Office 2010 Always Configuring on Opening an Application

[rozel]

Hi

Having uninstalled Office 2007 on my Windows Vista 64-bit machine, I have been trying without success to install Office 2010 Pro 32-bit. Installation presents no difficulty but upon opening any of the programs within the suite, the installation screen appears to setup again followed by Office wanting to configure itself. This is very frustrating when you want to open a program quickly and until these screens finish upon opening Outlook, it refuses to send or receive. This continues again and again after each program closure and restarting.

Interestingly by cancelling them out by clicking "x", they do cancel leaving the program ready to use - but this shouldn't be necessary.

I believe this is a registry problem associated with the previous installation of Office 2007. I have uninstalled Office 2010 many times now, used Microsoft Fixit to clear all the previous traces of Office 2010 after uninstalling (even tried using the version for Office 2007, but it refuses to work saying that it's not compatible with my operating system!) and tried to clear all traces of "Office" from the registry, rebooting each time and then trying to reinstall Office 2010.

The same problem ensues.

Again interestingly installation always remembers my settings and data files for Outlook - proving that there is still something in the system before installing as otherwise how does it rember these and of course the whereabouts in my system of the .pst files, which are not in the usual place?

Something seems wrong here - I have read others with this problem, have searched here but before going to Microsoft about this, I am asking if there is anyone on this forum, which seems dedicated to Office, who can help me fix this problem.

TIA

Paul

 

[richc46]

Paul

From MS, for Vista and office
How do I uninstall Office 2003, Office 2007 or Office 2010 suites if I cannot uninstall it from Control Panel?

 

[rozel]

Thanks for that - have read it already, apart from the fact that I can uninstall from Control Panel without difficulty, the manual procedures here have not helped me

Paul

 

[rozel]

Ok in the absence of anything positive here, I will reluctantly seek advice from Microsoft but exactly what help they can offer other than the futile stuff I have read on their websites will be limited IMHO - ohh well, seems I will revert back to Office 2007.

Paul

 

[pacinitaly]

torrents???

 

[rozel]

Is that supposed to be a constructive response? Would I be prepared to go back to Microsoft if my copy was not perfectly legal? That is not what I expected from such a so called "senior member".

Sheesh

 

[richc46]

This would be my next suggestion, although a bit different. Use system restore to go back to the point before you uninstalled 07. Then with revno, uninstall the outdated program. Use ccleaner to remove any remanats. Then defrag, Now try to install.

Revo Uninstaller Pro - Uninstall software, remove programs, solve uninstall problems
free for 30 day trial period.

 

[rozel]

Thanks Richard - you have been very helpful in the past with a problem I had regarding my RAID setup and Dual Booting problem.

For some reason I cannot go back in System Restore - I created a restore point manually before uninstalling Office 2007 but after my initial problems after installing Office 2010, I tried to restore but the system did not let me. Now I see that for some other reason my manually created restore point has disappeared

So this would rule out Revo for Office 2007. This has been uninstalled and I could easily uninstall Office 2010 once more and run Microsoftfixit for 2010 but then what? The earlier version of the fixit program for 2003/2007 versions of Office does not work.

I have heard of CCleaner but not sure how it works, what it does and what I should do.

It's obvious that Office somehow is remembering my Outlook settings as after installation of 2010 and opening Outlook, I don't have to manually reset my Outlook account settings, everything appears as before uninstallation. Remember I did do a manual search of the registry using the regedit command and deleting everything to do with Office 10/11/12/14 along with everything else associate with the search string "Office" which I knew was to do with Microsoft Office and still I am having problems.

As stated before I have read of countless others with this problem and yet there is nothing about anywhere which seems to help. I am sure this is a registry problem though.

Maybe Richard you guide me once more here?

Paul

 

[richc46]

Paul
Ccleanr will get rid of all the garbage left over from the previoius version of office and remnants from all other uninstalls.
OK you cannot follow all my instructions, but take my advice try ccleaner. It is great software and has helped many
The first name of cleaner was crap cleaner, because that is what it does.

