New Boot Drive vs. MS Office

I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected. I used the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new drive seems to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP Professional) are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file, I needed to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes through a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by double-clicking the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a warning window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error occurred and this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't drilled down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program from CD, but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it gives me errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click Setup, I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after 20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened. Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right for it to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins

If your old drive had problems, then its possible the problems have been
replicated on the new drive.
I would run a repair installation of Win, but you need a full win disk, not
a recovery disk
You could aslo try the system file checker - see win help

But untill you can resolve any win problems its not worth trying to resolve
any application issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected. I used
the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new drive seems
to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP Professional) are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file, I needed
to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes through a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by double-clicking the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a warning
window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error occurred and
this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window
disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't drilled
down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program from CD,
but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it gives me
errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click Setup, I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after 20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened. Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right for it
to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins

Thanks for the tips. I definitely have some bugs within Windows.

I found an original Windows XP Pro CD, but turns out this is for my old
laptop. I have Windows XP Media Center installed on this desktop, and it
came with the computer. I have restore disks, but am hoping to resolve this
without having to reinstall everything.

Any suggestions on how I could run a repair utility without that original
CD? I checked for Windows updates, and it's suggesting SP3. Seems like the
last time I tried SP3, I had some problems and it didn't install, so I've
just been ignoring it.

Anyway, any tips on getting a Windows repair utility going would be
appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

"DL" wrote:

If your old drive had problems, then its possible the problems have been
replicated on the new drive.
I would run a repair installation of Win, but you need a full win disk, not
a recovery disk
You could aslo try the system file checker - see win help

But untill you can resolve any win problems its not worth trying to resolve
any application issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected. I used
the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new drive seems
to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP Professional) are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file, I needed
to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes through a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by double-clicking the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a warning
window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error occurred and
this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window
disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't drilled
down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program from CD,
but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it gives me
errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click Setup, I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after 20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened. Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right for it
to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins

Depends on the exact type of restore disks, some mnftr's do I believe supply
disks that can be used for a repair.
See the help pages of that PC OEM site, or post to a windowsXP group as to
how to repair haveing only restore disks.(give the OEM name and model)
You should still be able to run the system file checker
Win sp3 wont install if the origonal win has issues, or driver
incompatibility issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the tips. I definitely have some bugs within Windows.

I found an original Windows XP Pro CD, but turns out this is for my old
laptop. I have Windows XP Media Center installed on this desktop, and it
came with the computer. I have restore disks, but am hoping to resolve
this
without having to reinstall everything.

Any suggestions on how I could run a repair utility without that original
CD? I checked for Windows updates, and it's suggesting SP3. Seems like
the
last time I tried SP3, I had some problems and it didn't install, so I've
just been ignoring it.

Anyway, any tips on getting a Windows repair utility going would be
appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

"DL" wrote:

If your old drive had problems, then its possible the problems have been
replicated on the new drive.
I would run a repair installation of Win, but you need a full win disk,
not
a recovery disk
You could aslo try the system file checker - see win help

But untill you can resolve any win problems its not worth trying to
resolve
any application issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected. I
used
the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new drive
seems
to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP Professional) are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file, I
needed
to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes through
a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by double-clicking the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a warning
window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error occurred and
this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window
disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't drilled
down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program from
CD,
but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it gives me
errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click Setup,
I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after 20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened.
Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact
the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer
patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right for
it
to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins

I'm exploring the restore disks now. If I can't figure it out, I'll post to
the XP site.

Regarding file checker, I did run the app that's available when you right
click on a drive, hit Properties, Tools. It's the one labeled as Error
Checking. Is that the one you're referring to, or is there another?

Thanks.



"DL" wrote:

Depends on the exact type of restore disks, some mnftr's do I believe supply
disks that can be used for a repair.
See the help pages of that PC OEM site, or post to a windowsXP group as to
how to repair haveing only restore disks.(give the OEM name and model)
You should still be able to run the system file checker
Win sp3 wont install if the origonal win has issues, or driver
incompatibility issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the tips. I definitely have some bugs within Windows.

