Windows Installer

[Guest]

OS: Windows XP Home Ed SP2. All Windows Updates are up to date. P4 3.2 GHz.

Though all programs are functioning properly, as far as I can tell, each
time that I exit Windows, the Windows Installer comes up and states:
"Preparing to install..." Then Windows shuts down normally and when I
restart, it restarts normally.

In Computer Management, under Services, Windows Installer is set for Manual.
Even so, it's status is "Started."

What might be causing this, how can I correct it?

If I am to uninstall Windows Installer, then how? and how would I then
reinstall it?

Thanks.

 

[Torgeir Bakken \(MVP\)]

OS: Windows XP Home Ed SP2. All Windows Updates are up to date. P4 3.2 GHz.

Though all programs are functioning properly, as far as I can tell, each
time that I exit Windows, the Windows Installer comes up and states:
"Preparing to install..." Then Windows shuts down normally and when I
restart, it restarts normally.

In Computer Management, under Services, Windows Installer is set for Manual.
Even so, it's status is "Started."

What might be causing this, how can I correct it?

If I am to uninstall Windows Installer, then how? and how would I then
reinstall it?

Thanks.

Hi

Most likely it is Windows Installer doing an on-demand installation...

See "Every time I launch my application, Windows Installer performs an
installation. How can I determine the cause of the on-demand installation?"
in the FAQ at

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/community/centers/management/msi_faq.mspx

To access the Application Log in the Event viewer,
run the following command from Start/Run:

eventvwr.msc


If you are running Windows XP (or have access to a Windows XP computer,
you can copy MSIZAP.EXE over to your Win2k computer):

If a product code is listed there and this product is not really installed,
MSIZAP.EXE is maybe able to fix this issue, it is included as a utility in
the support tools installation package (on your WinXP CD) with some additional
documentation included in suptools.chm (installed by suptools.msi).

It will remove all Windows Installer entries for a product key that you feed
it with.

Note that if MSIZAP.EXE is used incorrectly it can affect other applications
on the machine.

Based on the documentation in
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/msi/setup/msizap_exe.asp

this is what you should run:

msizap T {product code}

an example:
msizap T {FFB37294-1155-17D3-A809-0250BAAFB1AB}


Alternatively, for a more user friendly interface to MSIZAP.EXE ,
take a look at this article:

Description of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;290301