I keep encountering an annoying error message as I try to set up my new 64-bit Vista laptop. Often when I try to install a program, I’m told that another installation is already in progress and I must complete that one first. But no other installation is in progress, and simply rebooting doesn’t help.
I googled this problem, and found some complicated advice about failed installations and the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility. But I find that this error occurs when a program installs just fine in every respect except that it leaves the Windows Installer Service running.
There’s a easy way to fix this.
Right-click on the Computer icon, wherever it exists on your system, and select Manage. (I’m using the Classic Start menu, so the Computer icon is on my desktop. If you’re using the new Start menu, the icon is in the Start menu.) This opens the Computer Management utility.
Select Services, right click on Windows Installer in the list and select Properties. If you’re having the problem, the Windows Installer service is started, and the Stop button is disabled. Simply rebooting doesn’t stop the service. Here’s how you stop it.
In the Properties dialog, change Startup type to “Disabled”, click OK, and reboot your computer. This stops the service. 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.
This appears to be the solution but in my case I am not able to disable. The start up type drop down menu does not work and stays at Manual. My new laptop is installed with Windows 8 OS. It seems that my problem is same as Tamara.
I had the same problem as Ashok & Tamara on A Windows 8 system but found a solution. I was able to successfully install MySQL after repeatedly getting the “another installation already in progress” message. What I found was that there were 3 or 4 processes of Windows Installer running in Task Manager. I killed each one of them in turn. Then I went back to the mysql-installer-community-5.6.11.0.msi file and was able to install the DB program successfully.
Thank you very much!
Thanx Alot!!! it worked!
FANTASTIC!!!
As it was posted in 2008 I didn’t hold a lot of hope of this working, systems change etc – but thank god it did! Thank you SO much for sharing this post.
Thank you so much …it worked; i was literally tearing my hair out; HP technical staff couldn’t work it out, but i have succeeded following your advice. Thanks again 🙂
thank you so much, you’ve won the internet
Thanks for the tip! Rather than restarting the machine I killed the Windows Installer process in task manager and it worked for me.
thank you sooo much,it worked 🙂
i cant change it from manual to disabled 🙁
Excellent!….simple and effective.
services, windows installer, logon, select allow service to interact with desktop
I right clicked on the “My Computer” icon, hit manage, and got an error message stating MMC cannot open file and that it may be because the file does not exist, is not an MMC console, or was created by a later version of MMC. Please help.
Thanks Cheryl it looks like this worked for me. Now I can update all my security essentials on my laptop.
This did not work for me. Framework 4.0 installer continues to say another installation is alredy in progress ……Help!
i tried this..its good that no more another insta llation blah blah thing but it also prevent my installtion setup to finish..btw im downloading net framework
I also have trouble downloading microsoft 2005 redistributable x64 any ideas?? I know its off topic but i hope you know something 🙂
Does not work. In properties, it shows it set on manual which cannot be selected–grayed out. Service status is running, but all options to start, stop, pause, resume are grayed out. Absolutely NO programs can be installed because an installation is running, but there is none running.
Worked just fine for me. Thanks very much
Worked again, many thanks Sheryl. Is there any way I can stop it happening again?
It hasn’t happened to me in a very long time, I assume because Microsoft fixed something. Do you keep up with Windows updates?
ran into problems fixing .NET framework…your solution helped me successfully repair. Anyway, long story short is that I just wanted to thank you for posting this, and leaving this up for so long for those poor souls who have followed in your footsteps on the path of Another Installation Is Running. THANK YOU!!!
THANK YOU!! 3 blooming days I’ve struggled to fix this… Then found this and it took me 30seconds!! You are fantastic and now bookmarked!
There isnt an option to change the manual to disabled because it is greyed out! I cant select it at all! Im using windows 8 and this problem is bugging me like hell! Please help! 🙁
Thank you so much Sheryl. It worked perfectly. I tried all the other so called fixes and none of them worked.
Thanks. It worked. It’s just sad that Microsoft couldn’t come up with this solution or better yet, address this installation issue so it isn’t a problem anymore.
Ha! Thanks, it worked!
Solution worked great! This happened to me while installing the driver for a Nvidia graphics card. Thank you!
I followed the steps perfectly but it didn’t work so I downloaded Windows Installer Cleanup Utility and it solved it instantly. Thanks guys.
hi,
i want to remove kaspersky internet security 13.0.1.4190. but its uninstallation is never going to end for several hours.
plz suggest!!!
regards
Many thanks Sheryl, saved me a lot of time and effort figuring this out on a Windows 7 machine.
Many thanks. This worked for me too. Trying to remove Kaspersky.
Thank you, obviously this is a common issue but a real show stopped for those unfamiliar with your fix. It worked like a charm!!!
I have a suggestion, since this page is so long, and there are lots of great thank you’s and questions, it would make the data appear more relevant to list the comments beginning ith newest at the top to oldest at the bottom (opposite of current). The first comment now is dated January 18, 2009.
Again, many many thanks!!
Follow up: My solution turned out simple enough. I used task manager, processes, and “End process tree” on msiexec.exe (which is the process you’re suggesting to disable/stop).
I’m glad you found a solution.
Is there a similar solution for Windows *? I Windows installer service is running and will not let me stop it.
Should have been Windows 8.
Even I have the same problem on my Sony Vaio running Windows 7 Home Premium SP1. Blame it on Java.
Hi, I’m attempting your solution but I can’t seem to complete it. When I open the Windows Installer Properties window, I cannot change it from “Manuel” to “Disabled.” The options are highlighted with a frosty/faded tint, and I simply unable to click on it to change it. I have an HP Envy dv6 with Windows 8.
Thank you yes it worked for me also
Hi there.
It’s works…
Thanks a lot.
Hi it seems to work but does this mean that everytime I want to install something I have t9 disable reboot and then set manual everytime I do some different installation.
i have the exact same problem as cjgraham on october 10. i have an hp envy 4-1105dx. please help! i want to write one of those grateful thank you comments!
I had the same problem in one of our window 7 machines and disabling the service resolved the issue.
Thanks so much.
It worked! Thank you. I’ll bookmark this page.
You are a genius! Got into a mess trying to install a webcam (LifeCam VX-3000). MS sites complex instructions frightened the living daylights out of me. This sorted it!
Great…..It works
startup type option is disabled. What should I do??
Sheryl’s solution worked for me (I’m on Vista), but it only worked one time. After I installed something else, then the problem reappeared. By looking through all the posts, though, it seems some combination of things has fixed it – and no reboot was required. I’m not saying this is the order in which to do things, I just kept playing with different things and retrying my installation, and all of a sudden it worked.
– In Services, disable Windows Installer
– In Regedit, rename the key “HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Installer\InProgress” to something else
– From Task Manager, kill the process tree for MSIEXEC.EXE
– In Services, set Windows Installer to Manual
After doing some combination of the above, I could do my installation without getting the error. (Whether I can now do a second installation remains to be seen — but at least I didn’t have to reboot.)
Good luck to all who are still struggling with this problem.
It worked on Server 2003!