Fix Windows Installer Error 1719

You may encounter the following error message when you try to install a software program on your Windows computer:

"Error 1719. The Windows Installer Service Could Not Be Accessed"

Cause of the Error
You may encounter this error message when one of the following is true:

  • The Windows Installer files on the system are either missing or corrupt.
  • You are trying to install a program, such as Microsoft Office that uses the Windows Installer Microsoft Software Installation (MSI) package file that has the file name extension .msi.

Resolution Method

You can resolve the error 1719 by using the methods discussed below:

Windows Vista or 7

To fix the error on Windows Vista or Windows 7 computer, perform the following steps to restart the Windows installer service.

  1. Close all programs running on your system.
  2. Next, click Start and then type CMD in the Start Search box.
  3. Right-click cmd.exe in the Programs list that is displayed, and then select Run as administrator.
  4. Type the following commands in the Command Prompt window one by one and press Enter to execute them:
    > msiexec /unregister
    > msiexec /regserver
    > net stop msiserver
    > net start msiserver

Try to install an application to see if the installer works now. If the error occurs, try downloading and install Windows Installer 4.5.

To install this file, you will first have to rename the files of existing version of installer and then proceed further. Confused…? Just follow the steps listed below:

  1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. Type the following commands and press Enter to run them:
    > cd %windir%\system32
    >  attrib -r -s -h dllcache
    >  ren msi.dll msi.old
    >  ren msiexec.exe msiexec.old
    > ren msihnd.dll msihnd.old
    > exit
  3. Restart the computer.
  4. Download and install Windows Installer 4.5.
  5. Restart your computer again.

Try to install your applications now.

Windows XP or Windows Server 2003

Method 1: Re-register Windows Installer on the System

To do this, you first need to check the location of the Msiexec.exe file on the disk and the Windows registry and then register the Windows Installer by performing the following steps:
Note: The steps discussed below may differ for different Windows operating systems.

  1. Open Start menu, select Run, type %windir%\system32, and then press Enter.
  2. Note and write down the location of the Msiexec.exe file. For instance, the default location for the file is C:\Windows\system32\Msiexec.exe.
  3. Open Start menu, select Run, type regedit, and then press Enter.
  4. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following registry key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
  1. Click MSIServer.
  2. Right-click ImagePath in the right pane and then select Modify.
  3. Type the location of the Msiexec.exe file (C:\Windows\system32\Msiexec.exe) you determined earlier in the Value Data field and follow it with /V (C:\Windows\system32\Msiexec.exe /V) and then click OK.
  4. Close the Registry Editor window.
  5. Restart your Windows computer.
  6. Press F8 before the Window splash screen is displayed and then select Safe Mode from the Windows Advanced Option menu.
  7. Open Start menu, select Run, type cmd, and then press Enter.
  8. In the Command Prompt window, run the following commands and press Enter to re-register Windows Installer on the system:
    > msiexec /unreg
    > msiexec /regserver
    > exit
  1. Restart your Windows system and try to install an application to see if the error is fixed.

If the procedure fails, try to start your computer in Safe mode and perform the above tasks once again.

Method 2: Reinstall Windows Installer

In order to reinstall Windows Installer on the system, you will first have to rename the corrupt files of the program and then perform the installation by performing the following steps:

  1. Open Start menu, select Run, type cmd, and then press Enter.
  2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands and then press Enter after each of them.
    > cd %windir%\system32attrib -r -s -h dllcache
    > ren msi.dll msi.bak
    > ren msiexec.exe msiexec.bak
    > ren msihnd.dll msihnd.bak
    > exit
  1. Restart your system.
  2. Download and install the latest Microsoft Windows Installer on your system.

If the methods listed above don’t work, make sure that the Windows Installer service is set to run manually on your computer. For this,

  1. On Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and older systems – click Start, click Run, type Services.msc and press Enter. On Windows Vista and later operating systems, click Start, type Services in the Start Search box and press Enter.
  2. In the Services window, scroll down and check the Startup type of Windows Installer service.
  3. If startup type is not Manual, right-click on Windows Installer and select Properties.
  4. Here, change the Startup type to Manual and click OK.
  5. Restart your computer.

If the error persists, try to contact Microsoft for solution. If nothing works, you may have to reinstall Windows.