MS Excel will not load - Error 1706

Whenever I try to start up MS Excel, whether it be through the start menu or by opening an existing workbook, a dialogue box flashes up labelled Windows Installer. It then starts trying to install Excel as if it were not already on the system. It asks for the MS Office installation disk (which I don't have) and then when I click cancel it comes up with an error dialogue box:

"Error 1706. Setup cannot find the required files. Check your connection to the network, or CD-ROM drive. For other potential solutions to this problem, see F:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 10\1033\SETUP>HLP."

It then shuts down.

I googled this error and came up with a microsoft support page (http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb;en-us;811587) suggesting links with a "W32/Insane.dam" virus. I searched for excel.exe.vir on my hard drives and couldn't find it but I did find EXCEL.EXE in F:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office 10, to which I have now placed a shortcut on my desktop. If I run this file, Excel opens up with the dialogue boxes described above in front of it, and after I click "cancel" four or five times, the dialogue boxes disappear leaving the program still open so I can actually use it.

When I had multiple user accounts active on this computer, a similar thing would happen when trying to open MS Word on two particular user accounts but not a third. This problem with Excel developed when I deleted the other two user accounts and started using only this one, which (interestingly) was one of the two which had the problem opening MS Word, a problem which has now resolved itself somehow.

I've already uploaded an AIDA32 report of my computer in thread http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=80796. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

This is also the same kind of behavior that you will see when MS Office gets a major update through MS Office update site. Not sure how to help you without a disk though.

 

Have shown hidden files and folders. No MSOCache on my system.

I've clicked "Browse" on the installation window. I think the file it's looking for is "PROPLUS.MSI" - that's the what's in the file name box, anyway. I've run a search for "PROPLUS.MSI" on my computer. I don't have it.

I've previously tried updating MS Office from the internet but haven't got very far without the cd.

 

Have you any idea why this problem was only occurring on certain user accounts when it first appeared? Or, for that matter, why I can actually still open the program and use it perfectly, if it cannot find files it needs to work properly?