Application error + Windows Installer can't be started

[ML30]

I started getting an application error when trying to run some programs after a restart. I googled the issue and followed the advice in this video: https://youtu.be/InzxNljdsXc. I hence went about uninstalling Visual C++ Redistributables.

But while halfway uninstalling them, having uninstalled a few, Windows Installer could not start anymore. Now I'm stuck as I can't run any programs to fix Windows Installer due to the application error and I can't continue attempting the fix suggested in the video due to Windows Installer not working. Seems like the video gave bad/outdated advice and only worsened my problem.

Any advice on how to solve this mess? Thanks in advance.

 

[Colif]

Well, its a win 8 video for starters, that could explain why its outdated if you using it to fix win 10...

have you tried to fix it with system file checker or DISM?

right click start button
choose command prompt (admin)
type SFC /scannow and press enter
once sfc is complete, copy paste the below command into same window
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press enter

SFC cleans and fixes system files, DISM cleans the image that sfc uses to compare files, so if SFC found errors it couldn't fix before, re run it and restart PC

 

[ML30]

Sorry for the late reply. I did do an SFC /scannow and it didn't detect any problems. The application error also meant that I couldn't run any fixes downloaded from MS website, so I ended up resetting the PC to factory settings, which fixed both problems.

I read somewhere that people have reported AVG antivirus as a possible cause of the application error, and my guess is in the process of trying to uninstall and reinstall Visual C++ Redistributables, my Windows Installer broke.

I think the problems could also have been solved by fixing registry keys, but I wasn't able to find Wow64 in regedit and couldn't get any info on where it might be if it's not located in the usual path under HKLM.

 

[Colif]

System windows on windows 64 = syswow64 is used to run 32bit applications in win 10, I know the 32bit registry keys are in another place but I couldn't tell you where.

AVG causes all sorts of problems, so best use another AV if you can. I have used a stack of different AV in last 17 years but I can't remember if I ever used AVG. I use Bitdefender now