I found an original Windows XP Pro CD, but turns out this is for my old
laptop. I have Windows XP Media Center installed on this desktop, and it
came with the computer. I have restore disks, but am hoping to resolve
this
without having to reinstall everything.

Any suggestions on how I could run a repair utility without that original
CD? I checked for Windows updates, and it's suggesting SP3. Seems like
the
last time I tried SP3, I had some problems and it didn't install, so I've
just been ignoring it.

Anyway, any tips on getting a Windows repair utility going would be
appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

"DL" wrote:

If your old drive had problems, then its possible the problems have been
replicated on the new drive.
I would run a repair installation of Win, but you need a full win disk,
not
a recovery disk
You could aslo try the system file checker - see win help

But untill you can resolve any win problems its not worth trying to
resolve
any application issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected. I
used
the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new drive
seems
to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP Professional) are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file, I
needed
to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes through
a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by double-clicking the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a warning
window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error occurred and
this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window
disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't drilled
down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program from
CD,
but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it gives me
errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click Setup,
I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after 20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened.
Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact
the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer
patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right for
it
to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins

No
See win help for system file checker
Basically;
StartRun....... sfc/scannow

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I'm exploring the restore disks now. If I can't figure it out, I'll post
to
the XP site.

Regarding file checker, I did run the app that's available when you right
click on a drive, hit Properties, Tools. It's the one labeled as Error
Checking. Is that the one you're referring to, or is there another?

Thanks.



"DL" wrote:

Depends on the exact type of restore disks, some mnftr's do I believe
supply
disks that can be used for a repair.
See the help pages of that PC OEM site, or post to a windowsXP group as
to
how to repair haveing only restore disks.(give the OEM name and model)
You should still be able to run the system file checker
Win sp3 wont install if the origonal win has issues, or driver
incompatibility issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the tips. I definitely have some bugs within Windows.

I found an original Windows XP Pro CD, but turns out this is for my old
laptop. I have Windows XP Media Center installed on this desktop, and
it
came with the computer. I have restore disks, but am hoping to resolve
this
without having to reinstall everything.

Any suggestions on how I could run a repair utility without that
original
CD? I checked for Windows updates, and it's suggesting SP3. Seems
like
the
last time I tried SP3, I had some problems and it didn't install, so
I've
just been ignoring it.

Anyway, any tips on getting a Windows repair utility going would be
appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

"DL" wrote:

If your old drive had problems, then its possible the problems have
been
replicated on the new drive.
I would run a repair installation of Win, but you need a full win
disk,
not
a recovery disk
You could aslo try the system file checker - see win help

But untill you can resolve any win problems its not worth trying to
resolve
any application issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected. I
used
the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new drive
seems
to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP Professional)
are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file, I
needed
to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes
through
a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by double-clicking
the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a
warning
window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error occurred
and
this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and
select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window
disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't
drilled
down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program from
CD,
but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it gives
me
errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click
Setup,
I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after
20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened.
Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact
the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer
patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right
for
it
to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins

I've run the sfc, and after it's complete, here's the window that pops up:

"Files that are required for Windows to run properly must be copied to the
DLL Cache. Inster your Windows XP Professional CD2 now."

While I do have a Windows XP Professional CD, it's not the original source
for Windows on this computer, which came preloaded with XP. I tried the CD
anyway, but it didn't work. I'm assuming CD2 means that it's looking for a
specific disk, maybe number 2.

Weird thing is that the computer I'm trying to fix has XP Media Center
installed, not XP pro. Wonder why it's looking for an XP Pro cd?

Anyway, if you have any other tips, I would certainly appreciate the
feedback. I know this isn't the right forum for this discussion, so I'll add
this to the question I've already posted in the XP forum.

Thanks.




