Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

Each time I try to install a program on my computer (running windows 7 RC), a setup.exe dialog pops up:

The Windows Installer service is unavailable. Another application may be rerunning setup. Finish any installations in progress, or restart your computer, and then re-run setup.

I did restart a few times, and there's no ongoing installation I can think of.

If I pop up a task manager, I can indeed see a msiexec.exe process. I can kill it, but it will immediately start again. Is there a way to determine which program is installing and to abort it?

share|improve this question

4 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

Use Process Explorer. It should tell you what the program is, and also lets you kill it.

share|improve this answer
up vote 2 down vote

This Microsoft Tool will clean the partially installed programs.

share|improve this answer
The tool is deprecated now. Microsoft recommends to use Microsoft Fix it (support.microsoft.com/mats/Program_Install_and_Uninstall/en) instead. It helped in my case. – Bobrovsky Jan 19 at 21:57
up vote 1 down vote

One workaround is to kill msiexec.exe right before launching the other setup. Since msiexec.exe starts again by itself, the timeframe is quite tight, but it's definitely feasible...

Only a dirty workaround, though.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

Dunno if this works on 7 (probably does) but you can turn on MSI logging. My guess is Automatic Updates is stuck.

You usually have to turn on logging to get any information from MSI but there may be a few hints in the event log.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.