Hello ks,
I'm getting messages in my laptop that the WIS is not working every
time I try to install new software. You will remember I mentioned it
was not working in the previous question and it still doesn't, even
when I follow your instructions to start it. I had perhaps stopped
some services in my laptop for security reasons and inadvertently kept
it locked as I had it under a password which locked it for a month
after just one failed attempt. A technician finally unlocked it but I
still have the aforementioned problem. What can I do? Please also
mention what you think of AGV antivirus (www.grisoft.com) and be sure
to tell me whether you collected the tip for the previous question as
there was a credit problem. |
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
28 Sep 2006 09:13 PDT
Hello Jeff,
I am very pleased to see you were happy with my answer on the last
question, it was a pleasure to answer and I hope I can provide another
suitable answer for you.
First, I will need to know what error message you receive when you try
to install some software. This will give me good guidance on where to
start with the diagnosis of the problem.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
28 Sep 2006 10:40 PDT
Thank you, ks. Mainly I get the "the Windows Installer Service could
not be started - or accessed -. This can occur if you are running
Windows in Safe Mode etc." routine. Is this any help?
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
28 Sep 2006 11:31 PDT
Please can you check the following, To start the install service click
START -> RUN and type
services.msc
Search for "Windows Installer" and right click the service and choose
properties. Now click on dependencies and have a look at the following
box "This service depends on the following system components." It
should list RPC as the only dependency. Press cancel and now find the
service called Remote Procedure call. Check the Startup Type listed
next to this service. It should either read Manual or Automatic, if
this service is set to disabled, change this to manual and try an
installation again.
Let me know how this goes for you.
(And I did get that tip by the way, thank you.)
--keystroke-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
28 Sep 2006 11:43 PDT
Also, these could be possible items to try.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315346
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315353/
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
28 Sep 2006 17:03 PDT
I think you hit the nail right on the head there. When I click on
dependencies I get I nice white X on a red background in a small
window and the message "Win32: access is denied".
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
28 Sep 2006 17:09 PDT
Also RPC is started and is on Automatic. I started RPC Locator and
kept it on Manual where it was just in case.
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
29 Sep 2006 12:58 PDT
Hello Jeff,
Well, this is an interesting path. The access denied message you are
geting is pointing me into thinking that there could be deeper
problems with your machine.
Do you have Windows Service Pack 2 installed on your machine along
with all the current updates? To check for this click Start -> Windows
Update and then choose custom to update your machine.
Have you tried to do either of the two links that I sent you above
that are on the Microsoft website? Let me know if any are successful.
I am thinking that if you are getting an access denied message then
neither of those two fixes will help you. I would still like you to
try them and tell me if they work.
If neither of the above works I have another couple of ideas. Once we
get the WIS working I'll make a start on the review of AVG.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
29 Sep 2006 14:25 PDT
ks,
There is no response from the machine when I follow Start --> All
Programs --> Windows Update. However, I'm pretty sure I got SP2 when
times were better. I'm going to try the two links although I hate
working on the Registry. I'll do it tomorrow because it's in the small
hours here and I'm quite depressed.
J.
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
29 Sep 2006 15:03 PDT
Reneged again. Oh Crikey, it doesn't even respond when I click Start
--> Search. I searched through My Documents. Following the
instructions in 315346 of the Knowledge Base, I found two main
instances of msiexec.exe besides the prefetch and the blue unpack
files. One is listed as 77 KB in c:\windows\system32 and the other as
76 KB in c:\windows\Service Pack Files\i386. Which one should I use?
Sorry about my naivete.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
29 Sep 2006 16:45 PDT
Hello Jeff,
Try the file located in c:\windows\system32.
The other file is only a temporary store for updates.
The other problems you have sound like your Windows install could be
in need of repair (or even better a complete reinstall).
Tell me what happens when you try that version of the file.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
30 Sep 2006 05:05 PDT
ks,
This is interesting. Following method 2 in KB315346 all the three .dll
files mentioned, msi.dll, msiexec.dll and msihnd.dll have the
extension sym1, i.e. it's msi.sym1 etc. Do you think Norton IS, i.e.
Symantec, has something to do with this?
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
30 Sep 2006 14:15 PDT
ks,
I followed Method 1 then Method 2 on the aforementioned KB article.
