Windows Installer Error

Greetings!

I recently had problems with malware and sought help on removing it. I got all the malware off but I am afaird that the malware some how corrupted my windows installer. When I try to remove J2SE Runtime environment I get an error. A screenshot of the error can be seen here: http://forums.whatthetech.com/post_a3108_.html

Also when I open MS Word 03, I get the message that "This document could not be registered. It will not be possible to create links from other documents to this document."

When I try to open MS Excel I get the following message: 📎excelerror.JPG

When I save a document in Paint I get the message that "The document cannot be registered."

When I reboot I get an installer error for Microsoft Imaging Viewer. I am even sure what program this is!

Also, about every hour my computer also gives me an error about my bluetooth device on my computer malfuctioning. My computer does have bluetooth capbilities but I have never linked a bluetooth device so I am not sure why this error is occuring.

All these errors have occurred recently after discovering the malware issues. Can my computer be salvage?

My orginal post about the malware issues can be found here: http://forums.whatthetech.com/trojan_horse…dk_t100332.html

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help!

-Joyful

Hi Joyful. None of this seems to be so bad that the computer can't be salvaged. It may be the combination of a couple different problems or possibly just one problem is at the root of all your troubles.

I'd like to have you try a couple things. Lets tackle this windows installer issue with the Java runtime. First of all, DO NOT run any "java removal tools" at the moment. I want to know why the windows installer is acting up and I don't want Java disappearing all of the sudden and hampering us.

First of all, please click start -> run -> type 'services.msc' and press ENTER.

Scroll down through the list of services and find the Windows Installer Service. Right-click it, and click "properties." Please take a look at its startup type. It should be set to MANUAL. Make sure it is not disabled. If it is disabled, change it to manual and try to uninstall Java again. If the Windows Installer service is already set to manual, then please continue on with the following instructions. Now, go into control panel -> add/remove programs. Scroll through the list of programs and see if you can find the Windows Installer 3.1 entry. Please remove this software and reboot if requested to do so. Now, please visit this link and download and install the Windows Installer 3.1 redistributable package. Reboot the computer if requested to do so. Now, try to uninstall the Java software again.

After trying the Java uninstall. Please click start -> run -> type 'eventvwr.msc' and press ENTER. Please open the "system" event log and scroll back through the list of events since approximately the last time you rebooted your computer. Please post here with information about any ERRORS that show up in the log.

Please report back here with your results. Please also inform me if you still have the installer error at startup, if excel crashes, and if paint is problematic.

Please don't make any other software changes at this time because I will be following a train of thought to resolve each issue you are having and I have to know if there is a root cause. Any other significant changes you make could throw us off course. Thanks.

Hello appleoddity! Thanks for helping! 1. Windows installer was already set to manual. 2. Windows installer 3.1 is NOT in my add/remove list. 3. When I go to the link to install the redistrubution package I get an error: "The service package you have is newer/more updated than the one you are trying to download and therefore the is no need to redownload." What should I do now?

Ok.. Lol. Looks like they slipped a new version in there since the last time I looked.

Please look in your add/remove programs list for any "Windows Installer" version. If you find one, make a note of what version it was, and uninstall it.

Then download the Windows Installer 4.5 package from here: Windows Installer 4.5 Redistributable

Please scroll down at the above link and find the XP version of the installation file WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe.

Continue with the rest of my instructions from earlier if the above steps are successful.

Let me know what you find.

Ok, I downloaded from the new link and installed and rebooted the computer. Went to the add/remove list and windows installer still was not listed. Tried to uninstall the J2SE and got the same error message. LOL

Can you continue with the instructions about event viewer please? I want to know what errors are listed.

📎errorsagain.JPG The logs shows numerous errors. It is going to take me a while to type them all but I will begin now and post them in a few

📎er.JPG Here is a better shot of the errors grouped.

You don't have to waste your time typing it all in. Please save your logfile and attach it to the forum for me to look at. Here's how you do that: Open eventvwr. Right-click the "system" log, select "Save log file as." Choose a filename of your liking and save the .evt file to your desktop. Come back here to the forum and attach the file to the forum as an attachment. Which you appear to already know how to do. I'll be going off-line for a little while now because I am currently on-site reconfiguring network routers and installing an ISA server. I won't have internet access for a whle.

📎err.JPG And here are the remaining errors. Theses areas have a different event #

] Thanks appleoddity!! The log file is attached. Take your time!

I'm sorry I didn't make myself more clear. When you right-click "system" in the event viewer, and select "Save log file as." You need to make sure that you are saving it as type "Event Log .EVT" Then upload the .evt file to the forum. This text file you uploaded is nearly impossibl to read or look through because of the formatting. The .evt file can be loaded into my event viewer MMC and I can search it and see it the same as you do in event viewer. Please re-submit a new export of your system log in the .evt format. Thanks.

Before I saved the file as a .txt I tried the orginal format and when I uploaded the site said that I could attach files with that extension. Upload failed. You are not permitted to upload this type of file

Hi Joyful. You may compress the .evt file into a .zip file and attach it to the forum. If you need help I can assist you but it is usually a matter of right-clicking the file, select "send to" -> "compressed zip folder" and following the instructions. I'll download the zip file when it is ready and continue with you after I have had a chance to look through it. Thanks.

Ok, lets see if I did this right! 📎logfile.zip