What is Windows Installer?
The Windows Installer Service is responsible for the installation of software on a computer, the maintenance and repair of that software and if necessary, it's removal. Software that is to be installed on a Windows computer must adhere to certain rules so that all software can function cooperatively without error. The Windows Installer Service enforces these rules so that no installation causes faults or corruptions with any other software that resides on a Windows computer.
Most times you buy or download software and install it, you will encounter the Windows Installer. It guides the user through an installation, maintenance, repair or uninstallation process with ease and only ever asking for a simple click of a next or finish button. Without this service, users would have to unpack the files of a program, create the directories and folders they will be stored in, place the program files in those directories, and register the files in the system registry.
What is a Windows Installer Error?
‘The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed.’
‘Windows Installer Service could not be started.’
‘Could not start the Windows Installer service on Local Computer. Error 5: Access is denied.’
These are some common errors due to the Windows Installer Engine being corrupt, installed incorrectly, or disabled. The Windows Installer Engine manages the installation of your software, as well as the additions and deletions of the software’s components, monitors the file resiliency and maintains basic failure recovery using rollbacks.
Some of the major causes:
- The procedure used to install or update the program may not have completed successfully.
- Installation media such as the CD or DVD might be dirty, scratched or otherwise unreadable by your CD or DVD reader.
- One or more programs currently running on your computer could be interfering with the installation process.
- The method used by the uninstallation process may not have completed successfully or is still running and interfering with the uninstallation.
While it is certainly preferable to use an automated tool such as FixCleaner to repair Windows Installer, we have compiled a guide to manually repairing Windows Installer. Some of the topics the guide covers:
- Ensuring the Windows Installer engine is functioning
- Making sure Windows Installer service is not disabled
- Updating Windows Installer
- Re-registering the Windows Installer engine
Please note that improperly following the guide may result in a damaged computer, this is why we strongly recommend an automated tool.
Most Windows Installer issues are not directly caused by problems with Windows Installer itself. Rather, small errors and misconfigurations within your system are often to blame for the errors you are experiencing. These small errors in your system can be a major time-drain and sanity-drain if you try to find and fix them yourself. Fortunately, automated tools exist to detect and fix the errors causing your problems.
The tool WindowsAnswers.net has always recommended is FixCleaner. A company by the name of SlimWare Utilities is behind the product. FixCleaner has proven to be an easy, dependable method of fixing Windows Installer errors, as well as many other system errors and slowdowns.
( click here to download FixCleaner ) RECOMMENDED
( click here to download FixCleaner ) RECOMMENDED
