Windows Installer Driving Me Crazy

On my older computer I have XP Home and something has gone nuts. On some of my programs when I try to open it a box pops up Windows Installer telling me to put the disk in so it can install it. Of course the program is allready installed. When this happens I have to push the off button because the Windows Installer box won't go away and it won't let me reboot. Now it is even asking for the wrong program disk. Has anyone run into this ?

 

Any error code's Will?

ht*tp://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/setup/error_codes.asp


GF

 

Try re-installing whatever apps are causing the issue. Example: If you try to start MS Word, Spyware Blaster or whatever application and it generates that prompt, try re-installing it and see see if that fixes the issue.

 

You might also take a look at this ....

ht*tp://www.updatexp.com/windows-update-keeps-prompting.html


GF

 

I don't get any error codes. It won't let me delete or load the programs. I had tried to open FD ISR and it told me to put in the Forest StartMan disk. I tried to delete StartMan and I couldn't even in Safe Mode.

 

I don't think I'll be able to assist here Will, sorry .... not my neck of the neighborhood.

GF

 

I'm beginning to think I am going to need to format and start over. I've never done that before. The condition seems to get worse as time goes by.

 

I had a similar problem recently - when I right-clicked on a program, it started a window telling me that I needed to put the cd in the drive to install Easy CD Creator, which had nothing to do with my task. I could repeated hit "close" in the box until it went away after about 10 seconds & I could proceed.

I finally solved my problem by totally removing the Easy CD Creator, since I never used that program anyways. That finally fixed it. Some association problem or something like that?
Good luck with yours.

Rob

 

I have studied that Windows Installer Cleaner and plan to give it a try this weekend. The thing that concerns me is that it seems to involve more and more of the programs.

 

Will,

You could export this key from the registry to help keep track of programs ....

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall


GF

 

norton 2005 causes same problem when you move or delet icons

some programs if you delet start up folders and icons off your desktop they will ask you to reinstall

sucks

normaly when this stuff happens i reinstall the program

then i use jv16 power tools to uninstall everything that i just installed reboot

go to programs folder in c drive look for the folder of the offending folder and delet it

then if it dosent go alway i use unlock utlity to delet it

then i do a search useing computer search and type in the offending programs name delet every trace of it

then go to start run type reg edit go to computer type in offending program name and delet only specfic reg keys asochiated with that program

yadah yadah zap pro security suit is one evill program

 

Windows Installer Clean Up 2.05.00.0000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;290301
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.

This works for me.