"DL" wrote:

No
See win help for system file checker
Basically;
StartRun....... sfc/scannow

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I'm exploring the restore disks now. If I can't figure it out, I'll post
to
the XP site.

Regarding file checker, I did run the app that's available when you right
click on a drive, hit Properties, Tools. It's the one labeled as Error
Checking. Is that the one you're referring to, or is there another?

Thanks.



"DL" wrote:

Depends on the exact type of restore disks, some mnftr's do I believe
supply
disks that can be used for a repair.
See the help pages of that PC OEM site, or post to a windowsXP group as
to
how to repair haveing only restore disks.(give the OEM name and model)
You should still be able to run the system file checker
Win sp3 wont install if the origonal win has issues, or driver
incompatibility issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the tips. I definitely have some bugs within Windows.

I found an original Windows XP Pro CD, but turns out this is for my old
laptop. I have Windows XP Media Center installed on this desktop, and
it
came with the computer. I have restore disks, but am hoping to resolve
this
without having to reinstall everything.

Any suggestions on how I could run a repair utility without that
original
CD? I checked for Windows updates, and it's suggesting SP3. Seems
like
the
last time I tried SP3, I had some problems and it didn't install, so
I've
just been ignoring it.

Anyway, any tips on getting a Windows repair utility going would be
appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

"DL" wrote:

If your old drive had problems, then its possible the problems have
been
replicated on the new drive.
I would run a repair installation of Win, but you need a full win
disk,
not
a recovery disk
You could aslo try the system file checker - see win help

But untill you can resolve any win problems its not worth trying to
resolve
any application issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected. I
used
the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new drive
seems
to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP Professional)
are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file, I
needed
to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes
through
a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by double-clicking
the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a
warning
window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error occurred
and
this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and
select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window
disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't
drilled
down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program from
CD,
but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it gives
me
errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click
Setup,
I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after
20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened.
Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact
the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer
patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right
for
it
to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins

I'll leave it your post in the appropriate group

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I've run the sfc, and after it's complete, here's the window that pops up:

"Files that are required for Windows to run properly must be copied to the
DLL Cache. Inster your Windows XP Professional CD2 now."

While I do have a Windows XP Professional CD, it's not the original source
for Windows on this computer, which came preloaded with XP. I tried the
CD
anyway, but it didn't work. I'm assuming CD2 means that it's looking for
a
specific disk, maybe number 2.

Weird thing is that the computer I'm trying to fix has XP Media Center
installed, not XP pro. Wonder why it's looking for an XP Pro cd?

Anyway, if you have any other tips, I would certainly appreciate the
feedback. I know this isn't the right forum for this discussion, so I'll
add
this to the question I've already posted in the XP forum.

Thanks.




"DL" wrote:

No
See win help for system file checker
Basically;
StartRun....... sfc/scannow

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I'm exploring the restore disks now. If I can't figure it out, I'll
post
to
the XP site.

Regarding file checker, I did run the app that's available when you
right
click on a drive, hit Properties, Tools. It's the one labeled as Error
Checking. Is that the one you're referring to, or is there another?

Thanks.



"DL" wrote:

Depends on the exact type of restore disks, some mnftr's do I believe
supply
disks that can be used for a repair.
See the help pages of that PC OEM site, or post to a windowsXP group
as
to
how to repair haveing only restore disks.(give the OEM name and model)
You should still be able to run the system file checker
Win sp3 wont install if the origonal win has issues, or driver
incompatibility issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the tips. I definitely have some bugs within Windows.

I found an original Windows XP Pro CD, but turns out this is for my
old
laptop. I have Windows XP Media Center installed on this desktop,
and
it
came with the computer. I have restore disks, but am hoping to
resolve
this
without having to reinstall everything.

Any suggestions on how I could run a repair utility without that
original
CD? I checked for Windows updates, and it's suggesting SP3. Seems
like
the
last time I tried SP3, I had some problems and it didn't install, so
I've
just been ignoring it.

