LOL @ A year later - glad it helped.

That was my probleme and you solved it Thank you BuBBy!

Hi BuBBy,
it's one year long that I'm managing the setup.msi iussue with the application "Universal Extractor", still I think that I was lucky to check it (I also posted the link in the GAOTD's comments: http://www.legroom.net/software/uniextract),
indeed you can imagine how do I feel now that the code you provided is really working !
You are a GREAT !! Frank

That's it BuBBy!!! I don't know how someone on earth can understand that code, but it's working. Thank you very much BuBBy!

Thanks, while my French is almost non-existent I know the dialog you are referring to.

It sounds like the registry keys needed to recognise and open msi files are missing or incorrect.

Paste the following into a new file (eg. with notepad) and save the file with a .reg extension. setupmsi.reg will do ok. Then double click on the saved reg file and add the keys to your registry. (The first line "Windows Registry Editor Version 5.0" must be the first line in the file).
======

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\.msi]
@="Msi.Package"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package]
"EditFlags"=hex:00,00,10,00
"FriendlyTypeName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,\
00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,\
32,00,5c,00,6d,00,73,00,69,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,33,00,34,\
00,00,00
@="Windows Installer Package"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\msiexec.exe,0"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package\shell]
@="Open,Repair,Uninstall"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package\shell\Open]
@="&Install"
"MUIVerb"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
00,6d,00,73,00,69,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,33,00,36,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package\shell\Open\command]
@=hex(2):22,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,00,\
73,00,69,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,63,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,22,00,20,00,2f,\
00,69,00,20,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,00,20,00,25,00,2a,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package\shell\Repair]
@="Re&pair"
"MUIVerb"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
00,6d,00,73,00,69,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,33,00,37,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package\shell\Repair\command]
@=hex(2):22,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,00,\
73,00,69,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,63,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,22,00,20,00,2f,\
00,66,00,20,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,00,20,00,25,00,2a,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package\shell\Uninstall]
@="&Uninstall"
"MUIVerb"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
00,6d,00,73,00,69,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,33,00,38,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Msi.Package\shell\Uninstall\command]
@=hex(2):22,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,00,\
73,00,69,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,63,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,22,00,20,00,2f,\
00,78,00,20,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,00,20,00,25,00,2a,00,00,00

Hello BuBBy!

Here is the message displayed (it's in french since I have a french version of Windows):

"Windows ne peut pas ouvrir ce fichier :
Fichier :
Setup.msi
Pour ouvrir ce fichier, Windows doit connaître le programme utilisé pour sa création. Windows peut effectuer une recherche en ligne automatique, ou vous pouvez choisir un programme dans la liste des programmes installés sur votre ordinateur.
Que voulez-vous faire ?
--> Utiliser le service Web pour trouver le programme approprié
--> Sélectionner le programme dans une liste
OK
Annuler"

I would like to include also a screenshot of this message, but I don't know how to insert it here. The copy of the image is impossible in text.

It's not an error message but the windows witch appears let me choice a program (witch one?) to open that kind of file since Windows doesn't recognize the extension file.

Bye!

When you say it "doesn't recognise" MSI files, can you quote "exactly" what the error message displayed is (including any error numbers etc). A screenshot of the error message might be helpful also.

Thank you guys for the solutions you have proposed. I tried to log like admin, but I don't have the password. I always log with my user ID with rights of an administrator since I am the lone user of this computer. So, I logged with my user ID and execute the command line "C:\windows\system32\msiexec.exe /regserver", restart, but the system doen't recognize MSI files anyway.

So, I tried to put out Windows Installer from my system, but I don't know where it is; witch name it has(?).
I download the also "Windows Installer from the alternative site ... and install it, but the result is same. What's next?

http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB893803

Another download site for windows installer.

Might be that windows installer is corrupted and needs to be removed, booted and reinstalled.

Some tweaking programs cause problems with windows installer.

1) Restart XP in safe mode and log on as a local admin

2) Click Start -> Run... -> and type C:\windows\system32\msiexec.exe /regserver

3) restart XP and log back with your user ID.

"WindowsInstaller-KB893803-v2-x86.exe" that I already downloaded is included in the package "Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)", and MSI files are not open by my system anyway!!! Any more suggestions BuBBy?

but I think I need a genuine version of Windows to do that.

No - looks like you will be fine to download it (it doesn't appear to need validation)

Thanks to your answer BuBBy!

