what is MSI? it keeps aking me to start it in setup

[stevehunt78]

im having problems with my office 2003 i cannot enter excel, and when i turn
on my laptop it keeps asking me to start "MSI" in setup. my package was
downloaded from a cd. however im working abroad and do not have the cd with
me to run through the repair feature...
HAs any one got any solutions
many thanks

 

[neo [mvp outlook]]

To answer the question in the subject line, MSI files are used by the
Windows Installer Service. MSI files are like little databases that keep
track of what software is installed on the computer. The Installer service
is used to ensure the integrity of applications when they start and if is
something is missing or corrupt, add it on the fly so the user doesn't miss
a beat.

If Office 2003 was installed from CD (e.g. setup.exe was called and not the
MSI directly), then the default behavior its setup is to cached the CD files
to the hard drive. If you have used the desktop cleanup wizard or done a
system restore in XP, then the repair capability is most likely broken. You
have to wait until you get back to the office to repair you installation.