Anyway, any tips on getting a Windows repair utility going would be
appreciated.

Thanks,
Todd

"DL" wrote:

If your old drive had problems, then its possible the problems have
been
replicated on the new drive.
I would run a repair installation of Win, but you need a full win
disk,
not
a recovery disk
You could aslo try the system file checker - see win help

But untill you can resolve any win problems its not worth trying to
resolve
any application issues

"T. Jenkins" wrote in message
...
I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs
of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected.
I
used
the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new
drive
seems
to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP
Professional)
are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file,
I
needed
to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes
through
a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by
double-clicking
the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a
warning
window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error
occurred
and
this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and
select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window
disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't
drilled
down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program
from
CD,
but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it
gives
me
errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click
Setup,
I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after
20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened.
Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or
contact
the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows
Installer
patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right
for
it
to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins

On 8/3/2009 11:52 AM, T. Jenkins wrote:
I recently replaced my C: boot drive because it was showing signs of
problems, and overall, the process was smoother than I expected. I used the
Western Digital Data Lifeguard Tools, and in general, the new drive seems to
be working ok.

One glitch, though, is that MS Office apps (Office XP Professional) are
operating a little weird. The first time I loaded an Excel file, I needed to
install some feature that was apparently needed. It still goes through a
quick "Installing..." phase when I open files now.

Word is a little worse. When I open a Word file by double-clicking the
file, I get the same Windows Installer popup, but then I get a warning window
with the title "Microsoft Word 10.0" and text of "An error occurred and this
feature is no longer functioning properly. Please run Setup and select
"Repair..." to restore this application." I hit ok, the window disappears,
and Word seems to open the file normally.

Outlook appears to have several problems as well, but I haven't drilled down
too deep there yet.

I've tried several times to open the installation setup program from CD, but
I can't seem to get it working. It doesn't autoplay, and it gives me errors
when I try to run the setup app directly. After I double-click Setup, I
first get a window saying "Preparing to install...", when after 20-30
seconds, an error saying "This patch package could not be opened. Verify
that the patch package exists and that you can access it, or contact the
application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch
package."

Seems like something fundamental with Windows isn't working right for it to
tell me that. Can anyone offer any troubleshooting tips?

Thanks,
T. Jenkins


Same thing happened to me this is what I had to do this should solve
your problem

--
"Sarah if the American people had ever known the truth about what we
Bushes have done to this nation, we would be chased down in the streets
and lynched."
---George Herbert Walker Bush, in an interview with Sarah McClendon, 1992

Subject:
Office Update is unable to check for updates
From:
"Goose [MS]" .(donotspam)
Date:
Fri, 8 Apr 2005 17:25:02 -0700
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.officeupdate

Mr. techie, looks like you've gone through all our basic troubleshooting
steps. Something more serious may be wrong. I recommend you contact Microsoft
PSS to help you out. Here is another post I saw on the forums that seems to
have work for other users, but it requires advanced knowledge of the OS,
basically registry editing, so please be careful if you try it.

"Based on my experience, this issue is mostly caused
by .MSP files are corrupted or missing.

Windows Installer patch files (.MSP files) are stored on
your computer after update installation completes because
they need to be referenced for future update operations.
If the files are missing you will not be able to apply
Office updates. You may also be unable to uninstall
Office products as a result of the same problem.

To resolve the issue, we need to manually delete all the
registry keys for Office. I understand the whole process
can be time consuming but they are crucial for us to
effectively resolve this situation. I have handled a
number of similar cases in the past, and we have solved
the problem in the manner I have suggested. Please work
with me by trying the troubleshooting steps and we will
resolve this problem together. Your time and efforts are
greatly appreciated. To do this, follow the steps below:

NOTE:

If you have Project 2003 installed, please do not perform
the following steps!

Please ensure you have the Office installation CD on your
hand before performing following steps.

