Background: A few weeks ago WSUS deployed Windows 7 SP1 to 3 machines, and they all failed with the same error. In the end to resolve, I had to rename the registry hives in the ecovery Console and copy the backup ones. This worked. Machines are all Windows 7 Pro x64, if memeory serves some or all of them were upgraded from Home Premium. These 3 machines can no longer use Windows Installer. Using Adobe Reader update as an example, the error is: "The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur is the Windows Installer is not correctly installed.Contact your system admin. Error 1601" This seems like a popular error but none of the common fixes work or apply: C:\Windows\system32>attrib -r -s -h dllcache File not found - dllcache C:\Windows\system32>ren msi.dll msi.old Access is denied. - msiexec /unreg + /regserver - Fixing the Registry, as provided by links from other forums. - Installed SP1 - sfc /scannow - Checked the service is running - No PendingInstalls key in registry In the Event Log I have: Log Name: Application Source: MsiInstaller Date: 23/03/2011 13:20:31 Event ID: 1014 Task Category: None Level: Error Keywords: Classic User: CREATIVE\admin Computer: creativepc01.creative.local Description: Windows Installer proxy information not correctly registered Event Xml: <Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event"> <System> <Provider Name="MsiInstaller" /> <EventID Qualifiers="0">1014</EventID> <Level>2</Level> <Task>0</Task> <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords> <TimeCreated SystemTime="2011-03-23T13:20:31.000000000Z" /> <EventRecordID>19651</EventRecordID> <Channel>Application</Channel> <Computer>creativepc01.creative.local</Computer> <Security UserID="S-1-5-21-3234620329-1951684468-3930492216-1142" /> </System> <EventData> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data> </Data> </EventData> </Event> Log Name: Application Source: MsiInstaller Date: 23/03/2011 13:20:31 Event ID: 1015 Task Category: None Level: Warning Keywords: Classic User: CREATIVE\admin Computer: creativepc01.creative.local Description: Failed to connect to server. Error: 0x80004005 Event Xml: <Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event"> <System> <Provider Name="MsiInstaller" /> <EventID Qualifiers="0">1015</EventID> <Level>3</Level> <Task>0</Task> <Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords> <TimeCreated SystemTime="2011-03-23T13:20:31.000000000Z" /> <EventRecordID>19652</EventRecordID> <Channel>Application</Channel> <Computer>creativepc01.creative.local</Computer> <Security UserID="S-1-5-21-3234620329-1951684468-3930492216-1142" /> </System> <EventData> <Data>0x80004005</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data>(NULL)</Data> <Data> </Data> </EventData> </Event> Cant do repair install as I do not have correct discs (only have OEM discs) Help"

Hi, The following link for your reference. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2438651 Please follow the article carefully to resolve the issue. Hope this helps. Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

In the above response to hongedit, it shows that you marked the question as answered by you. However, I think that is a bit presumptuous because I have followed the steps supplied by you above, the same steps applied on the microsoft technet forum and on the windows7 forum and it does not work.Microsoft has failed miserably yet once again to provide the needed answer(s) to an issue. I never had an issue with Win 7 installer 5 (MSIExec.exe) before installing SP1 for Win7. It is apparent that numerous people have been having this issue and instead of coming up with an immediate fix or at least a patch to allow people to uninstall or rename the file (which I can't do even though I have owner privileges on the C:Windows folder) and allowing them to download and install the installer package no they got to muck up a good thing and stop providing the installer file online and now people are stuck and can't install anything on their computers. I am a network administrator and I can't figure out why Windows is telling me that I need permission from the owner of the file when I am the freaking owner of the file. I try running in administrator mode in everything I do and it won't let me do anything on my own dam* computer, do you know how frustrating that is. Anyway back to the point at hand, you should really remove "Marked as Answer by Juke Chou as that was not an answer since I've done all the things you said and several other things on other tech sites and it has not resolved the issue at all!!!!! since you work for Microsoft would you please tell them this is a pandemic among Win7 users and that they need to come up with a solid fix, work around or patch to resolve this issue please!!!! Being a Managed Services Provider I have to install programs to learn how to support them, how can I do this when I can't install anything because my OS isn't working? I don't think having to wipe and reload the os and start a fresh install of everything I have on my computer is a fair answer either. Going back over several forums, this has been an ongoing issue for quite some time and I am just appalled that Microsoft hasn't come up with a viable fix yet.

In the above response to hongedit, it shows that you marked the question as answered by you. However, I think that is a bit presumptuous because I have followed the steps supplied by you above, the same steps applied on the microsoft technet forum and on the windows7 forum and it does not work.Microsoft has failed miserably yet once again to provide the needed answer(s) to an issue. I never had an issue with Win 7 installer 5 (MSIExec.exe) before installing SP1 for Win7. It is apparent that numerous people have been having this issue and instead of coming up with an immediate fix or at least a patch to allow people to uninstall or rename the file (which I can't do even though I have owner privileges on the C:Windows folder) and allowing them to download and install the installer package no they got to muck up a good thing and stop providing the installer file online and now people are stuck and can't install anything on their computers. I am a network administrator and I can't figure out why Windows is telling me that I need permission from the owner of the file when I am the freaking owner of the file. I try running in administrator mode in everything I do and it won't let me do anything on my own dam* computer, do you know how frustrating that is. Anyway back to the point at hand, you should really remove "Marked as Answer by Juke Chou as that was not an answer since I've done all the things you said and several other things on other tech sites and it has not resolved the issue at all!!!!! since you work for Microsoft would you please tell them this is a pandemic among Win7 users and that they need to come up with a solid fix, work around or patch to resolve this issue please!!!! Being a Managed Services Provider I have to install programs to learn how to support them, how can I do this when I can't install anything because my OS isn't working? I don't think having to wipe and reload the os and start a fresh install of everything I have on my computer is a fair answer either. Going back over several forums, this has been an ongoing issue for quite some time and I am just appalled the Microsoft hasn't come up with a viable fix yet.