«The Windows Installer service could not be accessed» when you try to install Office

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

Symptoms

When you try to install Microsoft Office, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:

«The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed.»

Cause

This problem may occur if the Windows Installer files are damaged or missing.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Use the Msconfig tool to confirm that the installer service is running

Click Start, and then click Run. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

On the Services tab, click to select the check box that is next to Windows Installer. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

Click OK, and then click RestartВ to restart the computer. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

Install Office again. When you are prompted to enter the product key, type the product key, and then click Next.

Office will be installed, and you will not be prompted for the product key when the programs start.

Method 2: Re-register Windows Installer

This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

To re-register Windows Installer, follow these steps.

Note If you cannot complete the following steps, go to method 3.

Click Start, and then click Search. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

Click All files and folders. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

In the File name box, type Msiexec.exe, and then click Search. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

After the search is complete, make a note of the location of the Msiexec.exe file. The location of the file should be similar to the following example: C:\Windows\System32 (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

On the File menu, click Close to close the SearchВ dialog box. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

Click Start, and then click Run. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

Locate and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer(The screen shot for this step is listed below).

In the right pane of the Registry Editor window, double-click ImagePath. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

In the Edit String dialog box that appears, make sure that the string in the Value data box contains the correct path for the Msiexec.exe file that you determined in step 4.

Note The following is an example of the correct path, where drive is the drive where Windows is installed:

drive:\Windows\System32\msiexec.exe /V

If the Value data box does not contain the correct path, make changes to correct the path, and then click OK to close the Edit String dialog box. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

On the File menu, click ExitВ to quit Registry Editor. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

Start your computer in Safe mode, and then register the Msiexec.exe file. To do this, follow these steps:

Shut down your computer, and then restart your computer.

Restart your computer and press the F8 key on your keyboard. On a computer that is configured for booting to multiple operating systems, press the F8 key when you see the Boot menu.

Use the ARROW keys to select Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.

If the Boot menu appears again, and the words «Safe Mode» appear in blue at the bottom, select the installation that you want to start, and then press ENTER.

Log on to the computer.

Click Start, click Run, type msiexec /regserver in the Open box, and then click OK. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

Shut down your computer, and then restart your computer normally.

If you still cannot install Microsoft Office successfully and you receive an error message that is similar to the message listed in the «Symptoms» section, go to Method 3.

Method 3: Try the methods that are listed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 319624

Try the methods that are listed in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

319624 «Windows Installer Service could not be accessed» error message when installing application

Method 4: Reinstall Windows Installer

Note This method applies to Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0. For Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003, either reapply the latest service pack or repair the operating system.

To reinstall the Windows Installer, follow these steps.

Click Start, and then click Run. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

At the command prompt, type the following lines. Press ENTER after you type each line.

(The screen shot for this step is listed below).

ren msi.dll msi.old

(The screen shot for this step is listed below).

ren msiexec.exe msiexec.old

(The screen shot for this step is listed below).

ren msihnd.dll msihnd.old

(The screen shot for this step is listed below).

At the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER. (The screen shot for this step is listed below).

Restart your computer.

Update the Windows Installer files to the latest version. To do so, visit one of the following Microsoft Web sites, and then download and install Windows Installer 2.0.

Note Windows Installer 2.0 is included with Microsoft Windows XP. You do not have to perform this step if you are using Windows XP.

After the installation of the Windows Installer is complete, shut down and restart your computer normally before you install Microsoft Office.

More Information

For more information about how to restart Windows in Safe mode, see Advanced startup options (including safe mode).

«The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed» error when you try to install a program in Windows 7 or Windows Vista

Symptoms

When you try to install a program in Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you receive the following error message:

«The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.»

Resolution

To resolve this issue, use Method 1. If Method 1 does not resolve the issue, use the next method that is listed until you resolve the issue.

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To reset the Windows Installer Service settings in the registry, create a registry file by using Notepad. Then, run the file to update the registry key.

To do this, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then type Notepad in the Search box.

Under the Programs heading, click Notepad.exe.

Copy the following text, and then paste it into a notepad:

Click File, click Save As, and then name the file Msirepair.reg.

In the Save as type box, click All Files (*.*).

In the Save in box, click Desktop, and then click Save.

On the File menu, click Exit to close notepad.

On the Desktop, right-click Msirepair.reg, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted to enter an administrator password or provide confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

Click Yes when you are prompted to install the registry keys.

Restart the installation process for the program that you want to install.

To start the Windows Installer Service, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then type CMD in the Search programs and files dialog box.

Right-click cmd.exe, and then click Run as Administrator.

Type net start MSIServer, and then press ENTER.

Restart the installation process for the program that you want to install.

To check that the Windows Installer Service is running, follow these steps:

Click Start, type services.msc in the Search box, and then click Services under the Programs heading.

In the Services (Local) list, right-click Windows Installer, and then click Properties.

In the Startup type drop-down list, check that the value is set to Manual.

The Windows Installer Service is running if the Service status: entryis set to Running.

If an earlier version of the program that you want to install is already installed on the computer, follow these steps:

Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Uninstall a Program under Programs.

Select the program in the list that you want to install.

Click Uninstall (or Uninstall/Change in Windows Vista), and then follow the instructions or prompts to uninstall the application.

Restart the computer.

Restart the installation process for the program that you want to install.

This issue occurs when one or more of the following conditions are true:

You install or remove a program that uses the Microsoft Installer Service before you try to install the program on your computer.

The Windows Installer Service is not running.

The Windows Installer registry settings are corrupted or configured incorrectly.

For more information about this issue in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, click the following number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

315346 Error message when you try to add or remove a program on a computer that is running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003: «The Windows Installer service could not be accessed»