Problem with windows installer package on startup

Starting this morning when I turned on my pc I got a screen stating "Please wait while windows configures HP PhotoSmartEssential" and then another screen pops up saying "There is a problem with this windows installer package. A program required for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor".

I click on the okay on that pop up and the first pop up which is under that one and it starts all over again. (4 - 5 times before it stops popping up and the rest of the start up continues)

I never had this issue until this morning. I ran a boot time scan and then the pc started and the same thing happened again and is happening every time I restart the pc. Last night I had run Malware Bytes and the SuperAnitSpyware program before shutting down and the night before that I ran Spybot.

I have been searching online for a possible reason for this sudden issue and I have gone to msconfig and removed the checkmark for the HP software there and I have also gone to programs>startup> and removed the HP item that was there as well (it was also the only item listed there). Just in case I also went to services.msc and switched the windows installer from manual to automatic - hoping that might help.

After each attempt to fix the issue I have restarted the pc with no success; the issue keeps happening each time I restart the pc. I also tried doing a system restore to yesterday morning but that did not fix it either.

I also tried installing the microsoft fix it program and running that but it just kept saying that it was not responding so I then tried the ms fix it center and that one just keeps telling me that it is unable to download the troubleshooters, please check your internet connection - but I was connected to the internet.

Right now the pc is running an online eset scan (it is about 45% through the scanning process and the total scan time has been about 1 hour 50 minutes so far) but as of right now it has not found any issues / threats.

I was thinking that maybe I need to uninstall the hp printer (a wireless Officejet J460 all in one) and try reinstalling it but thought I would check here first and see if anyone had any other suggestions.

TIA

Lisa

 

sorry, forgot to mention that I am running Windows Vista Home Premium on a Gateway Laptop pc.

 

As it turns out it wasn't an issue with windows installer but rather with the HP OfficeJet 4680 printer software.

I ended up doing a total uninstall of all of the HP printer software, ran disk cleanup and ccleaner and then restarted the pc. I then reinstalled the software and all is running fine again!