When installing or uninstalling programs on a Windows-based computer, you may experience issues where the application may not install or uninstall correctly.
An automated troubleshooter is available that can diagnoses problems that can prevent installing and uninstalling programs on your Windows-based computer. This troubleshooter can help with programs that do not uninstall correctly and with issues where programs may be blocking the installations of other programs. To run the troubleshooter, click Run Now on the following website:
Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter
If the Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter does not resolve your issue, this article describes additional steps below that may help resolve the issue.
Note: The Windows Installer Cleanup utility (MSICUU2.exe) that was previously referred to in this article has been retired. The Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter is a replacement for that utility.
If you need to uninstall Office version 2003, 2007, or 2010, a new FixIT solution is available in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
290301 How do I uninstall Office 2003, Office 2007, or Office 2010 suites if I cannot uninstall it from Control Panel?
If you need to uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
2435760 How to manually uninstall Microsoft Security Essentials if you cannot uninstall it by using the Add or Remove Programs item?
Symptom:
When you install, uninstall, or update a program on a Windows-based computer, you may receive one of the following error messages:
Error message 1
The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed.
Error message 2
Windows Installer Service couldn t be started.
Error message 3
Could not start the Windows Installer service on Local Computer. Error 5: Access is denied.
Cause:
The installation or uninstallation process of a program can fail for several reasons.
Resolution:
The following steps are appropriate for beginning to intermediate users.
Important: You must log on to the computer by using an administrator account. To perform many of the steps in this article, you have to be logged on to a computer that has an account that has administrator rights.
Windows Installer issues:
The Windows Installer Engine could be corrupted, installed incorrectly, or disabled. This may cause installation issues.
Note The Windows Installer Engine manages the installation of software, manages the additions and deletions of software components, monitors file resiliency, and maintains basic failure recovery by using rollbacks.
Use these methods to identify any Microsoft Installer issues that may be causing problems when you install, uninstall, or update programs. Start with method 1, follow the steps in that method, and then go to the next method if your issue is not resolved.
Method 1: Determine whether the Windows Installer engine is functioning
Click Start, type cmd in the Search box or click Run then type cmd in the dialog (Windows XP or Windows Server 2003), and then press Enter to open a Command Prompt window.
If the problem persists, go to method 2.
Method 2: Make sure that the Windows Installer service is not set to Disabled
Click Start, type services.msc in the Search box or click Run then type services.msc in the dialog (Windows XP or Windows Server 2003), and then press Enter to open Services.
If the problem persists, go to method 3.
Method 3: Check your version of Windows Installer, and upgrade to the latest version if it is needed
Important: This method applies to Windows XP, to Windows Vista, to Windows Server 2003, to Windows Server 2003 R2, and to Windows Server 2008 only.
Click Start, type cmd in the Search box or click Run then type services.msc in the dialog (Windows XP or Windows Server 2003), and then press Enter to open a Command Prompt window.
If the installer version is not version 4.5, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information and for a link to download Windows installer 4.5:
942288 Windows Installer 4.5 is available
If the problem persists, go to method 4.
Method 4: Reregister the installer engine
Important: This method applies to Windows XP and to Windows Server 2000 only.
At the command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter after each line:
MSIExec /unregister
MSIExec /regserver
Installing or updating programs in Windows may not have completed successfully
The method that is used to install or to update the program may not have completed successfully
There are several methods that can be used to install, to uninstall, or to update a program. Additionally, the method or methods that are used may not have started or completed successfully. The following are common methods that are used to install software:
Browse to the CD, DVD, removable media, or other location where the programs installation files are stored, and then double-click the Setup program. The setup file is typically one of the following:
The installation media may be unreadable
Installation media such as CD and DVD media may be dirty or scratched and may be unreadable by the CD or DVD reader and cause installation, removal, or updating issues.
Method 1: Clean the CD or DVD that you are using to install (This applies only if you have to use a CD or DVD.)
Clean the CD or DVD media. To do this, use a CD or DVD disc-cleaning kit. Or, gently wipe the silver side of the disc by using a soft, lint-free cotton cloth. Do not use paper cloth. This can scratch the plastic or leave streaks. When you clean the disc, wipe from the center of the disc outward. Do not use a circular motion. If the problem continues to occur, clean the disc by using a damp cloth or a commercial CD or DVD disc-cleaning solution. Dry the disc thoroughly before you insert the disc into the drive.
