Office SP3 Problem PRORET.MSI cannot be found

[JareD]

I cannot install Office SP3 on Windows XP. It is a old system at my office. When I run the setup I am getting a error saying that proret.msi is missing. I had checked my hard disk and the Office disk there is no file listed related to that. I had tried to run a Repair setup of Office through the installation disc and then retried the setup. But is again asking for that file. From where I can download that from internet. Thanks.

[Wooody]

Do not go for manual search. The file is in the Office CD. It looks like the file is corrupted. You can download that from web. I had seen some Microsoft links on web but they are dead. They are not opening up. There can be some file sharing website from where you can download the file or the other thing you can do is arrange a another Office installation disc. You can use that to run the setup.

[Myra]

My system has Office XP Small Business Edition. I am getting the same error. I tried to run the setup in safe mode also, but that did not helped. After checking for new update I receive a new update which has nothing related to this file. I am also looking for this file. I checked on Microsoft forums. There are many links but ample of them are not working. If anyone can find the file download link please provide here.

[Amosz]

Update cannot help you here. The error is related to version issue. When you recieve that error that simply means in your system XP Pro Retail edition is installed. Another thing the media that you are using to reinstall the same should be exactly the same. Any other disc or different edition will not work. You have to find the vendor disk and run the repair setup to fix the file missing issue. It looks that when you bought the system it came with Office pre-installed in that. A repair setup is the only way that can make this thing work. Another thing you can do is remove Office XP Pro completely from your system. And then re-install it from scratch. It looks the existing disc is not valid. I had performed repair setup from a friend disc who owns the exact system I have, and it worked.

[Swain]

Just because of that one file my update failed. I had did the manual setup too but that also did not worked out. My wife had bought XP Pro package a year before. She works on Access mostly. Now after running that update, constant proret.msi error keeps on appearing on the screen. I am still trying to troubleshoot the same. But if this does not work I would re-install it and avoid update. That would be the only thing I can do.

[uniquebobc]

[FONT="Arial"][SIZE="4"]I have not been so lucky. I have MS OFFICE XP Professional SP3. I have tried restoring my system. I have tried downloading and installing Windows Installer 3.1. I have looked everywhere on my computer for the "missing file." All to no avail. The OFFICE XP CD cannot be accessed.

What is happening to me:

Every time I lauch MS EXCEL, it wants to reinstall OFFICE XP. Every time I try accessing MS EXCEL HELP, it wants to re-install Office XP. I cancel out since I cannot do so, and I cannot use HELP. I cannot use HELP in any Office application. I still seem to be able to use all functions of the MS OFFICE XP applications, but cannot use HELP.

I tried to "DETECT & REPAIR," but OFFICE goes through the install procedure that fails every time because of the missing "PRORET.MSI" file.

I have tried everything I have found in forums, on Microsoft, and everywhere else I can think of! Will I have to give up and buy a new version of MS OFFICE Pro?

HELP!

Actually, I misspoke. It will not autorun when trying to Detect and Repair. I can view the contents in Windows Explorer. That is how I know that the *.msi file is not on the CD--it does not show when I look for it using Windows Explorer.

[AlphaZeta]

I found this forum in order to get rid of the same "Microsoft Office XP" dialog box that starts everytime I startup my computer and everytime I try to launch any of my MS Office programs.

However, I do not think this has anything to do with which version of MS Office XP retail or whatever, because this happened to my brand new netbook, only one week after I had loaded my MS Office XP version 2002.

The problem IMMEDIATELY began after I unsuccessfully tried to log onto the internet at a cafe while traveling in a foreign country. I previously installed MS Office from this same properly licensed software on 4 other laptops and have never encountered this dialog box before.

Because I was traveling, I didn't have my install disks available. Now that I'm home, I've not yet tried to "insert the installation package" to my CD drive, nor have I downloaded the 57 MB upgrade package -- because according to what i've read on the various forums, none of these seem to solve the problem.

Could this be some kind of bug in MS Office that was triggered when I was trying to reach the internet on a foreign language website?

I am tempted to remove MS Office from my system and reinstall. Will report if that solves the issue.