Aaron Stebner's WebLog Solving setup errors by using the SubInACL tool to
repair file and registry permissions:
http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archi...04/739820.aspx

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Mark L. Ferguson MS-MVP
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Mark.Ferguson

"Mark_Melvin" <Mark_Melvin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F507A6EB-5E6F-4CC7-8F38-642FE8135DE2@microsoft.com...
> Hi There,
>
> I have a problem with my machine (Windows XP 32-bit SP3) that has just
> appeared and I have tried everything I can possibly think of with no luck
> (I
> am quite computer literate...so you are not dealing with a noob here).
> I'm
> looking for some expert help here because it is driving me insane.
>
> So, the problem is I cannot install *anything* that uses Windows Installer
> (.msi) under the covers. This includes many third party software packages
> that I use, as well as Windows XP packages and updates themselves. What
> happens when I run an .msi file is I see the Windows Installer dialog
> briefly
> flash up on the screen and nothing happens. There is no error or even any
> event in my event logs, and if I run the .msi file using msiexec with all
> logging and debug info turned on, I get nothing in the log file except a
> single line indicating it started.
>
> The weird part is this just started to happen one dayu so obviously
> something has changed on my system to screw things up. After much beating
> my
> head against the monitor and desk I attempted to run one of the failing
> installers "as Administrator" and it worked. Wha..? I *am* an
> administrator, so why does running it as Administrator make any difference
> whatsoever?
>
> Anyway, the *only* way I can get anything based on Windows Installer to
> install now is to open a dos prompt and type:
>
> runas /user:Administrator "msiexec.exe /i c:\full\path\to\installer.msi"
>
> This prompts me for my password and runs the installer just fine. But I
> am
> and always have been an adminstrator! I don't get it. Here is a list of
> things I have tried recently to fix this:
>
> -Install all available Windows updates
> -Remove all .NET versions and re-install as required
> -Remove Silverlight
> -Remove Windows Installer and re-install
> -Update to Windows Installer 4.5 (I think that is what this is -
> WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe)
> -Roll back to an earlier date
> -Undo the roll back
> -Install Windows XP SP3
> -Yell and scream
>
> So, now I am posting here. The only possible thing I can think of that
> may
> have any bearing on this whatsoever is that originally my username did not
> have a password associated with it. At some point in the past I changed
> my
> account to have a password associated with it and if I recall correctly
> this
> changed permissions on a bunch of files. My user password is now the same
> as
> the administrator password on this machine. The only thing I can think of
> is
> that some system file or directory got its permissions all screwed up and
> is
> the root of the problem. I'd be happy to provide any additional
> information
> if requested as I would love to solve this one. It is shortening my
> life-span...
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Mark.
>