Currently I cannot run any msi-type installers due to the error stated in the title. This issue started out of nowhere. I have reviewed most tech articles on the web, almost all of which simply assume the Windows Installer service needs to be restarted. My issue is that the Windows Installer is simply not among the services to be started! My msiexec.exe exists and can be run by hand, but the service is missing. The following key is actually missing from my registry as well: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer so I seem to be unable to re-register msiexec as a service to windows. Why is every version of MSI available as a redist download except 5.0??? I could just reinstall it, but 4.5 does not work in Win7. Getting frustrated...

I wish I had a Win 7 64 bit system here, but I'm still awaiting delivery of my 64 bit computer to accomplish that.If it's at all useful, here's the above registry key from a 32 bit system.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,\ 00,73,00,69,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,63,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,20,00,2f,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 -Noel

Thanks Noel.....you posting the key actually made me think to try merely exporting the MSIserver key from a working computer (my win7-64 notebook) and toss that into the broken system. And what do you know.....it worked! Still very confused as to how it got deleted in the first place...

Now that's the kind of dialogue I like seeing, goog job Noel and cefoskey. Does help doesn't it to get a kick to the head to jump start the thinking process (most times I need a kick to the whole body to jumpstart me) :)MCSE, MCSA, MCDST [If this post helps to resolve your issue, please click the "Mark as Answer" or "Helpful" button at the top of this message. By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster.]

Mr. Noel..i have the same problem with mr.cefoskey, i have read your explanation, but i still don't understand yet..what is the meaning of the code?how can i fix this problem?please help me..i have searching this in the web, but all i get is nothing... please help me mr. noel..

Hi Yanagi24, The information I posted above is a printout of the contents of a certain very specific part of the Windows registry (the key is listed). It's accessible via the Windows Registry Editor, but you should be aware that changing things in the registry is a highly dangerous process if you don't know exactly what you're doing. The information from the msiserver key in a working system in the above case was used to repopulate a part of the registry that had apparently been accidentally deleted somehow. I just looked in the equivalent part of the registry in my 64 bit system, which I have attained since my post above, and the data seems to be identical to what I posted above. -Noel