Windows Installer opens constantly ... how to correct ?

[Mary Fowler Leek]

Something has become stuck somewhere as Windows Installer opens each and
every time I attempt to do anything with any MS program. Even in MS Outlook
Express, it starts each time I attempt to open a message, EACH message. I
cancel it but have to wait about a minute for it to close before the email
opens. The same if I use MS Explorer browser or any other MS program.

I have no idea what is attempting to install. If I leave it alone, after a
while it says it's encountered a problem and needs to close the program. I
did remove a 60 day trial of MS Office that had become activated. Could
Windows be looking for something from that set of office programs? I own and
use XP Office Home suite. This trial suite came with a new computer and I
never meant to use it.

Might there be some reference in the registry to the Office Trial Suite that
I could remove? We've recently moved and my software is packed. We're
continuing to dig for it but in the meantime, if someone has a suggestion as
to how I might stop this from happening, I'd deeply appreciate the help. I
can't do anything without long waits for each new screen to open after
cancelling the "Windows Installer".

My thanks,

Mary

PS: even attempting to spell check this message brings up the Windows
Installer screen!

 

[R. McCarty]

What .Msi package does the installer prompt for ? - That would tell
you which program is calling Windows installer. Once you have that
information, you might use the Installer Cleanup utility to remove the
entry. Usually, what happens is not 100% of Office gets installed and
the first time a "Install on 1st use" component is called it will start the
installer and it keeps on trying to complete the operation.