 

[pacinitaly]

don't forget this: http://www.piriform.com/


and this too:

CCEnhancer 1.4.1 - TechSpot Downloads

 

[rozel]

OK guys I'll give CCleaner/Enhancer a twirl - I will uninstall 2010, then run fixit and after rebooting will then run CCleaner/Enhancer then reboot, then install 2010 again, reboot and then see how things go. Will try this later today or tomorrow and will report back - many thanks - if you think I should "tweak" my plan, then please feel free to recommend a different approach/stratedgy

Paul

 

[richc46]

I think that under the circumstances, your strategy is the best one to use.

 

[rozel]

Hi all

Well I have struggled and struggled with this all weekend - I have lost count of the number of times I have uninstalled Office 2010, cleaned my systems in various ways, rebooted and reinstalled!

Nothing I do seems to work.

However I came across the following thread and hope the Mods do not mind me posting the link for reference purposes: -

please wait while windows configures microsoft office professional plus 2010

The problem does seem to be a registry one and ccleaner/youruninstall do not seem to be helping, although they have found loads of duff stuff, so my machine is working much more quickly

Scroll down to the foot of the thread (rozel1) - I seem to have identified 2 possible problems associated with registry entries which I need to give "permissions". My machine has locked them and it seems I need "PSEXEC" to gain access to them. However I cannot get this program to install.

Anyone able to help me with this please? If I can gain access to these 2 registry entries and give them permissions as described in the thread then possibly I can get Outlook and Word to operate without any startup problems - and then I presume using Windows Event Viewer, I can identify the problems associated with the rest of the Office programs in a similar way.

If nothing works then I will simply put up with the situation until I flatten my system completely and reinstall Windows - I am pondering whether to install Windows Seven 64-bit or retain Vista 64-bit after which I assume that Office will install nicely and startup without any hitch. It will be a bind though reinstalling my mammoth list of other programs!

So please someone help me with regard to the unlocking of these registry items.

TIA

Paul

 

[pacinitaly]

Hi all

Well I have struggled and struggled with this all weekend - I have lost count of the number of times I have uninstalled Office 2010, cleaned my systems in various ways, rebooted and reinstalled!

Nothing I do seems to work.

However I came across the following thread and hope the Mods do not mind me posting the link for reference purposes: -

please wait while windows configures microsoft office professional plus 2010

The problem does seem to be a registry one and ccleaner/youruninstall do not seem to be helping, although they have found loads of duff stuff, so my machine is working much more quickly

Scroll down to the foot of the thread (rozel1) - I seem to have identified 2 possible problems associated with registry entries which I need to give "permissions". My machine has locked them and it seems I need "PSEXEC" to gain access to them. However I cannot get this program to install.

Anyone able to help me with this please? If I can gain access to these 2 registry entries and give them permissions as described in the thread then possibly I can get Outlook and Word to operate without any startup problems - and then I presume using Windows Event Viewer, I can identify the problems associated with the rest of the Office programs in a similar way.

If nothing works then I will simply put up with the situation until I flatten my system completely and reinstall Windows - I am pondering whether to install Windows Seven 64-bit or retain Vista 64-bit after which I assume that Office will install nicely and startup without any hitch. It will be a bind though reinstalling my mammoth list of other programs!

So please someone help me with regard to the unlocking of these registry items.

TIA

Paul

at least your rig is running cleaner

 

[Lorien]

You've done some good research. The potential solution you found looks like it might work (even if it seems there must be a simpler answer though I don't know what that is). But if you need PSEXEC and can't install it, then that solution won't help (and it seems like you're so close).

When you try to install PsExec, what error message do you get exactly word-for-word (or if no error message, what happens or doesn't happen)?

Try saving the download (as opposed to running it) to your desktop (as opposed to somewhere else) and right click on it and click run as Administrator to see if that helps. If that still doesn't work, disconnect from the internet and try deactivating all your security software just to do the installation (using the above method again) and see it that does the trick (the security software may be blocking it). If it works (or doesn't work), be sure to re-activate your security software when done.

If that doesn't work, try a clean boot Perform a clean startup to determine whether background programs are interfering with your game or program. If it allows the installation, great. You need not follow the instructions to determine the cause as we just wanted to get the program installed and it really doesn't matter what was causing the problem. Be sure to return the system to normal status once you are done.

