Any Installer that uses Windows Installer Hangs; Won't Install

[Papkee]

I've had this problem for two months now.

My system, a three-month old windows 8 desktop has been plugging along just fine for a long time now, and I originally thought this problem was just with Java, which was my main problem the first time this issue appeared.

With the java installer, it would hang once it started installing, with nothing on the progress bar. Windows Installer would show no cpu usage, and the installer would stay at this state for however long I left it running. After a few weeks of struggling for an answer, I gave up and found some shady portable version of java that quasi-works for what I need.

Now, last week I wanted to install the Livestream Producer. It went through the steps, and when it got to the progress bar it hung, once again, with no progress. Lo and behold, Windows Installer was once again using no CPU. So I thought, hey, maybe I should install some updates. When I tried, it hung on "Preparing to Install..." with the bar moving across the screen indefinitely. Once again, I figured windows installer was to blame.

I've tried all the solutions I've found on google, and none seem to work. I can't clean install Win8 because I have nowhere to move my files before wiping the hard drive. Plus, I don't have time to, either.

There's got to be some reason why windows installer hates me so much.

Please help...

 

[The_Prophecy]

Give the script linked below a shot. This will run the sfc /scannow command, remove and re-register msiexec, and finally, force a reboot of the machine.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/96013768/Fix%20Windows%20Installer.zip

 

[Papkee]

I ran that, and SFC said there were some corruptions that couldn't be fixed. Unfortunately the log file gave me no information as to what they might be.

I turned on Windows Installer Logging and ran the Java installer again. The log file is here: http://pastebin.com/D9cm7TCz

I can't decipher much of what it's saying, but I can tell you that it hung at [22:01:43] and at [22:03:52] was when I killed windows installer from task manager. Does this log help at all?

I just want to install things already...

 

[Papkee]

Additionally I found through Revo uninstaller that Windows can't create restore points, either. Is there the possibility that some permissions are wrong.

Also, is it worth mentioning that I cloned my old HDD to a new SSD, which is what Windows is now running off of?

 

[The_Prophecy]

You could always try the Refresh option (type Refresh into the Start screen). This would leave your data intact and only require you to reinstall applications you did manage to set up before this problem occurred (if any).

I would still back up your most critical data somewhere if at all possible in case anything goes wrong. Even to something like a flash drive...

 

[Joe Zapert]

I've had this problem forever and finally SOLVED it. All my MSI installs would hang forever at the beginning, not using any CPU and doing nothing. Eventually, on examining the Windows Events Logs, I found out the problem was the Volume Shadow Copy Service.

MSI installs take a Restore Point at the beginning of every install. This uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service. In my case, the VSS service was just hanging when called. (VSS Errors in the System Event Log shows up at the same time as every install.)

The problem is, how do you tell what's causing VSS to hang? It's really a nightmare, I can't find any tools to diagnose it. If you search, there are many software packages people have blamed for this, and uninstalling fixed it.

In my case, it was the ASRock X-Fast USB utility that came with my motherboard. I uninstalled it, and the VSS service started responding again fine, and now all MSI installs are normal.

To test if you have a similar problem: Open an Administrative Command Prompt and type:

vssadmin list writers

. If you get a message that the system is "still waiting" for the service to respond, then this is your problem. (If it immediately provides a list of writers, your VSS service is ok.)

 

[incidentflux]

I've had this problem forever and finally SOLVED it. All my MSI installs would hang forever at the beginning, not using any CPU and doing nothing. Eventually, on examining the Windows Events Logs, I found out the problem was the Volume Shadow Copy Service.

MSI installs take a Restore Point at the beginning of every install. This uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service. In my case, the VSS service was just hanging when called. (VSS Errors in the System Event Log shows up at the same time as every install.)

The problem is, how do you tell what's causing VSS to hang? It's really a nightmare, I can't find any tools to diagnose it. If you search, there are many software packages people have blamed for this, and uninstalling fixed it.

In my case, it was the ASRock X-Fast USB utility that came with my motherboard. I uninstalled it, and the VSS service started responding again fine, and now all MSI installs are normal.

To test if you have a similar problem: Open an Administrative Command Prompt and type:

vssadmin list writers

. If you get a message that the system is "still waiting" for the service to respond, then this is your problem. (If it immediately provides a list of writers, your VSS service is ok.)

Thank you kind sir for solving this. I wasted many hours, waiting.

I have an ASRock Z87 Extreme 4 motherboard. Un-installed the ASRock X-Fast USB utility on my Win7 64bit. All good now.

 

[chamiri]

I've had this problem forever and finally SOLVED it. All my MSI installs would hang forever at the beginning, not using any CPU and doing nothing. Eventually, on examining the Windows Events Logs, I found out the problem was the Volume Shadow Copy Service.

MSI installs take a Restore Point at the beginning of every install. This uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service. In my case, the VSS service was just hanging when called. (VSS Errors in the System Event Log shows up at the same time as every install.)

The problem is, how do you tell what's causing VSS to hang? It's really a nightmare, I can't find any tools to diagnose it. If you search, there are many software packages people have blamed for this, and uninstalling fixed it.

In my case, it was the ASRock X-Fast USB utility that came with my motherboard. I uninstalled it, and the VSS service started responding again fine, and now all MSI installs are normal.

To test if you have a similar problem: Open an Administrative Command Prompt and type:

vssadmin list writers

. If you get a message that the system is "still waiting" for the service to respond, then this is your problem. (If it immediately provides a list of writers, your VSS service is ok.)

Thanks you Joe, I have got the same problem. And when reading your mail I already thought this must be the solution.
I de-installed xFasts USB and problem solved, thanks you very much.