I deleted Windows\Installer folder, is there a chance to repair?

Question

I accidentally deleted the Windows\Installer folder in Windows 7. Is there a way to repair this, because I can't install new Microsoft software anymore.

Solution 1

Try recovering the files using a Shadow Copy (Previous Versions). If your edition of Windows doesn't expose the Previous Versions tab, use the free ShadowExplorer to do it.

If that doesn't work, recover from backup.

If you don't have a backup, you're in big trouble.

The only real options you have at that point are reinstalling Windows (and all of your applications that use Windows Installer) or, maybe, trying to use the msizap.exe command line tool to reset all the Installer's registry information.

Solution 2

You can't reinstall it, because actually version 5.0 is not redistributable.

The simplest solution is to copy the folder from an other Win7 computer.

Solution 3

Open an elevated command prompt and type:

sfc /scannow

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

Solution 4

Have you tried using System restore, or even just restore from the recycle bin?

Solution 5

You can use my PowerShell script “Restore-InstallerFiles.ps1” which is capable to scan for the missing files, and to restore them from different sources such as local folder, shared folder or another machine which can be accessed from the target machine. http://ahmad.jempress.com/post/restore-the-missing-windows-installer-cache-files

https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Restore-the-Missing-d11de3a1

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Comments

[Daisetsu]

Have you tried using the Windows install cd and selecting the repair option?

[DavidPostill]

Please quote the essential parts of the answer from the reference link(s), as the answer can become invalid if the linked page(s) change.

[FindOutIslamNow]

Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.