The situation remains the same. However in c:\windows\system32 there
is an msiexec.log file with the following content:
DD_PostFiles: Entering
Registering DustDevil components
DD_LaunchApp: Entering
DD_LaunchApp: Leaving
DD_LaunchApp: Entering
DD_LaunchApp: Leaving
DD_PostFiles: Leaving
Mighty suspicious, don't you think? Also the config.msi folder in C:\
is grayed out and empty.
And shouldn't the msi.dll, msiexec.dll etc. files be in the same
directory as the msi.old etc. described in the knowledge base article?
The latter are in c:\windows\system32\dllcache, while the former are
in c:\windows\system32.
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
30 Sep 2006 14:59 PDT
Hello Jeff,
I'll work out a reply for all the information you gave for a bit
later. For now, I'll just ask-- do you have a Windows XP CD available?
--keystroke-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
30 Sep 2006 15:21 PDT
Also--
Download this file and install it and see what happens:
http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/4/7/147ded26-931c-4daf-9095-ec7baf996f46/WindowsInstaller-KB893803-v2-x86.exe
It is the Windows Installer most up to date version; it may fix something.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
01 Oct 2006 01:44 PDT
Hello ks,
Yes, I've got a Windows XP CD - I've got genuine Windows, I've even
got genuine Microsoft Office, no problem there. I think I've
downloaded the latest version of the Installer - and it asked for
Windows verification. I'll follow the link you provided just the same.
And - I've got SP2 installed.
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
01 Oct 2006 02:09 PDT
I must have had the latest version of the Installer - I wrote I
followed Method 1 and Method 2 of the KB article above. For example I
tried to install CuteFTP and it's the same after following your link -
it says the InstallShield Engine (ikernel.exe) could not be accessed
and installation stops.
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
01 Oct 2006 20:02 PDT
Hi Jeff,
Are you the local administrator on your machine? This may be your problem, if not.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
01 Oct 2006 23:28 PDT
ks,
In Accounts, it says Computer Administrator under my name and picture.
Is that good enough?
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
02 Oct 2006 08:56 PDT
Hello Jeff,
Yes, computer administrator is absolutely fine. It seems to me that
your Windows XP installation has some problems with it. After doing
some more research it seems like Symantec Internet Security is the
culprit (I had to read both French and German websites for this
information and to say I am rusty in those languages is an
understatement).
Try downloading this file:
http://www.winboard.org/forum/attachments/erfahrungsberichte/9450d1146204618-geloest-wieder-mal-arger-mit-symantec-software-sym.rar
Open it up and run BOTH of the files contained within.
It should fix the problems caused by Symantec Internet Security.
Once this is done, try installing your software again. If this fails,
try the two knowledge-base articles from Microsoft that I posted
above. If they still fail or are wrong we will set about going through
a repair install.
Let me know when completed so I know what else to try.
--keystroke-ga
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
02 Oct 2006 09:53 PDT
Hi Jeff,
One more thing..
You may need Winrar available from
www.winrar.com
as that will open the link I told you to download in the previous post
(which is a rar file).
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
02 Oct 2006 10:39 PDT
Hey, ks, that rar site you mentioned was sort of a web clearinghouse
for searches (you know the kind) that only had a lot of pop-ups,
including some adult stuff. I found the genuine article in
www.rarsoft.com. If there are any jobs open at google, please give me
a holler as I've been unemployed for the better part of my adult life.
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
02 Oct 2006 11:17 PDT
ks,
I did everything you said in your next to last post, even followed the
steps in the second KB article, all to no effect I am sorry to say.
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
02 Oct 2006 12:43 PDT
And, ks, are you sure that rar file which I downloaded did not contain
a virus or spyware? My German is poor, but it said something about
"anger" in the filename. Now every time I open certain webpages I
receive a "Preparing to install" message and at some pages I only see
a suspicious "welcome" as the only content (maybe instead of a 404,
I'm not sure). I do hope this process can be reversed.
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
02 Oct 2006 13:40 PDT
Hello Jeff,
No, the rar file was not spyware or malware. The file you downloaded
was called "geloest wieder mal arger mit Symantec" which basically
means "Solved the problems with the Symantec software."
The reason it is installing things is because the fixes you applied
before restore files that Symantec Internet Security breaks. If you
want to restore your machine back to how it was, you can perform a
system restore. START -> Programs -> accessories -> system tools ->
system restore
--then choose a date from yesterday.
I do however think that you have some deep problems within Windows.
