Cannot repair, uninstall, or reinstall OfficeXP Pro

[Helmut Kah]

I am trying to repair my officexp installation. Have
tried "detect and repair" and have also tried to
uninstall so that I can reinstall. But cannot "detect and
repair" or uninstall the blasted thing.

I keep getting blocked by the following error message:

This patch package could not be opened. Verify that
the patch package exists and that you can access it, or
contact the application vendor to verify that this is a
valid Windows Installer patch package.

There is nothing whatsoever on the Microsoft Knowledge
Base that addresses how to work around and solve this
problem.

Anyone out there know what to do.

 

[greg mansius [MSFT]]

Please try the following:

1. "Remove" Office XP using the Windows Installer Cleanup tool.

238413 OFF2000: Windows Installer CleanUp Utility
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=238413

Note, this tool does not remove files. It only removes registry data so the
Windows Installer does not think the product is installed.

2. Install Office XP using your CD

3. Install any/all Service Packs and updates.

Hope this helps.