I must say I'm not fully aware of why PSIEXEC helps here (except that it somehow grants you access to make changes you otherwise are unable to do) - but I did notice one command on the download page:

How to Run Regedit interactively in the System account to view the contents of the SAM and SECURITY keys::
psexec -i -d -s c:\windows\regedit.exe. I'm not sure if that's what you need, but it seems promising as the way to get you the required access (but there may be more involved and I'm not sure - I've never used PSEXEC before - so read the instructions carefully to be sure you execute the proper command - I'm not sure what the wrong command is capable of doing or how to undo whatever it might do).

If this doesn't work (either you still can't install PSEXEC or it doesn't give you the access you need or you make the changes and you still have the problem with Office 2010, I recommend you also post this question in the following forum for assistance (though of course we'll continue to try to help you here if you continue to give us feedback on what is or isn't happening): Installing, Upgrading, and Activating Microsoft Office Products Forum. They are heavily utilized and do have some pretty good people answering questions and it shouldn't take too long to get a response - though I don't know if they will be any more able to help with the primary problem than we have been so far (but more help can't hurt and if you want to upgrade (which you obviously do or you wouldn't have posted here and done all the work you've already done), the more help the better).

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

 

[rozel]

Thanks Lorien - this would have been soooo helpful but................

After I went to bed on Sunday, I left my pc running a complete virus scan. Yesterday after returning from work I booted up and I am now getting a lot of problems.

1. Windows Explorer refuses to run - no error, it just doesn't run
2. Windows Audio isn't starting and when I try to start I get a "0x8007000e" error - "not enough storage space to complete this operation
3. Restore Points are not available - same error as in 2.
4. System Information isn't available/refreshing - no reason
5. Every time I place a CD/DVD in any of my drives, I get an error - Windows wants to burn the blank disc inserted!
6. Tried mounting my original Office 2007 disc in Power ISO - it mounted but an error occured during installation
7. Have tried cleaning the registry with CCleaner it finds stuff deletes them no worries - I always make a backup first, problem is I cannot revert back to a cleanup when I knew my pc was running fine
8. Cannot uninstall any programs whatsoever using "remove programs" from Control Panel - I have tried running other uninstallers but windows blocks them

This is a large list of errors, my system seems screwed and I think therefore at the weekend, I will do a clean install of one of the 2 operating systems I mentioned before and reinstall all my programs.

Ohh well - thanks for your help guys, it's been much appreciated - and yes, so close yet so far lol! Me thinks I screwed the registry somehow which wasn't apparent until after I rebooted and I'd made several adjustments over Sunday so which one screwed things up, I'm not sure. If only I could revert back in time, that is, if I have any restore points and, and this is a big if, if Windows would let me - all too often when restoring backwards in time, Windows refuses to let you doesn't it?

I suppose my only hope would be to try from a command window, but I do not know how to do this. Before I started any of this, I created a restore point last week - whether it's still there or not, I am unsure and whether I could use it successfully or not I do not know.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Lorien]

Hi Paul,

I researched that error code and came up with several hits, but they all seemed to have to do with Outlook or WSUS or networking or updates - and not with System Restore or Windows Audio. I could find no specific fix for this issue other than a re-installation (which we will get to if necessary). I think you may be right that it will prove to be the required solution (if we can't System Restore because the other options don't address changes made to the registry), but let's check a few other options before we take such a radical step. Then again, it's up to you - I've provided the alternatives so you can try them if you choose or you can skip it and just start over - your choice. If you prefer to just start over, then skip to the last step in this post if you need any assistance in doing the clean install or doing the prior backup.

To try to get System Restore to work (assuming you still have restore points), rather than from a command window (which is just a different way to execute the command and has no switches which would make it more likely to work that way), I would recommend you boot into Safe Mode, disconnect from the internet, disable all your security software, and try the System Restore from there. If that doesn't work, try doing it from the disk's Recovery Environment. To boot to the CD you may need to change the BIOS to make the CD-drive first in the boot sequence. To do that, wait for the screen that tells you the F key to push to access the boot menu or boot setup. Push it quickly. Make the changes, save your work, and exit. Put the CD in the drive and reboot. When prompted, push any key to boot from the CD.

