Windows Installer Error

Recently my Microsoft Office was trying to go through an automated update, was given an error. I really need that updated.
Today I tried updating Skype, was told that there was an error accessing Windows Installer? I'm assuming that is the issue that was with the Office upgrade, too.

I'm on Vista x86 Home Basic. How can I go about repairing the Windows Installer so these services can continue to receive updates?

 

Wow, really weird. I just went to check if the service was running and here is what I am seeing: http://screensnapr.com/v/0kDaWH.png

Any explanation? I know the typical answer is "You have a virus!" but I'm a pretty experienced Windows user and I've only installed one application recently (which does not even run actively), which is Process Lasso. Why are all of these services disabled, yet some show as "started?" No idea what's with that.

 

Yup, really weird ...

If I were you, I'd get along to blackviper's site and grab the default Services zip for your Vista version and Merge it (SP2 page), then run Malwarebytes - you may need to rename the .exe to something random if there is malware at the root of this.

 

Alright, so I fixed that, onto the next problem.
I can now not enable my firewall service. I use Outpost. When I try to set the service as manual or automatic, here is what I get: http://screensnapr.com/v/kPVAPQ.png

 

There are some Windows Services that cannot be modified using a registry patch in Vista, can you explore these next?