From this you have three choices. You can either take your PC to a
local PC repair shop and let them have a look at it. I can talk you
through a repair install of Windows (there is no guarantee this will
fix the problem). At a drastic measure, we can reinstall your whole
computer but without backups you may lose information on your PC. Do
you have backups of your information? If so we can attempt a repair
install of Windows; if you don't have backups are you able to make
some?
When was the last time you know that Windows Installer successfully
worked? We may be to restore your machine to a previous time.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
02 Oct 2006 13:50 PDT
Yes, but do I have to see this welcome message or preparing to install
every time I go to the web? I didn't mention this before, maybe it's
vital, maybe not. At startup, I receive the following message:
"Windows cannot load the user's profile but has logged you on with the
default profile for the system.
DETAIL - Incorrect function."
And a timer countdown.
Windows installer worked well before I uninstalled Norton Internet
Security 2006. I don't want to trouble you more than necessary, you
have already done enough, perhaps calling a technician would be more
appropriate.
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
02 Oct 2006 14:45 PDT
Hello Jeff,
Do not worry about bothering me; you have been kind enough to offer
the highest reward for my help. I would like to stick by you and get
you the help you need. The message you are seeing about the profile
could be something related to the deeper problems you are experiencing
within Windows. Can you try this for me, go to C:\documents and
settings\
You should now see a few folders, and one of those folders will have
your username that you log in with. Change that name to something
similar to "yourname.old"
Now reboot your machine and log in again. Do you still get the same
error (you will get a totally blank user profile doing this)? Are you
able to install any software using WIS?
Let me know what happens and I'll do some deeper searching into the
problem (although my sources are not showing me anything).
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
03 Oct 2006 01:33 PDT
ks,
Thank you very much for not giving up on me. When I try to change that
folder's name I get the "it's a system folder and cannot be changed"
or words to that effect routine.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
03 Oct 2006 05:29 PDT
Hello Jeff,
Thanks for that. I was hoping you were going to say that. Please can
you create a new user on your PC and ensure you set them up as an
administrator.
To create a new user do the following: Start -> settings -> control
panel -> user accounts and then create a new administrator.
Reboot your machine and log in with this new account. Now try changing
the folder in c:\documents and settings\ and you should be able to
call it what you wish (the folder that belongs to your original
account). Reboot, then log back in with your original account.
When you have done this let me know if the error is still present. If
not, try installing some software using WIS. If the installation
fails, log back in using the new account and rename your old account
folder in c:\documents and settings to the original name after
deleting the newly created folder of the same name.
For example if your old account is JEFF and you renamed it to
JEFF.OLD, when Windows logs you in using the JEFF account it will
create a default profile called JEFF. Log in using the new
administrator account you created and delete the JEFF folder and
rename the JEFF.OLD to JEFF. Reboot and log in with the JEFF account.
We will then go through a system restore to see if we can fix it that
way. If that finally fails, I think we will be left with a repair
install. If that fails, we can try a reinstallation which is a drastic
measure and unless you are really confident with computers I would
advise a technician do that for you.
Let me know how it goes.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
03 Oct 2006 09:28 PDT
Dear ks,
I followed what you said to the letter. When I created the other
Admin, I didn't get the "Windows cannot load the user's profile..."
message. However the problem with WIS persisted. Then I tried to
delete what you refer to as the new JEFF directory and replace it with
JEFF.OLD. There was no way, even when I used del /f. I think I only
managed to delete some files or subdirectories using del /s.
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
03 Oct 2006 09:51 PDT
What an idiot! I managed to delete and rename through the icon
interface. At least that part is done. Probably smt to do with Admin
rights.
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
03 Oct 2006 10:06 PDT
Now I get the user profile message again and WIS still has issues.
Have I mentioned that during this whole exchange some programs, e.g.
Zone Alarm and NOD32 installed with no issues?
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
03 Oct 2006 13:10 PDT
Hello Jeff,
Zonealarm and NOD32 do not use the WIS which is why they are able to
install without any issues. Your problem is only going to affect WIS
based installations. As for the actual WIS problem, do you know how to
do a system restore? If so can you restore your system back to a time
BEFORE you uninstalled NIS and you definitely know that WIS was
working?
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
03 Oct 2006 15:11 PDT
ks,
With all the punishment this system has taken, I doubt it'll be able
to do a restore. I think I've failed once before on this system, and
I've certainly failed - no fault of mine, it just said it couldn't go
to that restore point - on all other systems I've tried it. But I'll
go ahead if you insist.
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
03 Oct 2006 15:16 PDT
What timepoint would you suggest using for the restore?