If you don't have a disk with this feature, you can make a bootable Recovery Disk using http://neosmart.net/blog/2008/windows-vista-recovery-disc-download/ along with burning software like: http://www.snapfiles.com/get/active-isoburner.html and, of course, a blank CD (perhaps made on a different computer or perhaps in safe mode with networking if that is working or maybe even in normal mode if that works for this - though you mentioned some issues with the CD/DVD drive so I don't know if this will work on the PC or if you will need to use another).

If the System Restore doesn't work, do a Startup Repair by booting to the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (or one you can borrow from ANYONE) or from a Recovery Disk with recovery options included on it (like the one noted above). Here's the procedure: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial148.html.

If that doesn't work, try to boot into safe mode (repeatedly click the F8 key while booting and go to safe mode with networking – or do so from the command prompt on the disk). Then let's check some of your system files:

Go to Start / All Programs / Accessories / Command prompt and right click on command prompt and click run as Administrator (you can skip this step if using the disk).

If using the disk, cd to C:\Windows\System32. Type sfc /scannow and enter and let it run. It will scan and try to fix some of your system files. Hopefully it will complete with no corruption it could not repair (if there is such corruption post back here or try to analyze it to find the problem file(s) using http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928228. Try to post any corrupted files here (or just attach the entire log after copying it to your desktop first so we won't have any access issues with the attachment) so we can see if they can be repaired with good copies from the installation disk (unless there are too many). If it comes up with errors it cannot repair, the chances that a re-installation will be required will have increased quite a bit.

While in Command Prompt, type chkdsk /f /r and enter and let it run. It will want to schedule itself to run at the next restart. Answer yes and then reboot to run the program. It will scan and try to fix any corruption or bad sectors on your hard drive and mostly remove that as a potential cause.

If that doesn't work, then please post any error messages from the Event Viewer concerning startup or explorer.exe (Start / Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Event Viewer). Here's how to use Event Viewer: http://www.petri.co.il/vista-event-viewer.htm. Look in the System section.

You may be infected with malware. One of the first things that a lot of malware attacks is system restore because it is such a danger to the malware (which may explain your problems there though it usually doesn't produce that error but just deletes the restore points, just doesn't work, or produces a different error tied more closely to System Restore). Try to run anti-malware programs (in safe mode with networking if necessary). To fix this problem (if it is a problem) download, install, and run the following two programs: http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php and http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html. You may also want to try a free trial of Pandasoft (http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/solutions/global-protection/). Before downloading pandasoft, uninstall whatever anti-virus program you are currently using (because installing and running two at the same time can cause conflicts, freezes, and all sorts of problems). Use removal tools when appropriate http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2009/05/05/comprehensive-list-of-uninstallers-or-removal-tools-for-antivirus-software/. Once you've uninstalled your current AV program, download, install, update, and scan using Pandasoft. I think you might be amazed at how much it finds that the other software missed. Once complete, uninstall pandasoft and re-install your current AV program (unless you decide to switch which I did when I first tried it about 4 years ago). You may also want to try the new, free Microsoft Security Essentials http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Microsoft-Security-Essentials-Download-131683.html (with the same caveat that only ONE AV program can be installed and running on your system at any one time). You may also want to try the free Avira at: http://www.free-av.com/ and Avast at: http://www.avast.com/index. Reboot after completing all the scans. You may also want to try the free OneCare at http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm and let it run all the options (except the registry cleaner) because that’s good maintenance (it will take some time to complete but can be done in the background).

If that doesn't work, try a clean boot http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135. If the problem goes away then it's just a matter of tracking down the culprit causing the problem. Follow the procedures in the article. Once found, delete, remove, deactivate, or uninstall it. Once done be sure to reset Vista back to normal status as explained in the procedures. If the problem occurs in clean mode then just restore the system to normal status and reboot - this solution is not going to work.

Boot into Safe mode with networking and see if the problem occurs there. Either result helps us narrow down the search for the cause.

