[Puddy]

Every time I try to install an MSI package I get an error that says something along the lines of "the windows installer service cannot be accessed. make sure you're not booted in safe mode."

I tried some trick I found on the Palm help forums to get the Palm desktop software installed. It didn't work, and now I can't install anything.

Here's what I did:

I get that install problem with a lot of programs, here's how I get around it:


Go to Start>Settings>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services


Scroll down to Windows Installer, double click it. Select the text in the
"Path to Executible" field (Probably: C:\WINDOWS\System32\msiexec.exe /V)


Click Start>Run. Enter Regedit, click ok.


Click Edit>Find...


Paste in the text from the Services panel.


When you get to that entry in your registry, change the location to:
C:\WINDOWS\SysWOW64\msiexec.exe /V


Close regedit. Go back to the Services pane, reopen Windows Installer. It
should now show the new location. Stop and restart the service.


Now install from the Palm CD, all should be well. The next time you get this
problem, go back through the same procedure but change the location back to
the old one (C:\WINDOWS\System32\msiexec.exe /V)

Now neither of those works for any software.

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Any advice on how to fix this?

[Puddy]

Any advice on how to fix this?

[gerryf]

you, of course, backed up your registry before editing it (to what it looks like force your 32-bit OS into trying to be a 64-but windowsxpx64, right?)

Is this windows xp 64 or normal windows xp?

[gerryf]

Do you know what key you altered?
There seems to be several possibilities.

Did you re-edit it to put it back the way it was?

What programs are you trying to install?

Why are you using MSI packages? Who created the MSI packages?

[Puddy]

There's only one key that was altered, and basically the idea behind that is switching between two versions of msiexec.exe. system32 is the correct version. That's the only registry key altered.

Right now I am just trying to install MS Office (2002). Anything that uses MSI doesn't work.

[gerryf]

If you altered the regestry key back (you should)

download the ms installer cleanup tool

http://support.micro...kb;en-us;290301

run it, reboot.

try again

[Puddy]

I tried that, but the application that screwed up MSI (Palm Desktop) is not on the list of things to cleanup. I'm finding stuff in my registry when I search for "palm", though.

I also tried this technique:

http://support.esri....cleShow&d=25958

And got an error that said "incorrect function" when I ran "msiexec /register"

Edited by Puddy, 31 December 2005 - 10:55 AM.

[gerryf]

you know, I don't think I understood exactly what was going on until now....I just wasn't getting you.

Have you considered uninstalling msi installer 3.1 in add/remove control panel, then reinstalling

Here is the redistributable:

http://www.microsoft...&DisplayLang=en

--------------------------------------
Failing that:

Have you tried this process

http://support.micro...3&Product=winxp

Read it through, and if you have any questions, ask

[Puddy]

That redistributable won't work on x64. I guess I just have to repair windows XP. Problem is I just moved and the disk is in storage.

[gerryf]

oops.

Here is the 64x version

http://support.micro...122120121120120