Cannot install Windows Live messenger

[eman6]

My daughter tried to upgrade to the new Windows live messenger 2008.
First attempt, it said it cannot install unless the previous version is uninstalled.
She uninstalled the previous (8.1) version.
Tried to install the latest, it gave an error saying that it could not be installed.
She tried to re-install the old one. It says that a more recent version is installed so it cannot install.
At present no messenger is installed at all and no version can be installed.

Any idea how this can be cleaned up?

Many thanks in advance.

______________________________________
Eman6
Technical User

 

[IllogicallyLogical]

Try running the "Windows Installer CleanUp Utility". After installing the utility, you can launch it from the 'Start' menu. It will bring up a list of programs that have installer files and registry settings that can be cleaned. Look through the list and find all program listings related to the "Windows Live Messenger" services and highlight them and click the 'Remove' button. BE CAREFUL to only remove the "Windows Live" programs and none of your other programs that you would like to keep. Here are a couple of articles to describe the utility. There is a link, just a little bit down the page, in the second article to download the utility.

- Utility Spotlight Windows Installer CleanUp Utility

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2008.08.utilityspotlight.aspx

- Description of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

Joey
CCNA, MCSA 2003, MCP, A+, Network+, Wireless#

 

[linney]

Do you have this Registry Key?

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\InProgress

If you have the InProgress key, and it refers to Messenger when you open it, delete the InProgress key and see if that helps.

You probably should backup any key before deletion.

 

[eman6]

Thank you both.
The Windows installer clean up utility did the job

______________________________________
Eman6
Technical User