Method 1: Re-Register Windows Installer
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.
To re-register Windows Installer, follow these steps.
Note If you cannot complete the following steps, go to method 2.
Click Start, and then click Search.
Click All files and folders.
In the File name box, type Msiexec.exe, and then click Search.
After the search is complete, make a note of the location of the Msiexec.exe file. The location of the file should be similar to the following example:
C:\Windows\System32
On the File menu, click Close to close the Search dialog box.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
Locate and click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer
In the right pane of the Registry Editor window, double-click ImagePath.
In the Edit String dialog box that appears, make sure that the string in the Value data box contains the correct path for the Msiexec.exe file that you determined in step 4.
Note The following is an example of the correct path, where drive is the drive where Windows is installed:
drive :\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe /V
If the Value data box does not contain the correct path, make changes to correct the path, and then click OK to close the Edit String dialog box.
On the File menu, click Exit to quit Registry Editor.
Start your computer in Safe mode, and then register the Msiexec.exe file. To do this, follow these steps:
Shut down your computer, and then restart your computer.
Restart your computer and press the F8 key on your keyboard. On a computer that is configured for booting to multiple operating systems, press the F8 key when you see the Boot Menu.
Use the ARROW keys to select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.
If the Boot menu appears again, and the words "Safe Mode" appear in blue at the bottom, select the installation that you want to start, and then press ENTER.
Log on to the computer.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type msiexec /regserver, and then click OK.
Shut down your computer, and then restart your computer normally.
If you still cannot install Microsoft Office successfully and you receive an error message similar to the message listed in the "Symptoms" section, go to Method 2.
Method 2: Reinstall Windows Installer
To reinstall the Windows Installer, follow these steps.
NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.
Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
Windows opens a command prompt window.
At the command prompt, type one of the following commands, and then press ENTER, where drive and Windows are the drive and folder where Windows is installed.
If you are running Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows NT, type the following:
attrib -r -s -h drive:\Windows\System32\dllcache
If you are running Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, type the following:
attrib -r -s -h drive:\Windows\System32
At the command prompt, type the following. Press ENTER after you type each line.
ren msi.dll msi.old
ren msiexec.exe msiexec.old
ren msihnd.dll msihnd.old
At the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER.
Restart your computer.
Update the Windows Installer files to the latest version. To do so, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites, and then download and install Windows Installer 2.0.
Note Windows Installer 2.0 is included with Microsoft Windows XP. You do not have to perform this step if you are using Windows XP.
For Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=32831
For Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Microsoft Windows 2000:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=32832&NewList=1
After the installation of the Windows Installer is complete, shut down and restart your computer normally before you install Microsoft Office.
