How to fix Unable to install Office 2007 Updates

[Tigger]

I couldn't install Office 2007 updates but I was given an expert to help
which I said in an earlier question that I would post if it worked. It did
work so here is how:

INSTRUCTIONS

"1. Click on Start, Run and type "REGEDIT" (w/o the quotes). The Registry
Editor will open.

*WARNING*

Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may
require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee
that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be
solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

2. Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate

3. On the upper menu, click on Edit, and select Permissions from the
drop-down list.
4. Give Administrator (And / Or System) Full Control and Read permissions by
checking the allow boxes. NOTE: In certain instances these boxes are grayed
out. Insure that all accounts have appropriate permissions.
5. Click Apply, then OK.
6. Close the Registry Editor.


Next, from main Windows Start menu, select RUN, type in
CMD <Enter-key>

type in
net stop wuauserv <Enter-key>

Go to Windows Explorer.
Look on your system drive (usually C ) and look at the Windows folder name.
Like Windows or WINNT.
Modify following as appropriate.
If your Windows folder is C:\Windows. Look at this folder
C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

If you find files in there, delete them. That folder is where files are
stored from W U downloads.

Go back to Command prompt window.
type in "net start wuauserv" <Enter-key>

EXIT <Enter-key>

Get the latest Windows Installer from Download Center, and apply it
yourself. Make you verify & select the right language selection for your
system.
Next link is for English Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2) -
English {for Win200 SP3-SP4, Windows XP, and Win server 2003} "

(END OF INSTRUCTIONS)

That didn't work the first two times I tried it. So I did three things:

The first was that I ensured I made sure that another user's account was on
Limited so that I was the only user as Administrator, then followed the
above instructions again.

The second was that I exited/closed all the programs I could that were
running in System Tray in case any were interfering with the installation
process.

The third was that instead of downloading Windows Installer 3.1
Redistributable (v2) as in the last paragraph of the instructions, (which
wouldn't install because it said I had a newer version already on pc) I went
to Microsoft Download Centre and to the page for Windows Installer 4.5
Redistributable instead then ran WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe.

(I've got XP on 32...whatever, not 64, and thats the right one for it,
there are others listed on that page for Vista, XP 64, etc).

Other than changing to Windows Installer 4.5 instead of Windows Installer
3.1 (if that refuses to install) then the above instructions need to be
followed exactly.

Once its all followed, including reboot, click on the usual place where you
update

Even after that worked, it installed the majority of priority updates but
failed a few.
So...I then rebooted as it gives an option to do, logged back in and again
turned off progs in system tray. Went back to updates and there were three
still showing as high priority.

Pressed install, it downloaded them again, which included MS Office Service
Pack I, and then it installed those three successfully.

So if you're left with one or two that still fail, reboot and go back to
update and the left over ones should now install.

Hope that helps anyone else who is having the same frustrating problem and
many thanks to the expert that gave his help at TechSupportMarketPlace.

 

[Tigger]

Just a point in case you aren't sure, when (in the Instructions) you have got
to

"Next, from main Windows Start menu, select RUN, type in
CMD <Enter-key>

type in
net stop wuauserv <Enter-key> "

the next instruction tells you to Go to Windows Explorer.


Don't close that box. After you've typed in net stop wuauserv and pressed
enter, just leave the box open while you go to Windows Explorer, and then go
back to that open Command box after you've done whats necessary in explorer
and continue from there.

 

[Tigger]

Finally, after you've got all the downloads installed and you're dancing
(virtually) with delight that the problem has at last gone...

Go back to click on Updates just to make really sure its gone, and there's a
new lot of updates including Office Service Pack 2 which will download and
install successfully....

Its pure PC heaven

 

[editor10]

Hello Tigger,

I was wondering if the updates you wrote about are specifically for
Publisher? I was curious if my automatic updates that I get from Microsoft
included any recent components for Publisher and if so, whether or not I
received them.

Thanks,
Ariela

 

[Tigger]

Hi Ariela

No, the updates I was having a problem installing were Office 2007 - all of
them

If I mentioned Publisher specifically on this or the previous message, that
would probably be because thats what I use a lot, so I'm used to the word
Publisher.

If you're up to date with your Office updates you'll have got all there is,
as far as I know.

Last night, after all the High Priority updates had installed, I went back
and downloaded everything there was under Custom too. I've been back again
this evening and there isn't anything available to update in High P or in
Custom ... which makes a big change after a few months of an ever growing
list of updates that kept trying but wouldn't install.

 

[Tigger]

OH, I see

I'd forgotten, DOH, but I put it under this discussion for Publisher,
because a couple of weeks ago I'd had a specific minor but annoying problem
with Publisher, in that when I'd tried to open a .pub file direct from
clicking on an icon it would come up with an "Unknown Application" error.

I'd mentioned in my question that I also couldn't install Office Updates (I
suspect that had something to do with the publisher errors I was getting) and
once I'd got help for the Unknown Application error, I said I'd be back if an
expert I'd just been assigned could work out the bigger problem which was
obviously about installing Office Updates - so I came back here to do that.

Thats all

 

[editor10]

Thanks for your reply.
Ariela