Windows XP Windows Installer

I have Windows XP and keep receiving a message that the windows installer is not working whenever I try to add or remove a program (mostly when I try to add or update). I have been to Microsoft and tried their method to repair it but it did not work. I cannot even locate the windows installer file on my hard drive. Is there a way to repair or delete/re-install windows installer without having the disc (the computer was a hand-me-down gift and I never received the disc with it)/ Thank you for any/all help

 

This looks like a good checklist to start with:

http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/how-to-fix-the-windows-installer-service-could-not-be-accessed-error/

I have reninstalled the Windows Installer before and had the reinstall work, but it wasn't fully broken. Sounds like you might have trouble installing WI though...

 

Kurt49, look here and try this,

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/tweaking_com_repair_msi_(windows_installer).html

 

XP shipped with Windows Installer version 3.1. I downloaded Windows Installer version 4.5 quite a while ago. There are also 2 Security Updates for the installer which are attached.

 

I tried ...it did not work. Attached is the error message I received but the strange thing is that it does not say what the problem is. Also, the "click here" link did not do anything either.

 

Thank you all for you help but special thanks to Nick T....the Tweaking.com repair tool appears to have fixed the problem. However, I still cannot get Windows update to even open when I click on it. I realize that Windows does not support XP anymore, so is this the reason why I cannot get it to open when I click on it?

 

Kurt go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services, and check and see if BITS(Background Intelligent Transfer Service) is started if not, start it then try Windows Update.
Also you can check this too,

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/tweaking_com_repair_windows_updates.html

 

I honestly don't feel it's safe to run XP any longer, unless it is a simple workstation on a network behind a firewall which does not browse the internet.

Many XP machines will run Ubuntu just fine, and it's a great free operating system. It can encrypt your drive, and password protect your desktop. The way Ubuntu is coded, it's not prone to viruses but there is a program called ClamAV should you want a scanner.

There are also various versions of browsers other than FireFox, reviews of which can be found here:

http://www.starryhope.com/10-alternative-browsers-for-ubuntu-linux/

So far so good, anyone with an old machine I've set up with Ubuntu likes it, knock on wood...

 

There have been links on MG's "Off Base" or "Way Off Base" for obtaining Security Updates for XP until April 2019.

It involves a simple Registry Key. When I redid my XP drive, I incorporated the Registry Key which made the XP installation Embedded POS Ready without invalidating the Activation.

When I went to the Microsoft Update site in IE 8, the Active X that gets installed detected the Registry Key and I was presented with 4 updates for Windows Embedded and 9 updates for Windows XP including the Malicious Software Removal Tool for MAY 2014.

I'm going to see what happens in June.

 

I wanted to thank you all again for helping me get the windows installer working. It seems to be functioning properly now. However, other strange things have been happening such as, desktop picture disappearing (for no apparent reason), browser tabs opening (on there own), and so on. Maybe it is time to get a new OS. It seems to be giving me more headaches then I need.:banghead

 

Kurt, run this, then if you still have issues, I would head to the Malware Forum,

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/tweaking_com_windows_repair.html

 

Kurt49...

I think NickT is right about heading to the malware board.

Desktop picture missing indicates a decent likelihood of malware, especially along side the browser tab issue. The browser tab issue by itself could be a the aftereffects of removed malware, but it is more likely you currently have malware with a picture disappearing.

I noticed when I had a similar issue with Windows Installer that I had to reinstall some programs. Damage to the Windows Installer can cause some programs to be unable to start. I had to reinstall Flash player (and Shockwave which I use in MS Office some), and I was forced also to reinstall MS Office and a couple of other programs that wouldn't run otherwise.

 

Here is the link to the original article: http://www.ghacks.net/2014/05/24/get-security-updates-windows-xp-april-2019/