464 thoughts on “Another Installation Already in Progress (But it’s Not)”

1. thank you! it worked!

2. Glad to hear it! 🙂

3. Doesn’t work. When it’s enabled back, the installer is again activated by another background installation. I also tried deleting the keys from the registry, and after every restart, it is pointing to another file. I’m stuck

4. I’ve used this technique many times, so if it didn’t work for you, then I suspect you didn’t do exactly what I described.

   Disable Windows Installer. Reboot. Go back into Windows Services and set Windows Installer to manual (from disabled). Run your installation.

   If you have deleted keys from the registry, then you may have done all kinds of damage – I can’t help you with that.

5. I had this problem in my laptop. I had been struggling with this problem for the last 2 months.
   Finally I used the Windows Installer Cleanup utilty and it worked for me. You need to unzip this utility and start it since you will not be able to install this.

6. It’s not necessary to use the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility, as I explained in my post. It can be fixed much more easily.

7. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I’ve been going nuts trying numerous things I’ve found on other web sites to fix this problem. Using your instructions – in less than ten minutes all was fine. This has been so frustrating – can’t thank you enough ! 🙂

8. I am very glad it helped you! 🙂

9. Thanks, Sheryl! You’re a genius.

10. Brilliant! I’ve spent hours the last few days trying to find a solution to this – this is straight forward & it WORKS, thank you!

11. Hi Sheryl,

    This worked really well! The only thing I’m worried about is the darn thing is going to try to install itself again when I restart the computer, and then I’ll have to use your technique again. Do you think that will happen?

    It was HP Photo and Imaging software that was trying to install every time I started up, and then froze, so I killed it.

12. Hi Julie,

    Your situation sounds like a buggy installation program, so you might need the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.

    – Sheryl

13. This is totally amazing!

    Seriously, I spent at least 3 hours reading site after site, including MSDN, Microsoft.com, and about 200 others, that insisted that tools called msizap, msicuu and msiinv had to be used to fix “another installation is in progress” when trying to install anything on my system!

    Then, almost at the point of formatting my entire system, I decided to search one more time on Google, oddly, leaving off the quotes, and I found your site… and on the first try… BINGO, it worked!

    Thank you SOOOOOO very much for such an awesomely simple fix! It’d be great, since this seems to be such a common problem, that this simple solution was better known!

14. Glad it helped. 🙂

15. hi,

    I hve been tryin to install itunes for long now..

    it keeps saying that some other installation is in progress.
    i have tried almost everything to get thru this.. even your method..

    it just doesnt seem to work..

    please help

16. What I suggested really does work. Try it again, step by step, do every single thing I say in the post and it will work.

17. This problem has got me to the point of throwing out Vista. Unable to install anything 🙁
    Why could I not find this answer from MS?
    It is now fixed and works exactly as you say.

    A very BIG thankyou!!!

18. Apparently, this issue also inflicts Windows 7, both updated from Vista or a fresh install. I reported it to Microsoft via beta feedback, maybe it’ll get fixed!

19. Sheryl, like Carl I spent a great deal of time trying to find a solution to this problem. Microsoft web site is worthless and other sites are trying to sell you the solution. Now I know why I switched to Linux (my primary systems) some years ago. Thany you very much for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

20. I’m very happy I can help. I know how much I appreciate it when people post solutions to problems like this, so I also share these things I learned the hard way.

    I’m planning to set up Linux on my old computer – just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I’m waffling on what flavor to go with.

21. IT WORKS…just as simple as that….
    Simple and Works = Best solution..

22. This solution does work but just to confirm what Vigan has said not 100% of the time.

    If the broken installation which is causing this error message to appear is able to get started again before you get your other installation/uninstallation running after setting the Windows Installer back to manual then it fails like Vigan says.

    What I did was kick off the uninstall I was having problems with and then I reset the Windows Installer to manual. That way it got its MSIEXEC process started before the rogue one and it worked fine after that.

    Before I did that thought it did exactly what Vigan said happened in his experience.

    So like I say not 100% fix with this solution but it does work if you are fast! 🙂

23. FrankFranko, I don’t think what you said is correct, or not exactly. What I described works the vast majority of the time because the vast majority of the time there isn’t a faulty installation that’s trying to restart or do something else bad. Usually the installation went just fine, but Vista doesn’t recognize it’s done. So there’s no timing issue, you don’t have to do it “fast” like you describe. I’ve stalled for a while because I didn’t feel like rebooting – no problem.

    I think there probably are a few rare circumstances when there really is an install program that’s faulty, but it’s never happened to me. One other person posted something that sounded like a true faulty install program.