I have the XP sp2 version of Windows and I don't know why the system doesn't open the MSI files. I downloaded and installed "WindowsInstaller-KB893803-v2-x86.exe". But the result is same. I could try to download and install "Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)", but I think I need a genuine version of Windows to do that.
So, what are alternatives now?

Bye!

You didn't mention what version of Windows you are running. The recent versions like XP and Vista should be able to do it by default.

This might help

How do I install a MSI windows download?

Windows Installer 3.1 Redistributable (v2)

Hi,

I download a software from Giveawayoftheday and there is a Setup.msi file inside the folder with an Activate.exe file and a readme file. When I try to install the software in clicking on the Septup.msi file, a windows open explaining me than Windows can't open that file. So, how to install this software?

Thanks!

Thank you again jr46 for your help.
But I'm afraid my poor old brain is too tired for so much tech ;-). The computer has to wait, tomorrow I'll go on vacation!
Three weeks wind, water, pure nature and the sweetest Swedish girls ever (my grandchildren) - lucky me.
Have a nice day!
graylox

graylox, Sorry to hear you still have the problem. I was able to solve my similar problem when I found this page with a Google search: http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/spreadsheets/missing-sku112-cab-file-office-2003-a-21062.html . I had to change it up a little bit to get it to work for me. Instead of running "Excel /s", I just ran Flash Renamer and let the Windows Installer start its thing. When it stopped, waiting for me to tell it where the file "SKU112.CAB" was located, I opened Task Manager (CTRL-ALT-DEL) and ended the "msiexec.exe" process like it said on the web page. Now the installer doesn't start up any more, and Flash Renamer (and other Visual Basic programs) run normally.

I don't think this is harmful to your computer in any way: It's just annoying. I realized that this seems to be a very common bug while I was googling for a solution. I didn't see where anybody's computer had been harmed by it. (But I'm not an expert on the subject).

BuBBy, I forgot to mention earlier that I couldn't find the Office CD. That's why I was looking for another method. Thanks for your help anyway.

Thanks for trying to help me.
Installing new or full or whatever wasn't the thing. I can live with this bug if anyone can tell me whether it is only annoying or perhaps destroying or poisoning or something worse.
graylox

jr46 - The reason why you get popups asking for the install CD is because you are trying to use a feature (or a part of a feature) that isn't installed. This can happen when you do a minimal or custom install and deselect some options. To make the popup messages go away - simply do as it says, and insert the original install CD so the missing parts of Office (or whatever) can be installed.

I have also seen this happen when software isn't completely uninstalled and windows confuses the fact of being "uninstalled" compared to a "partial install". Generally putting in the original disk or doing a full install over the top fixes the problem.

Hi, graylox! I've been having a similar problem lately. In my case, it's the Microsoft Office 2003 installer that keeps popping up. I think it continues doing this because I don't ever let it finish the "installation" since it's already installed (Came on the computer). I have been able to figure out so far, however, that this seems to happen only when I run Visual Basic programs like "Flash Renamer." This seems to be a fairly common error, but I haven't found out how to resolve it yet.

I checked the Microsoft site and found a "fix", but it is for an earlier version of Office and I--so far--haven't been able to get it to work. Anyway, if these programs you're having trouble with are Visual Basic programs, that might explain why it only happens with some programs and not others.

I would suggest you try letting HomepageMaker3 finish whatever "installation" it is trying to do. This might solve the problem. However, since I'm not aware of that program, I don't know what it might be doing.

Anyway, Flash Renamer should not be the culprit here, so uninstalling it should not be of any use.

Hope this helps some.

Hi, I read on the frontpage the post #48 by Paul about "cross use of files in windows installer..."
I have got the same problem, when I'll start "FlashRen.exe", Microsoft Installer tries to install "HomepageMaker3".
After I closed the installerbox 1,2 or even more times, "FlashRenamer" starts properly. I tried to start some other progs without problems.
The same thing came up some times ago with the installer of "Cfont Pro".
It's only sometimes the installation starts, not on every exe-click. I had to deinstall "Cfont Pro" after several tries with new downloads, new installations and even software-update.
Is deinstallation the only way to solve this bug ?
If YES, "HomepageMaker3" or "FlashRenamer" ?
There were no problems with "HomepageMaker3" untill now.
My computer runs with XP Home and all updates.
I hope, You do understand my bad English better than I understand my computer ;-)
graylox