Windows installer service problem

Are you in Safe Mode?

Go to msconfig and see if the option on the main page is set to Normal Boot. If not, change it to it and reboot.

Yes, it is set to normal boot.

Go into the Services tab and click enable all and then reboot.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2642495

Use option 1 if what hedwar2011 suggested does not work.

If that doesn't help, its time to run either a virus scan or malware scanner such as MalwareBytes Anti-Malware or Spybot Search and Destroy.

I've started a full computer scan using Kaspersky 2013, hopefully that'll pick up something. If it doesn't I'll try the other options.

I serously doubt that it is malware or a virus. It is mostly likely a corrupted registry setting as stated by Microsoft as the cause: •You install or remove a program that uses the Microsoft Installer Service to install a program on your computer.
•The Windows Installer Service is not running.
•The Windows Installer registry settings may be corrupted or set incorrectly

However, it never hurts to scan.

That may be the problem actually Danny. I recently got a new video card on boxing day and i installed it and started uninstalling things for my old video card. It's very possible I uninstalled something that i should have, it would make sense because everything was working fine before that and know it's starting to act up.

How can I repair or reinstall windows installer?

Mysterio201, you can click on the Microsoft link from above, and do the section labeled "method one"

here are the directions but it is easier at the link that I provided above: You can reset the Windows Installer Service settings in the registry by creating a registry file using Notepad and then running that file to update the registry key.

To do this, follow these steps:

1.Click Start and type Notepad in the Search box and click Notepad.exe under Programs
2.Copy the following text and paste it into Notepad.



Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\msiserver]
"DisplayName"="@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\msimsg.dll,-27"
"ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,00,\
74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,\
00,73,00,69,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,63,00,20,00,2f,00,56,00,00,00
"Description"="@%SystemRoot%\\system32\\msimsg.dll,-32"
"ObjectName"="LocalSystem"
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"Start"=dword:00000003
"Type"=dword:00000010
"DependOnService"=hex(7):72,00,70,00,63,00,73,00,73,00,00,00,00,00
"ServiceSidType"=dword:00000001
"RequiredPrivileges"=hex(7):53,00,65,00,54,00,63,00,62,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,\
00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,\
74,00,65,00,50,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,66,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,\
00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,4c,00,6f,00,63,00,\
6b,00,4d,00,65,00,6d,00,6f,00,72,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,\
00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6e,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,\
73,00,65,00,42,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,6f,00,72,00,69,00,74,\
00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,\
65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,65,00,72,00,6d,00,61,00,6e,\
00,65,00,6e,00,74,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,\
00,00,53,00,65,00,41,00,75,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,\
00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,53,00,65,00,63,00,75,00,72,00,\
69,00,74,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,\
00,53,00,65,00,43,00,68,00,61,00,6e,00,67,00,65,00,4e,00,6f,00,74,00,69,00,\
66,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,\
00,65,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,66,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,53,00,69,00,6e,00,67,00,\
6c,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,63,00,65,00,73,00,73,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,\
00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6d,00,70,00,65,00,\
72,00,73,00,6f,00,6e,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,\
00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,\
47,00,6c,00,6f,00,62,00,61,00,6c,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\
00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,41,00,73,00,73,00,69,00,67,00,6e,00,50,00,\
72,00,69,00,6d,00,61,00,72,00,79,00,54,00,6f,00,6b,00,65,00,6e,00,50,00,72,\
00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,52,00,65,00,\
73,00,74,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,\
00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6e,00,63,00,72,00,65,00,61,00,73,00,65,00,\
51,00,75,00,6f,00,74,00,61,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,\
00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,53,00,68,00,75,00,74,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,6e,00,\
50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,54,\
00,61,00,6b,00,65,00,4f,00,77,00,6e,00,65,00,72,00,73,00,68,00,69,00,70,00,\
50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,4c,\
00,6f,00,61,00,64,00,44,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,65,00,72,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,\
76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,00,00
"FailureActions"=hex:84,03,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,14,00,00,\
00,01,00,00,00,c0,d4,01,00,01,00,00,00,e0,93,04,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\msiserver\Enum]
"0"="Root\\LEGACY_MSISERVER\\0000"
"Count"=dword:00000001
"NextInstance"=dword:00000001
3.Once the text is pasted into Notepad, click File, click Save As, and then type Msirepair.reg for the name of the file.
4.In the Save as type box, click All Files (*.*).
5.In the Save in box, click Desktop, and then click Save.
6.On the File menu, click Exit to close Notepad.
7.On your Desktop, right -click the Msirepair.reg file that you saved in step 5, and then click Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.
8.Click Yes when prompted to install the registry keys.

The Windows Installer registry will be updated in the registry.

9.Restart the installation of your program.

Not sure if im doing something wrong but I do not get the option do run as administrator. There is the option of encoding when i save, is it supposed to be ANSI? Or does that even matter?

Restart ,Update OS .Automatically detect and install latest best driver and fix all issues.
Full Scan system with "SUPERANTISPYWARE" Freeware.

In order to run that reg file, you would need to login with your admin account. It sounds like you are logged in as a Standard User account (which is good to use for everyday use).

You should just paste the text into Notepad and save it. Then rename the file as stated. Then double-click it to add it to the registry.

Okay, so I tried the notepad option and it didn't seem to do the trick. I'm on the admin account (there's only one account on my computer). The only option I had for the notepad was MERGE, it seemed to do everything it would have if I had been able to use the option RUN AS ADMIN.

How do I update my OS?

Using Windows Update in the Start Menu (as long as it's a genuine install)

Even I am facing the same problem. In fact just to solve this problem I tried many different windows installer, installed the entire service pack, SP1 and had everything updated, tried microsoft support, ran fixit on my comp.
I was able to follow till copying that text in a notepad and double clicking it so that it gets added to the registry. But even I don't get any 'run as admin' option (I am the admin for this pc). Mysterio201, if you have found the solution, please share. I think I have spent more than enough time trying to get this issue fixed.