Bill,
As far as I can tell, so far, no other app seems to
have suffered any damage, but there has been no
opportunity for regression testing of all apps. Perhaps
later, once I get past the main culprits. It just seemed
odd that the two apps (MSAS & NIS 2005) that were
installed in the same logon session, coincidentally both
would not launch, or even display icons or splash screens
and are the only two, it seems that refuse to be REMOVED,
or even REinstalled. When I decided to try to find recent
XP-SR2 Windows Updates and WIN XP patches, to help with
the problem, I found I no longer could pass the entry
screen - it didn't seem to like the Windows Installer on
my system, so it didn't get t the scanning for updates
phase. Perhaps the installer used for getting Updates, is
the same as the one giving complaints at boot time. I
always thought they were different - a special program
for Windws Update function. Maybe not.
It might very well be, that once I get the MSI fixed,
suddenly everything else will fall into line? I was able
to REMOVE PROGRAM for one of Norton's apps, so it must be
working, somewhat. Perhaps the REMOVE PROGRAMS uses the
same corrrupt or unregistered MSI, as Windows Update
uses. Seems to make sense.
Being a suspicious type, I wouldn't be surprised, if
it were a recent virus, that killing the MSI would
immediately make it impossible to remove it, to install
fixes, or to add other security programs, thus leaving
the virus in total control of its environment.
After several hours of trying various thins, in
desperation, I had no choice but to try a "Repair" mode
reinstall of XP Home from the old CD (no SR's). That
didn't change anything, so I took a chance at running the
install again - this time an UPDATE mode install, which
took over an hour. Still no luck to get through tothe
Window Update site, after the second reinstall, so I
downloaded the massive SR2 file from the downloads page,
and ran it locally. Now a fully update current XP-SR2 was
on the system, and absolutely nothing changed.
The "Microsoft Installer(MSI) Invalid or NOT
registered properly" situation may have come around by my
attempts to rerun NIS 2005 install from the Norton CD
(which seems to have its own brand of Installer), or an
attempt to reinstall WORKS SUITE, WORD which got
itself "disconnected" somewhere in the process of
reinstalling XP. So, now I have a bad MSI, and still no
Windows Update access.
If you know where to find the Microsoft Installer, I
would appreciate the link. However, the way I understand
it from the MS download site, there is a downloadable MSI
for Win 95/98/ME, and another MSI for WIN NT/2000.
There is no third MSI for XP, because MS claims it is
not necessary, since it comes already installed from the
XP CD. Duh ... that doesn't solve the problem when it
gets messed up.
Perhaps I just need to "register" the MSI already on
the hard drive, to reactivate it - it probably got
installed during each attempt to reinstall the XP -
unless it was skipped, because the MSI figured there
already was a current version on the hard drive, even
though it was messed up.
How do I "register" the MSI and where would it be on
the system? For that matter, do you know of a
downloadable MSI for XP at Microsoft?
Thanks,
Joe
>-----Original Message-----
>I don't know enough about the workings of that app to
give you a clear
>answer.
>
>I use it with the expectation that it only makes sense
to use it if there is
>no other option.
>
>My experience with Windows Installer snafus is that
there are three
>levels--1) the Windows Installer itself is messed up.
For that one, I
>believe you can't get any response out of the installer
itself or get an
>error message. The cure for this is to re-download the
installer--there's a
>download source for this.
>
>2) If the installer is working fine but you get various
oddball
>"connections" between a couple of apps---for example,
many have found that
>either attempting to install Microsoft Antispyware or
using some features,
>will bring up an install routine for some other product
completely--perhaps
>one the user has no source for. In this case, my
thinking is that there is
>a incomplete install of the unrelated product, and one
either fixes that by
>reinstalling it from the original source, if possible,
or, if no source is
>available, cleaning with the cleanup utility.
>
>You have the original source, but the installer doesn't
do anything
>apparently useful with it, if I am reading the threads
correctly--so you
>don't fit my model well!
>
>I'm going to go back and re-read the thread. Is the
machine doing what it
>should do in terms of operation and display of other
applications? The
>issue is really with the Norton piece, Microsoft
Antispyware, and the
>Windows Installer, and nothing else?
>
>Which version of Windows, if you haven't already said?
>--
>FAQ for Microsoft Antispyware:
>http://www.geocities.com/marfer_mvp/FAQ_MSantispy.htm
>
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