannow, but i have changed afew of windows files to other things which i dont want to be changed back. if i run scannow does anyone think it will repair the problem?

    i also tried installing Windows Installer 3.0 Redistributable but it said the files i have are newer then the ones it will install and wont finish the installation.
    http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...70-b259-4733-a914-a956122e08e8&displaylang=en

    can anyone help? thanks :)
     
  4. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    can anyone help o_O

    what should i do? repair install?. sfc /scannow?

    thanks.
     
  5. nick s

    nick s Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2002
    Posts:
    1,430
    Hi iceni60,

    Googled around and found a possible fix here: Windows XP FAQ. Scroll down to "Windows Installer Cannot Be Found".

    Nick
     
  6. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    thanks Nick. i'll go and have a quick look; i hope it works - i wanted to update my sun java the other day and it needed the installer to work, now the networking PDF wont install :( . at the moment there's no association at all, i tried a .msi install the other day to test it and the icon was like the one in the screenshot below. i've tried a couple of different hotfixes as well which didnt work, i've also got some Visual Basic Runtime v6.0 that i'll try if your fix doesnt work, then my last resort at the moment is to put back some reg. enteries which were cleaned. that's about it at the moment :D . i'll try the fix now.
     

    Attached Files:

  7. Primrose

    Primrose Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2002
    Posts:
    2,743
    There is a fix program to actually repair windows installer if it is corrupted or broken..then there is this..
    ********

    Description of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility
    Article ID : 290301
    Last Review : August 25, 2004
    Revision : 1.0
    This article was previously published under Q290301
    Important Warning

    The Windows Installer CleanUp Utility is provided "as is" to help resolve installation problems for programs that use Microsoft Windows Installer. If you use this utility, you may have to reinstall other programs. Caution is advised.
    On this Page
    SUMMARY
    MORE INFORMATION

    SUMMARY
    Microsoft has updated the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. With the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility, you can remove a program's Windows Installer configuration information. You may want to remove the Windows Installer configuration information for your program if you experience installation (Setup) problems. For example, you may have to remove a program's Windows Installer configuration information if you have installation problems when you try to add (or remove) a component of your program that was not included when you first installed your program.

    The Windows Installer CleanUp Utility does not: • Remove Windows Installer.
    • Remove files of any programs that are installed by Windows Installer, such as Microsoft Office 2003.
    The Windows Installer CleanUp Utility does: • Provide a dialog box where you can select one or more programs that were installed by Windows Installer. You select the programs on the Installed Products list in the Windows Installer CleanUp dialog box. After you make this selection, the utility removes only the Windows Installer configuration information that is related to those programs.
    • Remove the files and registry settings that make up the Windows Installer configuration information for programs that you select.
    If you use this utility to remove the Windows Installer configuration information for your program and you plan to reinstall the program, you should reinstall the program in the same folder where you originally installed it. This prevents duplication of files on your hard disk or disks.
    MORE INFORMATION
    This version of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility works correctly in all 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows. The 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows are: : • Microsoft Windows Server 2003
    • Microsoft Windows XP
    • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
    • Microsoft Windows 2000
    • Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 or later
    • Microsoft Windows 98
    • Microsoft Windows 95
    The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
    Download the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility package now.
    Contents of the Readme.txt File
    README FOR WINDOWS INSTALLER CLEAN UP UTILITY
    JANUARY, 2004

    WHAT IS THE WINDOWS INSTALLER CLEAN UP UTILITY?
    You can use the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility to remove Windows Installer
    settings from your computer if a problem occurs. Although Windows Installer is
    designed to be very robust, Windows Installer can become damaged if any of the
    following issues occurs:

    - Your computer's registry becomes corrupted.

    - You or someone else inadvertently changes a registry setting that is
    used by Windows Installer and that causes a problem.

    - The installation of a program that uses Windows Installer (for
    example, Microsoft Office 2000) is interrupted.

    - There are multiple instances of Setup running at the same time, or
    an instance of Setup is "blocked."

    WHY IS THERE ONLY ONE VERSION?
    There were two versions of the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility: Msicu.exe
    (designed for use in Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 9:cool:, and
    Msicuu.exe (designed for use in Microsoft Windows NT). This version of the Windows
    Installer Clean Up Utility works correctly in all 32-bit versions of Microsoft
    Windows.

    WHAT IS MSIZAP.EXE?
    The Windows Installer Clean Up Utility uses the Msizap.exe program file to
    perform clean-up operations on the Windows Installer registry settings. Microsoft
    does not recommend that you run Msizap.exe manually because Msizap.exe uses a
    command-line interface. Msizap.exe does not provide the same ease of use or
    level of protection as the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility.

