Why do I get "Window Installer, Preparing to install" each time I boot Windows?

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Summary: If you get the "Window Installer, Preparing to install" each time you boot Windows, there are a couple of resources to check out.

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In a nutshell, it depends. Typically it's an artifact from a previous install that didn't complete. But there are a couple of resources that might help:

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How do I stop Windows Installer from loading? is a thread out on the Annoyances.org discussion board that covers the topic. Windows Installer Appears Every Time I Start an Application is a related article, also on Annoyances.org.

Related:

What's all this stuff running after I boot Windows? When you start Windows, many programs start automatically as well. It can be difficult to identify everything and whether or not they're all neccessary.

Article C2094 - July 3, 2004

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Recent Comments

44 Comments

How do I get rid of windows Installer flashing everytime I go to the internet? I am using Windows Vista Home Premium.
I tried typing "services.msc into run, but nothing comes up with windows Installer.
Thank you for any help you can give me.

Posted by: Dale Edens at December 1, 2009 9:49 AM

thank you justin. I have tried everything to stop the windows installer from popping up. I hope I don't have other problems from doing this but no pop-up. thanks

Posted by: camille at January 26, 2010 11:29 AM

When the POP-UP appears - don't close/cancel, open the task manager>>processes then find the MSI.EXE; right click and choose END PROCESS TREE. i hope it'll work for you..

Posted by: omey@helpdesk at January 31, 2010 2:01 PM

This can also result due to the .doc "open" command. Open File Explorer, select the Tools tab, select Folder Options, select the File Types tab, scroll down to ".doc", click the Advanced button, select "Open" and edit, uncheck "Use DDE" and make sure the command line for "Application used to perform action" ends with "%1". This works whenever this problem with MS Word comes back!

Posted by: Suz at February 13, 2010 11:21 AM

do this for .docx too

Posted by: Suzanne at February 13, 2010 11:22 AM

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