The vast majority of users working on all types of home PCs sometimes need to install a new program from Microsoft. Usually just a couple of clicks of the mouse - and you're done, you can use it. But, like any sufficiently complex system, Windows can fail. As a rule, the problem is the Windows Installer service, which is involved in unpacking programs from installation packages and registering values for working in the registry. All files packaged using the protocols of this installer come with the msi extension. Each package is made using OLE technology (a universal solution used for Microsoft software products) and is a clearly structured microbase of data from corresponding tables with the data necessary for installation. In addition, it is also a set of libraries, scripts and other files packed with a cab-archiver. Starting with 2000, installation packages from Microsoft for Windows are characterized by the use of this particular service, which replaced ACME Setup, the standard installer of previous versions of Windows. The main differences from the installer of archaic versions of Windows (3.11 and 9x) are a graphical interface, a return to the previous state of the system at any time, and the ability to delete a program. It should be noted that there are a number of widely used alternative installers - Inno Setup, Nullsoft Installation System, Minstaller, Spinstall, Smart Install Maker, Rinstall Wizard, and so on, but for obvious reasons, the Windows Installer occupies a leading position.
In this article, we will tell you how to fix possible problems with the Windows Installer by performing a set of recovery procedures that will allow you not to reinstall the OS again, which most users prefer to do. In the worst case, it will be necessary to check and re-register a large number of libraries, check several registry keys or reinstall the program. But it is quite possible that everything will cost only the launch of an automated recovery utility that will do everything for you. We tried to collect the most complete information on this issue, which will save you time.
So, typical errors when launching installation packages running Windows Installer are: “The Windows Installer Service Failed to Start”, “Windows Installer Service Cannot Be Accessed”, “Windows Installer Service Failed to Start on the Local Computer”. "Error 5: Access Denied." We are trying to start the automated mode of fixing the problem through the Microsoft FixIt application by downloading the corresponding patch from the official website of the corporation. A link to the patch can be found in article 2438651 (for older systems than Windows 7, an automatic diagnostic service will be installed, for XP users, you must upgrade to SP3 before installation).
If for some reason the patch did not help and the same error pops up, try to deal with the problem in another way. Run the command prompt (Win + R> cmd.exe) in system administrator mode. Type sfc / scannow and wait for the system to repair the damaged libraries. Re-register the service with the msiexec / unregister and msiexec / regserver commands. After that, register the Windows Installer library using the regsvr32 msi.dll command. Then you need to try to run the installation file again. Most likely, everything will work. If not, you need to reboot the system in safe mode by typing msiexec / regserver there. Try again. If this does not help, then it's time to reinstall the Windows Installer service itself. The easiest way to do this is with the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility. You can download it from the official Microsoft support site, at the same time “grab” the Windows 45 installer from the official site, which itself is the most current version for almost the entire modern line of Windows OS. Most likely, this version of the installer is more modern than the one that was installed on your machine. Unless you used the Windows 7 installer on a licensed copy. After all the trouble, run the installation file of the program. If you did everything right, then everything will be successful.