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When I launch an application, a windows installer from a previously installed program keeps popping up. The program still exeists in the Server and it's working fine. The installer popup, after clicking "cancel" will eventually dissapear.

I'm not interested in solving this problem, I'm just wondering how does the windows installer decides what to install? I mean to say, what's the mechanism? How and who triggers the windows installer?

Thanks for any reply!

user1034912
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  • There is a large and verbose "article" explaining self-repair here: [**How can I determine what causes repeated Windows Installer self-repair?**](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5501028/how-can-i-determine-what-causes-repeated-windows-installer-self-repair/6066263) – Stein Åsmul Aug 07 '17 at 23:33

2 Answers2

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This is the self-repair mechanism triggered automatically by the OS. Along with the above enumerated reasons it can also be triggered if:

  1. A feature having been installed as advertised/install on first use/install when required
  2. Files inappropriately shared between components, features, or products, which can lead to the resource being uninstalled while a product is still using it
  3. A product with per-user data having been installed on a multi-user system by one user and then launched by another user

To investigate the resource whose absence triggers self-repair, look in the Application section of the system's event log. Self-repair events are displayed with source "MsiInstaller".

If the installer is indeed trying to add a resource required by another application the best solution would be to let it finish, and it should no longer appear after that.

Bogdan Mitrache
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Usually this behaviour appears when one of the following is true:

  • the install process was not completed successfuly
  • the registry entries for this program were deleted / corrupted (not finding an appropriate registry entry is a trigger)
  • the install program's updatemanager was corrupted / disconfigured / cancelled on the previous run

The solution usually is to completely uninstall the program, to check that all folders and registry entries were indeed removed and then to re-install the program.

Flot2011
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