Just Want To Clarify Before I Try This...

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I mentioned a while back I was having a problem with Windows Installer. In
the time frame since then I've found a way to disable it from showing up
(somewhat), but in the process I've lost Frontpage and Publisher. Now I can't
open any of my Office 2002 programs without installer popping up, or the
program asking for my serial key (which I do not have, Office was
pre-installed) and then refusing to work. Also, Windows Installer won't
install any new programs.

I think I may have found a solution, and was debating doing either one(or
both) of these things:

1) Use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility to wipe out the memory of any
of my Office 2002 programs, then uninstall them. I then was going to install
Office 2003 so I could get my missing programs back.

2) Uninstall SP2 and try to reinstall it try and "reset", if you will, the
Installer.

Will either of these actually work? I just want to know before I do go
through with them and make a mistake I can't easily fix. I have thought about
using the Restore Points, but the furthest back I can go is around Halloween,
and the problem has been around longer than that.
 
Liz said:
I mentioned a while back I was having a problem with Windows Installer. In
the time frame since then I've found a way to disable it from showing up
(somewhat), but in the process I've lost Frontpage and Publisher. Now I can't
open any of my Office 2002 programs without installer popping up, or the
program asking for my serial key (which I do not have, Office was
pre-installed) and then refusing to work. Also, Windows Installer won't
install any new programs.

I think I may have found a solution, and was debating doing either one(or
both) of these things:

1) Use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility to wipe out the memory of any
of my Office 2002 programs, then uninstall them. I then was going to install
Office 2003 so I could get my missing programs back.

2) Uninstall SP2 and try to reinstall it try and "reset", if you will, the
Installer.

Will either of these actually work? I just want to know before I do go
through with them and make a mistake I can't easily fix. I have thought about
using the Restore Points, but the furthest back I can go is around Halloween,
and the problem has been around longer than that.
Click to expand...

I will assume your system not going through a self destruction process! and
also is clean from malware and viruses?.
Run disk clean up and Defrag in safe mode, then Open "My Computer" and right
click your Partition (C:\), select Properties.
On the Drive Properties click on Tools Tab, then click on Check Disk Button,
a pop-up window will come up check the two check boxes for throough check and
Auto Repair for found crrupt/damaged files/folders. Click [OK], another
window will pop-up click [Yes] to run it on Start up or restart.
Reboot your machine, the Chkdsk will take a while, so get yourself comfy.
After the process finished, you will be prompted or auto boot your system
and get into the Desktop, try to download the newer version of Windows
installer from here:
Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...FC-5F56-4A38-B838-DE776FD4138C&displaylang=en
HTH.
nass
 
I will have to try that. My computer is very clean of any sort of spyware and
whatnot as I have upgraded all my antiviral software, and nothing comes up in
the virus/spybot scans. I don't think it's a virus because it would have
affected more than just a preinstalled program.

nass said:
Liz said:
I mentioned a while back I was having a problem with Windows Installer. In
the time frame since then I've found a way to disable it from showing up
(somewhat), but in the process I've lost Frontpage and Publisher. Now I can't
open any of my Office 2002 programs without installer popping up, or the
program asking for my serial key (which I do not have, Office was
pre-installed) and then refusing to work. Also, Windows Installer won't
install any new programs.

I think I may have found a solution, and was debating doing either one(or
both) of these things:

1) Use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility to wipe out the memory of any
of my Office 2002 programs, then uninstall them. I then was going to install
Office 2003 so I could get my missing programs back.

2) Uninstall SP2 and try to reinstall it try and "reset", if you will, the
Installer.

Will either of these actually work? I just want to know before I do go
through with them and make a mistake I can't easily fix. I have thought about
using the Restore Points, but the furthest back I can go is around Halloween,
and the problem has been around longer than that.
Click to expand...

I will assume your system not going through a self destruction process! and
also is clean from malware and viruses?.
Run disk clean up and Defrag in safe mode, then Open "My Computer" and right
click your Partition (C:\), select Properties.
On the Drive Properties click on Tools Tab, then click on Check Disk Button,
a pop-up window will come up check the two check boxes for throough check and
Auto Repair for found crrupt/damaged files/folders. Click [OK], another
window will pop-up click [Yes] to run it on Start up or restart.
Reboot your machine, the Chkdsk will take a while, so get yourself comfy.
After the process finished, you will be prompted or auto boot your system
and get into the Desktop, try to download the newer version of Windows
installer from here:
Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...FC-5F56-4A38-B838-DE776FD4138C&displaylang=en
HTH.
nass
Click to expand...
 
Okay, I did a little poking around of my own and I'm back at square one.
Windows installer will install programs normally, but when I run software or
at initial boot-up I get a prompt that tells me it's preparing to install one
of two programs: HpProductAssistant (for my printer), or Office XP
professional (my now unusable version of Office). It will then ask me for a
CD, and I can only make it go away by repeatedly clicking "cancel". I've
learned to just live with it, but I'd like it to go away. I tried to update
it to see if it's the problem, but I have Installer 3.1. Any more suggestions?

I do still have the Cleanup utility, I haven't tried that yet.
 
Hi Liz,
Uninstall the Printer software then reinstall it again.
Click Start >> Control panel >> Add/Remove programs locate the XP Office and
click on Remove, you will get three options one of them Repair Please select
this and let window try to repair the Office for you.
HTH.
nass
 
That seems to have done the trick, thanks so much. I've been trying to solve
this puzzle for months!
 
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