Windows Installer Won't Work!

[Johann]

Hi, I'm having a big problem and any help would be appreciated.

Whenever I am trying to install a new program that I have downloaded off the internet (that uses Windows Installer to install), I get an error message that says

"The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance."

I have searched all over the internet for Windows Installer to download (so I can replace my bad version), but I have found none because XP is supposed to have Windows Installer built in. I have also searched through my driver and utility CDs that came with my Dell computer but there was no luck there either. I cannot install almost ANY SOFTWARE!

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated. Have a great day.

PS: I am running XP Home Edition

[curtybob]

windows installer needs to be re-registered.

1. open a command prompt:

2. Type msiexec /unregister and press Enter.

3. Type msiexec /regserver and press Enter.


this re-registers your windows installer. hope it helps

[Johann]

Thank you so much. That worked.

[nickinator17]

Hi. I tried re-registering Windows Installer through command prompt using those commands but it still doesnt work. I even tried multiple times just incase i mispelled a word or something but it still wont work. Can u please help me???

[junebug]

Thank you so much! I've spent all day trying to find this answer, including searching Microsoft and their confusing answers which didn't work. This was fast and it worked right away. You're a genious!

[fluteman]

Originally Posted by junebug

Thank you so much! I've spent all day trying to find this answer, including searching Microsoft and their confusing answers which didn't work. This was fast and it worked right away. You're a genious!

I had exactly the same problem earlier this past week and the only thing that resolved the problem was uninstalling Win XP Pro SP3 (through the Control Panel's "Add or Remove Software" and rolling back to SP2. Then once I verified that the system was stable and installer was working, I reinstalled SP3 and then reapplied all of the missing service patches (don't allow Windows automatic updates - I do them manually).

To determine which security patches you need, you can download a free, browser-based program called Belarc Advisor, which will scan your system and provide you a detailed listing of your system configuration. You can download the Belarc app from this link:

http://www.belarc.com/Programs/advisor.exe

System is working fine now.
Good luck.