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Legacy Update Help

Windows Installer service stops working after installing updates

“The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed”, or error 80070641 in Windows Update, can happen when the Windows Installer (MsiExec) registration is damaged. Certain updates to Windows XP can cause this. You may see this issue manifest in various ways:

  • A Windows Installer progress dialog with no text
  • An error dialog: “The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.”
  • An error dialog: “The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.” The OK button has no text.

To fix it, you can run a command that asks Windows Installer to re-register itself.

  1. Close Legacy Update and any other programs using Windows Update.

  2. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog.

  3. Type msiexec /regserver, and click OK.

    Typing “msiexec /regserver” into the Run dialog

  4. Wait for 30 seconds, or until the hourglass cursor disappears.

  5. Try the installation or update again.

Still need help?

Check the Legacy Update Help homepage to discover more common questions and issues.

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