Computer Clean Up Tips

You must have come across various errors while installing programs in your computer. One of the most common causes of such error is due to the configuration problems of the windows installer software which is installed on your PC. Ever seen the wizard which helps you in installing software on your PC? It is windows installer at work. So any problem with this installer will lead to improper installation or un-installation of the programs. Some of the reasons on account of which the windows installer is damaged are listed in the following sections. Windows installer as like any windows program is tightly integrated into the registry. An error in the registry is more than enough for the installer utility to stall. Interruption of the current installation service will also lead to such lockups. It means when you try to install two different programs on the PC at the same time, then installer errors may occur. The above statement can be had in inverse too, that is when the same installation of a program is started twice then also installer errors may crop up.

Take a closer look at the task manager while you are installing software. You will find a process termed MSICUU.EXE being listed. This is the windows cleanup utility at work. You might also find another process MSIZAP.EXE which is run simultaneously. The latest version can be downloaded off the official Microsoft update website. After installation the utility can be listed in the All Programs tab. On invoking the software all the programs which were installed on the computer and which had used windows installer for its installation will be found listed. Do not be surprised if you find the utility too being listed in the available programs because the utility also used windows installer.

Either one program or all the programs can be selected. But you can do multiple selections with the help of Shift or Ctrl keys. Care has to be noted that the utility does not uninstall any programs. It just removes the installer information from the database. It should also be noted that once the installer information has been removed from the database, then it is difficult or impossible to remove the software the usual method, using the add/remove program paradigm. Reinstallation is the only available option to run the programs which were treated with windows installer cleanup utility.

Administrative privileges must be given to the utility, else error message will be shown. If you are currently logged in a guest account, run the utility after logging again into the administrative account. In higher versions of windows such as windows vista, you can use the Run as Administrator option available. Reregistering of the msi.dll files must also be done in certain cases to eliminate error messages. If you wish to remove the utility you can always resort the normal way. The utility will be listed in the add/remove programs and can be removed from there. Always make sure to download and install the latest version of windows installer cleanup utility.

Registry errors and DLL errors are usually caused due to improper shutdown and startup of the computer along with improper installation and un-installation procedure for software programs. Windows installer cleanup is especially useful in troubleshooting in such situation. The detailed working of the utility is discussed in this article. The utility is touted to be a lifesaver when you are facing registry and DLL errors. One of the major disadvantages associated with the product is the reinstallation of all the software programs which are already installed on the computer in certain cases. Why? This is also suitable explained on the article.

The situation is well known. You get your hands on some latest software program. You try installing the program on your PC with the intention of trying it and buying it if you like. But by the middle of the installation process the computer becomes unresponsive and you are forced to do a manual reboot of the computer by pressing the reboot button. After booting up you notice the program is being listed as installed on the computer, but when you try to invoke the program, it doesn’t seem to respond or you get some error message. Ok, you try to do the installation process once again and for this you will have to uninstall the existing installation. But sadly that is also not possible, because when you try to uninstall the program you are bombarded with a series of error messages. Does the above scenario ring any bell?

Fear not help is at hand thanks to windows installer cleanup. This program supersedes the entries listed in the add/remove programs and will help in the deletion of the program files. Now there is a confusion which should be addressed in this point. Windows installer cleanup do not uninstall any software programs. They just remove the corrupted installation files and this will enable you to reinstall the software program once again. Once the installation files are deleted, then the program can be removed or upgraded. The reader must understand this basic difference and must not consider windows installer cleanup as some form of miracle product.

Care must be taken to install the latest version of windows installer cleanup utility, because the earlier versions were comprised of many bugs. Separate versions are available for the 32bit and 64bit OS users. Care must also be taken that full permission is given to the utility when running of the computer. If you have logged into some guest accounts, make sure to logout and enter the administrative account and re-run the software. When the utility is run within windows environment, the erroneous installations are being listed and it is only the matter of seconds before the computer will be clean of the corrupted installation files. Looking into the finer aspects we find that an entry to the installation files is only deleted. So when the utility is reinstalled the program deletes the older files and installs newer files. This is how the utility is designed to work.