Installation woes

[propflux01]

I have a problem with my W98 Windows install program. When I try to install hardware from a CD, I get "Unable to Install - The Service Already Exists" I got this from several programs i have tried to load. But I can download and install no problem if I use a web-based download of the same hardware. this occurs using both my CD-Rom OR My CD-R/RW drives. I had an install issue with a Kodak Camera software and when I explained this to the tech rep he told me it was becasue windows installer is mising some kind of file. He said to update it. So I went to Microshaft downloads and, Bingo! an installer! well, go to download, try to install, and get the same error message - "Unable to install - the Service Already exists"......So Now What??? BTW, All the usual stuff has been done, I.E. Virus checks, closing all down before installs, scandisks, all that kind of stuff....Any suggestions?

[andyms18a]

try start run sfc and have your win98 cd in the drive

[propflux01]

I have already done that.....It claims nothing is wrong with exception of a few unrelated file updates.

[GaryRouth]

Hi propflux01

Just noticed you were here on the board: I'll try a few suggestions, but I haven't found any exact match for your error in my first search.

Since you can install from the web, you could try upgrading your IE to IE6 with SP1 (if you haven't already). This is a wild stab = but I've been lucky lately. IE installs replace a ton of files, the installer just might be one of them [and if you have broadband, the whole thing takes about 10 minutes].

Or of course an "over-the-top" reinstall of Windows would probably do the trick.

Best of luck, I'll have more time to check back & perhaps search a bit more later -
. . . Gary

[propflux01]

yes, this si a real freaky one here. Windows just hates me, thats all! I already have the upgrade, and SFC was good, so see no real reason to reinstall, usually just causes more headaches.... Funny though, when i tried to install from Microshaft.com, It wouldn't let me install from the web there. thats the only time it has ever done that, all others were from cd-roms and such...Go figure......

[GaryRouth]

Since some posts seem to keep pointing to the Windows Installer not being 100% happy, and since the MS site try didn't go, what the heck, if you're feeling adventurous you can try downloading it from a third party site (it's "redistributable" = OK with Microsoft).

The Win98 version is the InstMsiA.exe file, the 1st download mentioned on the page - it can be run directly from that site, or downloaded & run later. I really don't see why it didn't work from Windows Update - but this might be something to try.

Here's the download link (has all the instructions on that page, too): http://www.axcessnetworks.com/downloads.htm

Best of luck, hope this one works.
. . . Gary

[propflux01]

Error - "the Specified Service Already Exists"...Thats what I got when I tried to Execute it....is there a trash can nearby?.....!!!

[GaryRouth]

One of the stranger things about that error message is that it must be more common in Windows NT - When searching for a repair that has a chance of working, I come across 20 articles for Windows NT for each Windows 98 suggestion. Haven't found an exact match, either - which is also strange. I'll keep looking around when I have some free time in between my tasks here at the lab. . .

In the meantime, I found yet another site with a little different approach to the Windows Installer 2.0+ [another interesting thing: quite a few of the installer posts were at Perl programming sites] http://www.cusimano.com/scripts/tutorials/activeperl/

Not sure if their procedure will any more effective than the others, but it might be worth a try. To tell you the truth, if I was having the same problem as your computer, I'd probably make backups of what I could, fdisk the contraption and reinstall fresh. Might save time in the long run. (I'm assuming your PC is a home build - otherwise: if it's a major brand--> if you decide to fdisk, you'd leave any Non-Dos proprietary partitions alone).

If problems start cropping up again after a fresh install, it seems like it'd be time to start testing the hardware - memory, drives, etc.

Best of luck
. . . Gary

[hmmm . . . one more thing to try before the whole re-install business might be the --> boot to DOS, type scanreg/restore - and see if there's a registry restore point back far enough to be before the installer went haywire. This would only fix it if it's just a Registry setting that's bonked]