    HOW DO I INSTALL THE WINDOWS INSTALLER CLEAN UP UTILITY?
    Run the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility when you download it. By default,
    the Setup program installs the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility files in the
    following folder on your hard disk:

    C:\Program Files\Windows Installer Clean Up

    You can install the utility in another location if you want to. All the files
    that are used by the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility (Msicuu.exe, Msizap.exe,
    and this Readme file) are copied into this folder. A shortcut for the Windows
    Installer Clean Up Utility is created on the Programs menu under the Start menu.

    If you try to install the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility from a floppy disk,
    you may receive the following error messages:

    Internal Error 2724. UNINSTALL 1,

    Installation ended prematurely because of an error.

    To prevent this problem, install the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility only
    from your hard disk.

    HOW DO I RUN THE WINDOWS INSTALLER CLEAN UP UTILITY?
    To run the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility, use either of the following methods:

    - Click Start, click Programs, and then click the shortcut for the
    Windows Installer Clean Up Utility.

    - In Microsoft System Information, click Windows Installer Clean Up on the
    Tools menu.

    When you do this, you receive a dialog box that displays the following message:

    Continuing further will make permanent changes to your system. You may
    need to reinstall some or all applications on your system that used the
    Windows Installer technology to be installed. If you do not want to
    proceed, please press the 'Exit' button now. Choosing 'Remove' will
    make the permanent changes.

    The dialog box also lists all the currently installed programs that are
    registered with Windows Installer. Because the Windows Installer Clean Up
    Utility also uses Windows Installer, the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility
    is listed in this dialog box.

    You can select multiple items in the list by holding down the SHIFT key
    or the CTRL key while you select the items.

    There are four buttons in the dialog box:

    Button name Purpose
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    Select All Selects all the programs in the list.

    Clear All Clears the selection of all the programs in the list.

    Remove Removes the Windows Installer registry settings that are
    associated with the selected program or programs.

    Exit Quits the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility.

    If you click Remove, the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility displays the
    following prompt:

    Warning - All items selected will be removed from the Windows Installer
    database. In order for the items to work properly, you must individually
    re-install all items selected. Select OK to continue removing product,
    Cancel to abort.

    If you click OK, the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility removes all the Windows
    Installer information that is associated with the selected programs, including
    the entries for the programs in the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.
    If you remove the settings for a program that is currently installed on your
    computer, the program can no longer add or remove components or repair itself.
    To prevent problems, Microsoft recommends that you reinstall your programs before
    you use them.

    WHAT IF I RECEIVE AN ERROR MESSAGE?
    The Windows Installer Clean Up Utility is designed to inform you if there is a
    problem. The following table lists the error messages that you may receive from
    the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility and their causes.

    Error message Cause
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    This utility requires that Msizap.exe Msizap.exe version 2 cannot be
    version 2 or greater reside in the same found in the same folder as
    folder. Msicuu.exe.

    You must have Administrator To run Msicuu.exe, you must be
    rights to run this utility. logged on with administrator
    rights.

    This utility requires that the Windows Msicuu.exe uses the Windows
    Installer be installed and properly Installer object model to identify
    registered. the installed products. To correct
    the problem, try reregistering
    Msi.dll.

    HOW DO I REMOVE THE WINDOWS INSTALLER CLEAN UP UTILITY?
    When you install the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility, an entry for the utility
    is created in the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. To remove the Windows
    Installer Clean Up Utility, click the entry in the list of installed programs, and
    then click Add/Remove.

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301
     
  8. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    i'm, really sorry for wasting your time :oops: i just got the message below when i went to see if it was fixed, and it made me realise that the service wasnt starting for some reason; it was set to manual but it wasnt starting, i just started it and i now works. im really happy that my PC isnt going down the drain, but i feel bad for being so thick. sorry, and thanks for your time. :oops: :cool:
     

    Attached Files:

  9. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    thanks, Primrose for your long post, i did try that fix, but it needs the installer service to work, so when i tried it it didnt work. im still abit confused why it doesnt start, it could be because of turning off other services, i dont know, im just really happy that it's working again, and i dont need to worry about it any more :) thanks for the help - nadirah, nick and Primrose, i do appreciate it all the same :cool:
     
  10. Bubba

    Bubba Updates Team

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2002
    Posts:
    11,271
    I'm still gnawing on the Manual setting for Windows Installer. Manual setting means a user or dependent service can start the service. I don't know the answer yet....but does Windows Installer have a service that depends on it ?

    Also....when you look in Services @ Windows Installer....in the Log on As column....does Windows Installer say LocalSystem ?
     
