[Fix] “The Windows Installer Service could not be Accessed” Error Message

Recently an AskVG reader contacted me regarding this issue. Whenever he was trying to install or uninstall a software program, he was getting following error message:

The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.

Windows_Installer_Service_Access_Error_Message.png

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This problem exists in all Windows versions and I have received many emails in past regarding the same issue. Sometimes an error code 1719 is also provided in the error message dialog box.

Today in this tutorial, I’ll try to provide all possible solutions to fix this issue:

SOLUTION 1: Make Sure Windows Installer Service is Running

First of all we’ll need to check whether the required Windows Installer service is running in Windows.

1. Press WIN+R keys together to launch RUN dialog box, type services.msc and press Enter. It’ll open Service Manager.

Start_Windows_Installer_Service_Windows.png

2. Now look for Windows Installer service. Double-click on it and it’ll open its properties window. Click on Start button to immediately start it.

3. Also set its Startup type to Automatic and apply changes.

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SOLUTION 2: Windows Registry Fix

Sometimes a few keys and values might be corrupt or missing in Registry Editor which can cause this issue.

Download following ZIP file, extract it using 7-Zip or any other file archive utility and you’ll get a .REG file. Run the REG file, it’ll ask for confirmation, accept it.

After merging REG file, restart your computer to take effects.

SOLUTION 3: Re-Register Windows Installer

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator using any method given in this tutorial.

2. Now type following commands one bye one:

msiexec /unregister
msiexec /regserver
%windir%\syswow64\msiexec /unregister
%windir%\syswow64\msiexec /regserver

Register_Windows_Installer_Windows.png

3. Restart your computer to take effects.

SOLUTION 4: Reinstall Latest Version of Windows Installer

Download and install the latest version of Windows Installer which should also fix this annoying issue.

Following page will always list the latest version of Windows Installer available for your Windows version:

Released Versions of Windows Installer

After installing latest version of Windows Installer, restart your computer.

SOLUTION 5: Use System File Checker

You can also try the sfc /scannow command to restore all default system files which may also fix this issue.

To learn how to use the command, check out METHOD 4 mentioned in following tutorial:

How to Remove or Uninstall 3rd Party Transformation Packs (or Skin Packs) in Windows

Published in: Troubleshooting Guides, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on various TV channels.

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