Warning: The following steps contain information about
modifying the registry. If you use Registry Editor
incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may
require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft
cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result
from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry
Editor at your own risk.

NOTE: The following steps will not hurt or delete your
email data and Office documents.

(a) Quit all running programs, especially the Antivirus
and firewall application.

(b) Click Start menu- Run, type "regedit" (without the
quotation marks) in the Open box and press Enter.

(c) Delete the following registry keys if they exist:

How to locate a Key

For example, HKEY_CURRENT_USER is the key, and everything
that follows the first backslash (\) is the subkey.

The keys and subkeys are listed in a folder tree in the
left pane of Registry Editor. As in Windows Explorer, in
the left pane of Registry Editor, if a key or subkey
contains subkeys, a plus sign (+) appears next to the
folder icon for that key. If you click the plus sign, the
folder expands, and subfolders, representing the subkeys,
appear under it.

To locate the registry key "
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office ", follow
these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then
click OK.

2. Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER,

3. Expand SOFTWARE to expand it.

4. Expand Microsoft.

5. Click Office.


(NOTE: Please locate the following keys in the left pane
of Registry Editor and then delete them if they exist.)

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\904.

(Note: 904... means all registry keys beginning with 904,
for example:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\9040820900063 D11C8EF0
0054038389C

Some of these registry keys may not be present. This
does not matter; carry on with the next one.)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Com ponents

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Fea tures\90
4...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Pro ducts\90
4...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer\Pat ches

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersio
n\Installer\Products\904.



HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Installer\Comp onents

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Installer\Feat ures\904
.....

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Installer\Prod ucts\904
.....

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Installer\Patc hes

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersi
on\Installer\Products\904.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersi
on\Uninstall\{9XXX0409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0050048383C9}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersi
on\Uninstall\{00XXX409-78E1-11D2-B60F-006097C998E7}

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersi
on\Uninstall\{9XXX0409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9}

Note: Please delete all the registry keys under the
above "Uninstall" key similar to :{00XXX409-78E1-11D2-
B60F-006097C998E7},{9XXX0409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0050048383C9}
or {9XXX0409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9}

(NOTE: XXX means 3 digitals)



(d) Quit Registry Editor.

(e) Rename the "Microsoft Office" to "Microsoft Office
OLD", "OfficeUpdate" "OfficeUpdate OLD" to
and "OfficeUpdate11" to "OfficeUpdate11 OLD" folders
located in the "C:\Program Files" folder if they exist.

(f) Click Start menu- Run, type "%Temp%" (without the
quotation marks) in the Open box and press Enter.

(g) Empty the %Temp% folder.

(h) Empty the Recycle Bin.

(i) Restart your computer and install a full version of
Office. Then, go to Office Product Updates Web site to
check for all available updates:

http://www.officeupdate.com/ProductUpdates/default.aspx"




if this helps, please post back.

Gustavo
Software Test Engineer
Microsoft

Legal Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers no rights.





"SW Techie" wrote:


Erorr message: "Office Update is unable to check for updates" when trying to
update Office 2003 Pro.

Any solutions would be appreciated. I have already followed several
recommendations (as described below) that were suggested to others posting
with the same problem. Thanks in advance!

DETAILS:
Computer is a brand new Toshiba Tecra M3 with Windows XP Pro SP2 preloaded.
It had a Microsoft Works 8 and Microsoft Office SB Edition 2003 Trial bundle
preinstalled, which I removed via Add/Remove Programs before installing
Office Pro 2003.

I followed each of the steps recommended in MS KB Article 304498. No change.
(At Method 7, the "Detect and Repair" on the preinstalled OneNote software
did indicate a problem, so I uninstalled it via Add/Remove Programs, but that
did not correct the problem with Office Update.)

I used the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility as recommended here in the
discussion groups, rebooting and reinstalling Office afterwards, but that did
not correct the problem either.

Finally, I tried the Windows Script 5.6 as suggested here as well. Still no
change.

Any other suggestions?