  11. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    hi, Bubba, sorry i missed your post - it just went 12 O'clock, i was saying Happy New Year to my Mum and family :)

    it is logged as Local System. when i booted-up it was set to manual, but didnt start when i tried an install. i kept the manual setting and started the service. i then checked it was working by installing a windows power toy. i already had the power toy installed, so i cancelled the install right sfter i saw it was working. i then went to download a PDF, which i need, and uses the windows installer service. when it had finished downloading it didnt install because the service had stopped again. i then set it to automatic, and re-started it again, but the install didnt work. i had to re-start the service and immediately run the install to get it to install. :eek: . i'm going to reboot now and see if the service starts. what do you think? thanks. and Happy New Year :)
     
  12. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    right now the service has stopped again, and it has no dependencies.
     
  13. ronjor

    ronjor Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2003
    Posts:
    163,038
    Location:
    Texas
    My service says manual with this as dependencies.
     

    Attached Files:

  14. nick s

    nick s Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2002
    Posts:
    1,430
    Hi iceni60,

    The Windows Installer service depends on the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service. Do you see any errors in your system log when you open your Event Viewer?

    Nick

    (sorry about that ronjor)
     
  15. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    it seems to be working now. the service is set to automatic and it has started with a reboot. when it wasnt working i looked in event viewer and the last time i had used it, before it broke, was when i was going to update sun java beta 1.5 to the latest 1.5, but i downloaded one of the 1.4.6 versions by mistake. so i installed it rebooted, uninstalled it, rebooted. and that was the last time it was working, before now. i think uninstalling that sun java so quickly had something to do with it, and it just needed to get started again with a reboot to get it going. the main problem i had was that all the fixes i tried to get it working again needed the installer service running. so none of the fixes worked. well, i think it's working again now :) . later on i might try setting it to manual and seeing if it will start when i need it to, but, until then i think it's working fine again. thank you everyone for your help. :)
     
  16. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    ive turned that service off, not the important one but the locator one. NIck i always see that error, i cant see it right now though, but i thought it was OK because i had caused it by turning the service off. do you think i should turn it back on?, i think i will, the main reason i turned it off was because i only had 96MB of RAM, but i bought 512MB the other day :). i'll turn it back on now, and take alook at it's dependenices too.
     
  17. nick s

    nick s Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2002
    Posts:
    1,430
    RPC should be set to automatic. Black Viper has it set that way as well. RPC Locator can be set to manual.

    Nick
     
  18. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    i just started the RPC locator service, it was set to manual but hadnt started - C:\WINDOWS\System32\locator.exe
    it has no dependencies. while i was there i had alook at the installer service and it had stopped. are you both talking about talking about C:\WINDOWS\System32\locator.exe
    or all you talking about -
    C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost -k rpcss

    i took a picture of the installer dependencies too.
     

    Attached Files:

  19. nick s

    nick s Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2002
    Posts:
    1,430
    Here's mine.

    Nick
     

    Attached Files:

    • wi.gif
      wi.gif
      File size:
      25.7 KB
      Views:
      250
  20. nick s

    nick s Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2002
    Posts:
    1,430
    Take a look in your registry for this key:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer

    Anything missing in yours?

    Nick
     

    Attached Files:

    • wi2.gif
      wi2.gif
      File size:
      27.2 KB
      Views:
      248
  21. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    that's the way i had it. RPC - automatic... RPC Locator - manual, not stopped as i said before. they are both set to automatic now. from what i heard the RPC service controlls dlls and a computer cant work unless it's started, it's the most important service there is. heres a picture of mine it's all greyed out and it wont let me touch it. i'm going to reboot again just to see if starting the Locator service will keep the installer going. if not i might take alook at the link bigc posted about reinstalling the installer.

    just to be clear, which RPC service are you saying the installer depends on?
    RPC or RPC Locator? thanks
     

    Attached Files:

  22. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    it looks the same to me...
     

    Attached Files:

  23. Bubba

    Bubba Updates Team

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2002
    Posts:
    11,271
    Windows Installer depends on Remote Procedure Call(RPC). Take a look at this from a different perspective also. While in Services....look at the properties for Remote Procedure Call(RPC)....and then click on the Dependicies tab....it should then list in the bottom box what services depend on RPC.
     
  24. nick s

    nick s Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2002
    Posts:
    1,430
  25. iceni60

    iceni60 ( ^o^)

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Posts:
    5,116
    my RPC has no dependencies too, im really worried now that ive got a rootkit or something bad. OMG i just looked at all mt sevices, and none of them have any dependcies, quite an independent lot :eek: . have i got a rootkit :'(
     

    Attached Files:

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.