J.
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
04 Oct 2006 05:02 PDT
Hello Jeff,
I'd suggest you restore your system back to a time BEFORE you
uninstalled NIS and you definitely know that WIS was working.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
04 Oct 2006 12:18 PDT
Hello ks,
No dice. When I clicked, it said system restore had been turned off.
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
05 Oct 2006 11:23 PDT
And if I try to rollback to a time before the technician unlocked my
account (I haven't turned on system restore since then), well I don't
know if that's not asking a lot of the OS and I've tried once before
in that time period with a negative result.
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
07 Oct 2006 13:00 PDT
Hi Jeff,
I'm sorry I have not replied to you, I have spoken to a friend who is
helping with some research into this for me; however, his intial
thoughts are that you may either need to risk a repair install (which
may not fix it but you could be ok) or a complete reinstall of the OS.
I will let you know later today or tomorrow.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
07 Oct 2006 14:24 PDT
Keystroke,
What do you mean a repair install? Would I have to reinstall XP Pro or
format the disk? This has always been too much trouble, I can't make
head or tail out of my files after burning them in several unmarked
CD's. Does Google have an on-line storage facility? I'm both an
Adsense and AdWords publisher and I have Gmail, there must be a
service available for me. Also after this "brilliant" German
aergerlosung the "Preparing to install" message keeps appearing in the
most unforeseen actions and has made sushi out of my nerves. Could we
do something about that, please?
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
07 Oct 2006 17:02 PDT
Ok, ks, answer me this and you'll get your two hundred, although there
will certainly be no tip. I'm trying to send a page by email but
bleeding IE does not respond to "send page by e-mail" although it does
"send a shortcut to the desktop". Any suggestions? Be sure to provide
some sort of response to the previous post, too.
Jeff
|
Request for Question Clarification by
keystroke-ga
on
08 Oct 2006 05:58 PDT
Hi Jeff,
A repair install does not require formatting the hard drive; basically
it just reinstalls the core Windows operating system over the current
installation while leaving your system intact with your software and
files still on the computer. However, from the previous post you made,
it does seem as though your Windows XP installation has some serious
problems associated with it. As far as I am aware Google does not have
any sort of online storage facility but this website may have a host
that you like the look of:
http://www.lights.com/pickalink/freestorage/
I will have to warn you though that it will take a long time to upload
a couple of CDs worth of data to an online storage website. My best
advice, in order to fix all of your problems in one go (Send page by
email, Windows Installer Service, and hopefully your nerves :)) would
be to find a local PC repair center, tell them which files you wish to
have backed up, get them to back the files up and then to reinstall
windows for you. Make sure you ask them to back up your IE Favorites
and any other software and data you can think of. Make sure you take a
copy of all your passwords for your internet and other online places
otherwise these could be lost. Alternatively you could email yourself
a copy of all your files to your own Gmail account (it does not accept
ZIP files which is a really poor limitation of Gmail so use rar
instead) and if you need to sign up to two or three more gmail
accounts for more space I would advise that too. Once your files are
backed up, ask a local repair center to reinstall Windows for you and
to put your data back onto the hard drive and hopefully all of your
problems should go away (you will be tasked with installing all of
your software and reentering passwords for websites but as you took a
copy of these you should be ok).
System restore should now be back on (make sure it is always on as it
is a life saver in situations when things go wrong) and should be
making at least weekly backups of your system while it is turned on.
I thank you for allowing me to still claim the payment for the
question even though we have not answered the initial question 100%.
When you are satisfied with the above and about the reinstallation I
will post the information about AVG antivirus as the question answer.
Hope this helps.
--keystroke-ga
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
08 Oct 2006 06:19 PDT
Certainly, this would be sufficient. It makes you stand out as a
person with a long affective memory, a quality which usually
translates into reliability. I am indeed sorry for stepping somewhat
over the bounds of propriety, yet I am sure you will understand how
stressful an ordeal (with no verdict, ha ha, Germanic etymology joke)
this has been for me. One of my hosting companies has an online
storage facility, but I wasn't aware it was so cumbersome to upload. I
was under the distinct impression that Google had one, too, but after
all, Google has everything, or so we consumers think.
Regards,
Jeff
|
Clarification of Question by
jeffsmith-ga
on
15 Oct 2006 14:40 PDT
ks,
I've done a repair install and Windows Installer works now, but
sometimes my computer freezes. Where have you gone off to?
Jeff
|
