Windows Help & Support

Oldbiggles

I’ve just tried to get some advice from Windows Help and Support forum.
Cricks! You need a Computer Manual to find your way around their site. Every page you click takes you to another page. Click this, Click that, it has to be the worst user friendly site I’ve ever visited. It took over an hour to sign in and post the question and I’m not even sure I will ever get an answer.
I took the liberty of leaving a message suggesting they take a look at this MSE site and forum to see how easy it should be.
I don’t think I will go back to them again.

:mad:

marleyboy

So why not give MSE a try and tell us what the problem is, maybe we can help

Richie-from-the-Boro

- use 13 muscles like this and ask this group, as marleyboy states you might get an improvement to your Thursday

Oldbiggles

marleyboy wrote: »

So why not give MSE a try and tell us what the problem is, maybe we can help

Basically it’s a Windows problem, more annoying than anything else.
When I visit some sites, for example ‘BBC’ a blue box pops up to tell me that it cannot find the file I’m trying to use “Microsoft Windows 2000-SR1” Then another box pops up telling me to locate ‘C\Windows\Installer\DATA1.MSI’.
I’ve tried to comply with these bizarre requests without success.
All I have to do is delete these offending pop ups several times whilst I’m viewing the site. Easy to do but annoying nevertheless.
Any ideas?

Richie-from-the-Boro

Oldbiggles wrote: »

Basically it’s a Windows problem, more annoying than anything else.
When I visit some sites, for example ‘BBC’ a blue box pops up to tell me that it cannot find the file I’m trying to use “Microsoft Windows 2000-SR1” Then another box pops up telling me to locate ‘C\Windows\Installer\DATA1.MSI’.
I’ve tried to comply with these bizarre requests without success.
All I have to do is delete these offending pop ups several times whilst I’m viewing the site. Easy to do but annoying nevertheless.
Any ideas?

Which Windows ? - Win2000 or WinXP ?, and is it fully updated from the MS site ?
Which version of MS Office ? , and is it fully updated from the MS site ?

- and if it's the MSi installer problem from a decade ago - I'm going to wish I never asked !

Oldbiggles

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

Which Windows ? - Win2000 or WinXP ?, and is it fully updated from the MS site ?
Which version of MS Office ? , and is it fully updated from the MS site ?

- and if it's the MSi installer problem from a decade ago - I'm going to wish I never asked !

1) Windows XP Home Edition
2) Office 2000
3) Both updated regularly by MS Site
4) As to your last question I suppose it could be as you suggest because I bought this Packard Bell outfit a dacade ago.

marleyboy

An .msi file is a database of all the files, settings, and configuration information for the associated application. When you install Office on your computer, the .msi file is saved in a hidden folder. Without this file, Windows Installer cannot update your configuration, install optional features, or apply software updates. Office cannot be installed, repaired, or updated if the .msi file is not found.
Why is the .msi file missing?

The most likely reason for Windows Installer to require the installation CD is because the saved version of the .msi file for Office has been inadvertently or deliberately deleted from your computer. It is also possible that the file is damaged or corrupted.
Occasionally, changing the drive letters associated with partitions on your hard disk can cause this problem to occur — such as changing drive C: to a different letter or moving the hard disk drive from one computer to another. Other possible causes are a damaged or corrupted hard disk or registry file.
What to do when prompted for a missing .msi file

If you are prompted for the location of a missing .msi file, you must provide the original installation CD used to install Office on your computer.

1. Make sure that you have inserted your Office installation CD into the CD drive of your computer.

If you installed Office from a network, browse to the network location from which you installed Office.

1. Click Retry.

In most cases, these steps should resolve the problem and Office can complete the installation and configuration of the needed component.


[URL="javascript:ToggleDiv('divExpCollAsst_300466020')"]I don't have the installation CD[/URL]
Without the installation CD — or for computers purchased from companies such as Dell, HP, Compaq, or Gateway — you need to provide a repair CD to reset the installation created for your computer by the manufacturer. For information on how to apply the repair or installation CDs, you might need to contact the support representatives of your computer supplier.
In many cases, the files that you need are compressed on the repair CD and must be run by using a special program provided by the computer manufacturer. In some cases, the computer manufacturers might have customized the .msi file or changed the file name.
In situations where you cannot obtain the installation CD, your options are the following:

• Continue with the existing installation of Office without updating. This is not recommended. Your documents and computer might become compromised from security threats.
• Remove the installation and reinstall Office by using another installation CD. Removing the previous installation may not be possible in severely damaged systems where the registry is corrupt.
• Run a repair CD provided by the computer manufacturer. For information on how to apply the repair CD, you might have to contact the computer manufacturer or consult the documentation provided with the computer.

If you do not know which version of Office you have installed, the name of the .msi file requested indicates the Office version you have. A table that correlates .msi files to Office versions is provided later in this article.

Office 2003, Office XP, and Office 2000 provide the Detect and Repair command. You can find the Detect and Repair command on the Help menu of almost all Office programs. Using this command corrects identifiable problems such as missing files, corrupt files, registry omissions, or damaged registry entries. It replaces the .msi file if it was deleted, damaged, or is the wrong version. Using the Detect and Repair command usually requires you to provide the installation CD for the version of Office currently installed on your computer.

Oldbiggles

Thanks Marleyboy.

My PC was taking an age to boot up each day. So I decided to do a ‘clean up’ followed by a defrag.
During the clean up I must have deleted this file not knowing what it was. Don't ask how.
My Packard Bell PC is 10 years old now and unfortunately the original disc is long gone I cannot find it anywhere so it looks as if I will have to keep deleting these pop ups every time I visit sites like the BBC News or Newspaper News which is where they keep popping up. It doesn’t stop me reading these sites, it’s just a nuisance. I take your point about the loss of updates though.
On ‘Add and remove Programs’ / Microsoft Word 2000 SR-1. I tried running the 'Detect and Repair' feature, But the message came back that the file is on a network that is unavailable.
It’s my own daft fault for trying to be too smart. Daahhh.

Thanks very much for all the helpful advice. I’ll probably be back for more advice when I !!!! up something else so I hope you are still around then.

marleyboy

Have you thought about downloading and running ccleaner, it also might be a good idea to install a pop up blocker.

Oldbiggles

marleyboy wrote: »

Have you thought about downloading and running ccleaner, it also might be a good idea to install a pop up blocker.

Don't get too techy now.
Whats a ccleaner?

marleyboy

http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner its FREE to download, simply run it and let it scan your system for you.