Word won't open

[mb]

I have an XP home edition 2002 with service pack 3. When I try to open Word,
I get an error message that reads" This patch package could not be opened.
Verify that you can access it or contact the application vendor to verify
that this is a valid Windowes installer patch package". I am also unable to
open Outlook and receive the same message (along with two others). Can these
problems be related? How can I fix them?

 

[Herb Tyson [MVP]]

Take a look here and see if this describes your problem:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/295823