windows installer keeps popping up.

Every time I run a program on open a folder I get a several dialog
boxes that pop up then disappear saying, "Windows Installer" Preparing
to install.. Sometimes they won't stop at all and I have to quit all
programs to get it to stop.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

Pay attention to what it is actually trying to install.

Then uninstall and re-install that particular product.

I have seen MS Office do that and I have seen Symantec Anti-virus do that.

Removing and reinstalling the "affected" product fixed it.

When I seen it happen here it was because Symantec AV was "damaged" by a
virus infection.


--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------


"SpreadTooThin" <bjobrien62@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:64cc321a-7d99-4b2e-8735-2862c2025675@u18g2000pro.googlegroups.com...
> Every time I run a program on open a folder I get a several dialog
> boxes that pop up then disappear saying, "Windows Installer" Preparing
> to install.. Sometimes they won't stop at all and I have to quit all
> programs to get it to stop.
>
> HELP!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>

On Mar 10, 1:19*pm, "Phillip Windell" <philwind...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Pay attention to what it is actually trying to install.
>
Unfortunately it doesn't mention any applications name.
>
> When I seen it happen here it was because Symantec AV was "damaged" by a
> virus infection.
>

The Windows Installer is smart enough to know what registry keys/files
should be present on a machine for your applications. When you log on, one
of those applications is detecting that those base settings are not
present. As a result, the Windows Installer is attempting a "repair".
Since the keys etc are not being set, you end up in a loop. This is a
symptom of another problem, likely security on this machine.

I would use process monitor:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/s.../bb896645.aspx

Filter on "Access Denied", if you're lucky you'll get a hit and correct the
security.

An alternative is to back up your data and then reset security back to
Windows default. The guys on the FixIt team wrote a macro to run the
command line for you.

How do I restore security settings to the default settings?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313222

Dave Guenthner [MSFT]
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"SpreadTooThin" <bjobrien62@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:265b13e6-5c77-4cc5-881a-07e6af46980c@b38g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

On Mar 10, 1:19 pm, "Phillip Windell" <philwind...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Pay attention to what it is actually trying to install.
>
>Unfortunately it doesn't mention any applications name.

Don't interupt it and it will eventually. Even if it prompts for a file
location,...you can tell by what file it wants.

--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------

On Mar 11, 1:46*pm, "Phillip Windell" <philwind...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> "SpreadTooThin" <bjobrie...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:265b13e6-5c77-4cc5-881a-07e6af46980c@b38g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>
> On Mar 10, 1:19 pm, "Phillip Windell" <philwind...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Pay attention to what it is actually trying to install.
>
> >Unfortunately it doesn't mention any applications name.
>
> Don't interupt it and it will eventually. *Even if it prompts for a file
> location,...you can tell by what file it wants.
>

Nope. I wish you were right. I waited the window disappears pops up
again, disappears again, pops up again disappears again and then
nothing really happens.. either my application runs or a folder window
is opened.


> --
> Phillip Windellwww.wandtv.com
>
> The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
> or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
> -----------------------------------------------------

Try with the network cable unpluged. This will prevent it from finding the
files it wants if they are over the network and it will prompt for their
location.

If that doesn't work then just reinstall the "obvious" applications like MS
Office, your Anti-Virus, etc.

If that doesn't work you'll probably have to wipe the machine and start
over. It is probably infected with something that cause it in the first
place anyway. You can reload it in less time than it takes to figure out
what really happened.


--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com

The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
-----------------------------------------------------

[kwhc10]

You have to find out which program it is actually trying to install.
You have a corrupted registry ( No big deal - easy to fix - see below) and that is why your windows installer keeps poping up in a loop....

type into run : eventvwr.msc and you can see there which program gives you an error - when you start the defective software program - you have to try all different ones till you find the one that gives yo an eror message -

then uninstall this program only with the microsoft clean uninstall utility tool.

you can get that at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

Then uninstall the damaged program ( in my case it was acrobat 8) and once you have uninstalled that program your pop ups will stop immediately -

after that you can re-install that particular software and yor computer will work perfectly - trust me - it works - I spent the past 3 days trying to find a solution for this - and I finally fixed it Warren

[kwhc10]

Originally Posted by SpreadTooThin

Every time I run a program on open a folder I get a several dialog
boxes that pop up then disappear saying, "Windows Installer" Preparing
to install.. Sometimes they won't stop at all and I have to quit all
programs to get it to stop.

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

You have to find out which program it is actually trying to install.
You have a corrupted registry ( No big deal - easy to fix - see below) and that is why your windows installer keeps poping up in a loop....

type into run : eventvwr.msc and you can see there which program gives you an error - when you start the defective software program - you have to try all different ones till you find the one that gives yo an eror message -

then uninstall this program only with the microsoft clean uninstall utility tool.

you can get that at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

Then uninstall the damaged program ( in my case it was acrobat 8) and once you have uninstalled that program your pop ups will stop immediately -

after that you can re-install that particular software and yor computer will work perfectly - trust me - it works - I spent the past 3 days to find a slution and this - and I finally fixed it Warren