Method 2: Copy the installation files to your computer
Copy the installation files to a local hard disk on your computer or to other, removable media. Note the location, and then run the installation from that location. The installation file is typically called Autorun.exe or Setup.exe. But this can vary. If you are not sure, check the Readme file in the folder for instructions about how to run the installation. If an executable file (.exe) is available, we do not recommend that you run .msi files directly without specific instructions from the vendor.
Method 3: Obtain a fresh version of the installation package
If you tried to install from a CD or DVD, take the following actions:
Advanced Users If multiple CDs or DVDs are required, we recommend that you copy all the disks to the same folder, in reverse order (higher disk numbers first). Be prepared to approve files to be overwritten if you are prompted, and then install from that location.
Downloaded or copied installation files may be corrupted
Method 1: Copy the installation files to your computer
Copy the installation files to a local hard disk on your computer or other, removable media. Note the location, and then run the installation from that location. The installation file is typically named Autorun.exe or Setup.exe. But this can vary. If you are not sure, check the Readme file in the folder for instructions on how to run the installation. If an executable file (.exe) is available, we do not recommend that you run .msi files directly without specific instructions from the vendor.
Method 2: Obtain a fresh version of the installation package
If some time has elapsed between when you downloaded the package and when you tried to install it, do the following:
Programs that are currently running on your computer may be interfering with the installation process
Disable programs that might be interfering with the installation process. To do this, follow these steps:
Click Start, type msconfig in the Search box, and then click msconfig.exe.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
When you are finished troubleshooting the problem, restart the computer in Normal Startup mode. To do this, follow these steps:
Click Start, type msconfig in the Search box, and then click msconfig.exe.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
For more information about how to use MSConfig, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
929135 How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7?
Uninstalling programs in Windows may not have completed successfully
Try installing, uninstalling, or updating programs by using a different method in Windows
There are typically several ways to uninstall any program. Try the following methods. If one method does not resolve the issue, try the next method.
Method 1: Use the programs uninstall option (if available)
Click Start, and then click All Programs.
If your issue is not resolved, go to method 2.
Method 2: Use Control Panel options
Click Start, click Control Panel, click Add and Remove Programs or click Programs and Features, and then click Uninstall a program.
For more help for your install, uninstall, or update issue
If you followed these steps and the issue is still not resolved you may have to contact Microsoft Support for additional assistance. For information about how to contact Microsoft Support, visit the following Microsoft website. Some charges may apply.
You may also want to visit a Microsoft community website where you can ask questions and receive answers from other users for free. Microsoft Answers is a support forum for consumer customers. To visit Microsoft Answers, visit the following Microsoft website:
Advanced users:
Note: The following steps are appropriate for advanced users only.
Manually uninstalling the program
You may be able to manually uninstall some parts of the program through the Windows interface. For example, you may be able to manually delete program files and folders. Because the steps to do this can be very different, depending on the version of Windows that you have and the program that you are trying to uninstall, no prescriptive steps are provided in this article to do this. If you are not familiar enough with the program that you are trying to uninstall to positively identify the files and folders for that program, we do not recommend that you try this method. Generally, when you begin to manually delete program files and folders, you run the risk of damaging your operating system. This step should be followed at your own risk.
If you are considering manually uninstalling the program, the following are some things that you should remember:
Check for file or folder names longer than 260 characters
For more about the maximum path length limitation, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) website:
Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces
Enable MSI logging, and then read the MSI verbose logs
Most programs will create an installation log. If no log can be located, you can enable verbose MSI logging. For more information about how to enable Windows Installer logging, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 223300 How to enable Windows Installer logging?
Note: If you are running the .msi without the bootstrapping application (.exe), you can add parameters for verbose logging. For example:
Msiexec path\your_msi.msi /L*v path\your_msi_log.txt
For a list of msiexec command-line parameters, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) website:
A failed installation will typically log Return Value 3 where the problem occurred and the installation rollback begins. The description of the failure will appear immediately before the Return Value 3 log entry.
The Wilogutl.exe tool can be useful in the analysis of log files from a Windows Installer installation. Additionally, the tool can suggest solutions to errors that are found in a log file. The Wilogutil.exe tool is available in the latest Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit.
The following is an example of how to use the Wilogutl.exe tool:
wilogutl /q /l c:\mymsilog.log /o c\outputdir\
References:
For general information about how to install or to uninstall a program, visit the following Microsoft websites:
Installing programs: frequently asked questions
The information in this article applies to:
Related Topics :