24. Thank very much Sheryl, your solution worked like a charm”.

25. It was so annoying, I thought of abandoning Vista and going back to XP.
    A couple of days I searched and searched and finally found your site luckily. Your suggestion worked for me. You are wonderful. Many thanks.

26. Gracias totales Sheryl, you are my salvation, I was going crazy.

27. I see 2 different directions on this page.
    Sheryl Canter:
    I’ve used this technique many times, so if it didn’t work for you, then I suspect you didn’t do exactly what I described.

    Disable Windows Installer. Reboot. Go back into Windows Services and set Windows Installer to automatic (from disabled). Run your installation.

    If you have deleted keys from the registry, then you may have done all kinds of damage – I can’t help you with that.

    February 3, 2009, 9:09 pm
    and……
    After your computer reboots, again open Computer Management (right-click on Computer and select Manage), open Windows Installer Properties, and change the Startup type back to Manual. Now you’re good to go and can start a new installation.

    One says return back to manual and the other says back to automatic???
    Which one?
    Lynne Bussard

28. Lynne,

    It should be set to Manual. The Windows Installer service is not an automatic process – rather Windows starts it when the service is needed. The Windows Installer Service should not be running unless there is a legitimate installation going on.

    However, the second restart is unneeded. You can set the service back to manual after the reboot and continue working normally from there. At that point the service is available, and installers can once again grab a mutex from it.

29. I’ll fix the typo in the comment. What it says in the article is correct – manual, not automatic.

    Kevin – what “second restart”? My article describes one restart.

30. Woo woo woo – It works

    Download problem solving for Google Earth lead me to your site. Following your guide the application finally downloaded and setup, first try.

    Secondary benefit, repeated failures loading AT&T DSL on an older PC, running Win XP pro finally achieved. Problem, unable to set up IE access directly to AT&T or any source.

    A workaround suggested by AT&T resulted in DSL operation through older IPS service. Following the GE success, service to with IE finally worked also, still need to resolve connection to AT&T.

    AT&T’s initial setup service is apparently unaware of the trap caused by the “Windows Installer Cleanup Utility”.

    Thanks C.

31. Sheryl, Thanks so much. This solution worked great!

32. Thankyou, the installer disabled works

    Thanks a Millllllllllllll

33. This Does WOrk, thank YOu

34. Thank you Sheryl..

    All the people in the auditorium stands up and starts to clap hands (Y)

35. Worked very well Sheryl.
    I will be following your site.
    My name is João an I am from Portugal.
    Thank you.

36. Definitely Works. The first time I tried it, I didn’t follow the exact instructions and had to go back through it again. Thanks, for posting.

37. You absolute legend Sheryl, i spent days trying to find solutions, ive even formatted my laptop. This was the last website i was willing to look on, AND IT WORKED! Thanks ever so much

38. Thanx alot… worked like a charm! I have been suffering with this problem for months and have spent hours trying to get help on the Microsoft Support Website! I am still not sure what language that stuff is written in. After I followed your instructions, I was able to install everything even my itunes updates with no problem! I had to saved this site in my favorites! Thanx for putting this info out here for computer idiots like me. You saved me from pitching my laptop into the Ohio River!

39. Relieved after long long time – thanks very much.

40. simply right clicking on the service and clicking refresh worked for me

41. mr0no – could you explain that a little bit more? At what point are you clicking refresh? I don’t understand what you mean.

42. What he means, Sheryl, is that where you’d normally click “properties” in the utilities menu, you click “refresh”.

43. The method posted works fine. However, there is a slightly quicker method. to bring of the task menu. Find all instances of the application “msiexec.exe”. Hightlight and click button.

44. Sorry. I forgot about some characters I used being Html codes:

    The method posted works fine. However, there is a slightly quicker method. Bring up the task list using CTRL ALT DELETE. Highlight each instance of the application msiexec.exe and click the END PROCESS button.

45. THANK YOU! your directions were so clear and it solved my problem in 5 minutes. I’ve been struggling with this for weeks.

46. Thanks Michael. Ending msiexec.exe worked for me. Disabling/enabling Windows Installer service did not help even if I followed the directions given in the article.

47. Hi,

    I think I confront same issue as Charlie and others but there is no msiexec.exe in task.

    can you send the solution?

48. got it solved thanks this indeed works.

49. Must agree with Vigan.

    I followed you steps exactly and it didn’t work, and no I didn’t mess with the registry.

    Also tried Michael’s trick with the msiexec.exe. Didn’t work either.

50. Hi Sheryl!
    This is the first time I’ve encountered this problem.
    I Googled..etc…
    While I was Googling I came across your site! Great site!
    So anyway . .I tried your suggestion . .it didn’t work at first.
    I tried stopping and starting the services and restarting the laptop and
    BINGO!!!

    I will look you up on facebook!

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