Updated 16.9.13 Many of Windows users may experience a strange but very common problem that occurs in any version of Windows, including Windows 7 and even Windows 8.
I am referring to the error that occurs during the installation or uninstallation of some programs such as Office, when a message such as " the Windows Installer service is not accessible " or " Windows Installer is not available " appears.
Microsoft Windows Installer is that component of the Windows operating system that automates the installation, maintenance and uninstallation of software making it simple.
Possible reasons why Windows Installer is not working properly can be:
- Damaged or missing system files.
- Problems with a program-specific MSI package (Windows Installer Microsoft Software Installation).
- Uninstallations of previous versions of a software interrupted or failed.
To solve the error with the installation and uninstallation of the programs, there are several ways, all simple, some automatic and some manuals.
Depending on the level of experience, choose the most congenial method.
1) Re-installation of Windows Installer in XP, Windows 7 and Vista .
To reinstall Windows Installer, rename the damaged files and reinstall the service by following these steps:
Click Start -> Run -> type cmd and open a DOS command prompt (you can also do it from Programs -> Accessories -> right mouse button> Run as administrator).
From the Dos prompt, type the following commands and always press Enter after each one.
cd% windir% \ system32
attrib -r -s -h dllcache
ren msi.dll msi.old
ren msiexec.exe msiexec.old
ren msihnd.dll msihnd.old
exit
Exit the command prompt, restart your computer and download the latest version of the Windows Installer 4.5 Redistributable package for Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 and 8.
2) Try to re-register the Windows Installer service [XP, Windows 7, 8 or Vista]
The important thing is to check the path of the Msiexec.exe file on the hard disk and in the Windows registry and follow the following procedure (Since there are different versions of Microsoft Windows, the procedure may be different on your computer).
Open the DOS Prompt and type the command
% windir% \ system32 \ msiexec.exe / unregister
% windir% \ system32 \ msiexec.exe / regserver
On 64-bit Windows computers instead use:
% windir% \ syswow64 \ msiexec.exe / unregister
% windir% \ syswow64 \ msiexec.exe / regserver
Check, if it doesn't work, that the Msiexec.exe file is in the folder C: \ Windows \ system32 \ Msiexec.exe .
From Start -> Run or Search, open the registry with the regedit command.
Expand the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SYSTEM / CurrentControlSet / Services and click on MSIServer.
In the right pane, right-click on ImagePath and then click Edit .
As the value of the key, paste the path seen before: C: \ Windows \ system32 \ Msiexec.exe followed by a space and then by / V, click OK.
In the end it is C: \ WINDOWS \ System32 \ msiexec.exe / V
Close the registry editor, and restart your computer in safe mode (press F8 before the Windows home screen when you restart your pc).
In safe mode, go to Start> Run and type the command msiexec / regserver .
For 64-bit systems, the % windir% \ Syswow64 \ Msiexec / regserver command must also be launched.
Reboot the system.
3) Restart the Windows Installer Service [Windows 7 or Vista]
The problem may simply depend on the fact that the Windows installer service is not configured to start automatically when the PC is turned on.
From the Start menu> Search and write the services.msc command.
In the services management window, find Windows Installer, click on it, restart it and set it to start automatically from the drop-down menu.
4) If none of the above methods have solved the problem of installing and uninstalling the programs, there is still another possibility:
- Download msiserver.zip from the Winhelp online site and save it on the Desktop.
- Unzip the file and extract msiserver.reg to the desktop.
- Right click on msiserver.reg and choose Merge.
- Confirm and restart Windows.
5) Perhaps the first thing to try is Microsoft's automatic Fix It for program installation and uninstallation problems.
Fix-It is a small, free, portable program that does it all by itself which can be downloaded from the Microsoft troubleshooting tools page.
The application solves several problems including the failed removal of registry keys on Windows and various impediments to updating software and installing new programs.
Experienced users can apply the fixes manually after the problems have been identified and then uninstall the blocked programs that the classic procedure had not removed .
This Microsoft Fix it is the evolution of the old Windows Installer Cleanup tool that Microsoft has discontinued because it was considered unstable.
CleanUp was a salvation if an error occurred whereby a program does not install because the previous version is already there.
On the sidelines of this I would like to warn you never to manually delete the files in the Windows Installer cache that are located in the C: \ Windows \ Installer folder.
