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Windows Secrets > LangaList Plus > ‘Windows Installer Service cannot be accessed’

‘Windows Installer Service cannot be accessed’

By Fred Langa on July 7, 2011 in LangaList Plus
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Fred langa By Fred Langa

The Windows software Installer engine has been causing trouble since the early 1990s.

Windows 7’s new Version 5 Installer engine is different from all those that came before, but it can mess up, too. Here’s how to fix it.


Installer failure yields frustration

Reader Mel ran into an apparently intractable problem with the Windows Installer subsystem.
  • “My brother and I have identical computers, same hardware, same operating system. But he does not have Windows Installer showing in Services.msc. He can install some software but not all.

    “We are both running Windows 7 Professional, completely updated. I do not have any problem installing any software. I can install with no problems the exact same software that he is having trouble installing.

    “I have tried about every fix that I have found on the Internet, but nothing has fixed the problem yet. I am open to trying anything short of formatting and reinstalling Windows. Any help would be appreciated.”

Excuse me, but: Arghhhh!

There, I feel better. You see, Windows Installer troubles have been around for a long, long time — all the way back to Windows 3.0! It’s been an ongoing source of user and IT frustration the entire time.

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All Windows Secrets articles posted on 2011-07-07:

  • Top Story Don’t pay for software you don’t need — Part 3
  • Lounge Life Discovering the culprit is preferred
  • Wacky Web Week Stolen camera turns into critter-cam
  • LangaList Plus ‘Windows Installer Service cannot be accessed’
  • Best Practices Put phantoms in check with energy meters
  • Perimeter Scan Social-networking update: Facebook and Google+
  •  Show all articles on a single page
Fred Langa

About Fred Langa

Fred Langa is senior editor. His LangaList Newsletter merged with Windows Secrets on Nov. 16, 2006. Prior to that, Fred was editor of Byte Magazine (1987 to 1991) and editorial director of CMP Media (1991 to 1996), overseeing Windows Magazine and others.
View all posts by Fred Langa →
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