The installation package could not be opened

Question

I get the following error message on a Windows 7 64-bit computer whenever I try to install anything using Windows Installer (.msi):

This installation package could not be opened. Contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer package.

I tried reinstalling and updating Windows Installer but with no luck. What is wrong? It just suddenly happened.

Ihave tried everything recommended on this page, and the pages it links to: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-windows_programs/the-installation-package-could-not-be-opened/6f49baee-ec1f-479f-a889-031162baad1e

Solution 1

Do these before reinstalling SP1:

A few more questions: How many MSI files have you tried that have returned this message? Are they from a particular vendor? Are any of them Microsoft files downloaded from their website? And are they supposed to be compatible with the 64-bit OS or Windows 7?

First, where are these packages being run from? Were they downloaded to your Desktop, are they on a disk, or are they in a system directory such as somewhere inside C:\Windows?

If they are inside a system directory, try copying them to your desktop or another folder you have full control of and running them from there.

Second, try running sfc /scannow from your command prompt to check for and repair any system files or registry issues.

Third, are they blocked? Right click on the .msi file and select properties. There will be a button near the bottom of the dialog Unblock. Click this and try running the files again.

Fourth, make sure that the folder you've got the files in have the appropriate permissions. Check the security settings for the folder these files are in and make sure that the user SYSTEM has full access. After all, the msiexec will run as SYSTEM and will need full control of the directory and all files inside it.

Trying re-installing Windows 7 sp1 to perform a "lite" operating system repair.

1. Download the package from the MS website, you'll probably need the one labeled windows6.1-KB976932-X64.exe.

2. If you already have the Service Pack installed, you'll want to uninstall it. Sometimes these packs don't have a "repair" or "reinstall" function. Instructions from the MS site for uninstalling.

3. After the uninstall is complete and you've rebooted, begin the installation of the package downloaded in step 1.

Solution 2

Download the file using a different browser.

I guess Google Chrome was corrupted but Internet Explorer worked just fine.

Comments

[Admin]

Are there any telltale entries in the system logs immediately prior to your experiencing this issue?

[Admin]

@music2myear: Not at all.

[Admin]

What is your user level, at least local administrators?

[Admin]

@JohnDR: I'm local admin.

[Admin]

@music2myear: Nope.

[Admin]

Rather than reinstalling or attempting to repair the MSI system, I'd reinstall Win 7 SP1. This could be seen as a light "repair install" of the entire OS and is more likely to fix problems like this one.

[Admin]

@music2myear: How would I go about doing this?

[Dynamic]

I've tried installing ActivePerl and MySQL. Different vendors. Both compatible with Windows 7 64 bit. I've tried installing these files from the Disk Drive and the Downloads folder. The files were not blocked. I have all permissions. Give me time to get the rest of the info.

[Ravindra Bawane]

Was the SYSTEM account set to Full Control for the folder and all subfolders and items?

[Dynamic]

Yes it was and is ;-).

[Dynamic]

Installing SP1 was no help... any other ideas.

[Ravindra Bawane]

Unfortunately not at this point. Plugging the error you gave into google came up with several results though, in addition to the ones I gave here. You may want to give that a try.

[True Soft]

Although the answer sounds stupid, this was my case too. It happened with Google Chrome on a Windows 8 machine.

[Viet Nguyen]

It was my case too, download by chrome was corrupted

[Bohemian]

moving the msi out of downloads into a regular dir (eg c:\tools) worked for me