You may be having troubles with your device drivers, firmware, and/or software. Go to Device Manager by going to start / search box and type device manager and enter and then double-click on the program icon that appears. Check each device for a red x, yellow ! or white ?. These identify devices with problems (probably drivers, but also conflicts or something else). Click on each for further details and troubleshooting tips. If you need to get drivers (and you should do any you have time to do - they may help in ways beyond just resolving this problem), do so from the computer vendor or device manufacturer (NOT from Microsoft Updates). In fact, you should turn off automatic driver updates from Windows Update as follows: http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/how-to-disable-automatic-driver-installation-in-windows-vista/. Proceed as follows to get the drivers: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/driverssupport/ht/driverdlmfgr.htm. Once you have the drivers, you can install them through Device Manager as follows: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/193584-device-manager-install-driver.html.

Let's test your hard drive and RAM for hardware problems:

To test your hard drive, check the manufacturer and then get the diagnostic utility from: http://www.techsupportforum.com/hardware-support/hard-drive-support/302602-hard-drive-diagnostic-utilities.html (and/or get one from your hard drive or computer manufacturer if they have one available – it wouldn’t hurt to try both). If it fails the test, replace it. If it passes the test, then there's probably nothing wrong with it.

You can also test your RAM at http://www.memtest.org/. If it fails, test each chip individually to find those that are bad and replace them. If it passes, RAM is probably OK.

If that doesn't work, we'll need to do a system repair/upgrade using the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk (one you own or one you can borrow from ANYONE). To do this you have to also be able to boot normally. Here's the procedure: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/88236-repair-install-vista.html. Although this will not affect your data, settings, or programs, you should still backup your data before starting just to be on the safe side. You may have a lot of updates to re-install (including any service packs you had to remove). If the version on the system came with SP1 or SP2 pre-installed and the disk is an earlier version, then you'll need to make a slipstream disk as follows: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/151606-vista-sp1-slipstream-installation-dvd.html. Please reply before doing the next step as it is a radical option and I’d like to make sure we’ve ruled out all other options before taking that step (or, in your case, just go ahead if that's what you've decided to do).

If that doesn't work (or you don’t have the disk), then I'm afraid the only option is a clean install. You can use Knoppix http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html with a good ISO copier like: http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm along with a blank CD. This should give you enough access to the system (if you can't get in any other way) to backup your important data. Once done, you can do a clean install either using the genuine Windows Vista Installation Disk or the Recovery Disk or the Recovery Partition (whatever process is dictated by your computer manufacturer – you may need to contact them for the procedure and perhaps to get recovery disks). To do a clean install proceed as follows: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_install_03.asp (adapted as necessary by the procedures of your computer manufacturer). Then you will need to re-install all your programs, reset all your preferences, reconfigure your network and email settings, restore your backed up data, run Windows Update with possibly nearly 150 updates pending,...
Hopefully one of these procedures (at least the last one unless we have a hardware or driver problem which doesn't seem to be the case) will resolve or at least identify the cause of your problem.

I hope System Restore works and solves the main problems at this point (though the issue with Office may still remain) so a clean install isn't required, but we'll just have to see how that goes.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[rozel]

Lorien, you are a star my friend.

However I have this morning loaded my copy of Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit and successfully loaded Office 2010!!!! I knew it had something to do with the registry. Office 2010 fund=ctions now superbly.

I will for the time being continue to dual boot but by the weeken I will have run out of space on my Windows 7 drive and will need to create some more by pinching it from my Windows 7 drive - I have both drives or rather partitions on the same Drive within a RAID setup. I need to transport over some important stuff first though and also make sure I archive on another drive altogether all the stuff I wish to save before eventually deleting Vista and running just one large volume with Windows 7 on it.

Thanks everyone - again I have learned a lot.

Paul

 

[Lorien]

Excellent news! Glad to hear you're pretty much back to normal. You may have some tasks remaining, but they are normal procedures - not repairs and not problem-solving.

Thanks for the feedback - it is appreciated. It was my pleasure to help - though I think you pretty much did this on your own.

Good luck and best wishes!

 

[pacinitaly]

this is some post