When you attempt to run an installer package in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with networking, one of the following errors may occur:
0x80070641 - The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. Please fix the issues and then retry setup.
(or)
The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed. This can occur if you are running Windows in safe mode, or if the Windows Installer is not correctly installed. Contact your support personnel for assistance.
When you try to start the Windows Installer service in Safe mode, the following error occurs:
System error 1084 has occurred. This service cannot be started in Safe Mode.
The above errors (“ERROR_INSTALL_SERVICE_FAILURE”) occur in Safe mode because, by default, the Windows Installer Service (msiserver
) is not enabled in Safe mode and Safe mode with networking.
Resolution
To enable the Windows Installer service in Safe mode and Safe mode with networking, choose one of the methods below:
Method 1: Using a REG file
- Download msi_safeboot.reg (zipped).
- Unzip and run the enclosed registry fix.
- Click Yes to confirm.
- Boot into Safe mode or Safe mode with networking. Please see How to Start Windows 10 or 11 in Safe Mode for more information.
The Windows Installer service should now work in those modes.
Method 2: Using Command Prompt
Open an admin Command Prompt window and run the following commands:
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Minimal\MSIServer" /ve /t REG_SZ /f /d "Service"
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Network\MSIServer" /ve /t REG_SZ /f /d "Service"
net start msiserver
You should see the output “The operation completed successfully.” for the first two commands.
For the third command, you should see the message, “The Windows Installer service was started successfully.”
Attempt to install a program now in Safe mode or Safe mode with networking.
It should work correctly.
One small request: If you liked this post, please share this?
One "tiny" share from you would seriously help a lot with the growth of this blog. Some great suggestions:- Pin it!
- Share it to your favorite blog + Facebook, Reddit
- Tweet it!