Programs keep reconfiguring/reinstalling themselves?

I recently been having this problem since last week since installing office 07.
Whenever i try to open word or excel, windows vista always reconfigures/reinstalls it automatically, even thought its already install.
I also noticed that the same thing happens when I start msn messenger.

Another problem: Windows media player and Windows media center wont open at all anymore.

What gives?? Help anyone?

 

For your media player not opening: try opening task manager, going to the processes tab and see if there's a wmplayer.exe process open. If there is, end it and try opening it again

 

I checked but it's not in the processes tab. Thanks though, please someone help. I'm trying to avoid a system restore here.

 

I think I know what is happening with Excel and Word and Outlook. When you open them up, Microsoft is trying to pull information from the setup file (or some other files, not sure) that is on your computer (or it might even ask for the disk) so that it can startup, because something you open requires a component not installed.

They also did that randomly for 2003, but for 2007, I have not seen them do that (for me at least).

 

Yeah i was thinking the same thing, I even tried doing a full install setup, but I get the same problem every time i open them they reconfigure themselves over and over.

***update***
I uninstalled a vista codecs pack i had updated last week and now windows media center opens. But i still can't get windows media player to open. as far as the other programs reconfiguring/reinstalling themselves everytime i start them I still have no solution for that. someone please help. now even msn messenger resinstalls itself everytime i open it.

 

If you have the original Office disk, I suggest uninstall office, clear out all registry items associated with it, and reinstall.

 

It seems like I'm the only one having this problem.

 

I am getting the same thing, but just with Outlook. Brand new laptop, Vista, Office 2007, complete install. My user id has all the administrator rights etc. Hope someone can help.

 

I called Microsoft and they re-installed Office, it was a corrupt installation... but after the-install you have to delete any shortcuts you created. They are still corrupt. I did that, re-created all my shortcuts from the All Programs/Microsoft Office folder and voila!

One interesting note. If I right click on the Start button, Properties, Start Menu, Start Menu, Customize, email link and select Microsoft Office Outlook it still doesn't work. Use your own.

Hope this helps, it fixed it for me!

 

You're not the only one...I'm running on a clean install of Vista Ultimate, and my Office apps, and MSN Live are doing the same thing, everytime on a clean start of Windows. I've also had it happen to Roxio 10's Cineplayer (keeps wanting to reinstall a codec pack off the disc) both in Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate. I've checked the Event Log and it shows that every time there's a reinstall/reconfigure occurring, Vista got an error dectecting a file or a component of the app (which is why it tries to reinstall/reconfigure I guess). Not that it helps solve the problem. It's almost as if Windows keeps losing settings or file paths every time it restarts.

 

Dead hard drive?

The first thing I check when windows starts acting funny is the hard drive, just because its easy to do.

Find a SMART check utility and run a full test...

 

Sorry that's a really lame answer at best. There would be hard drive errors logged in the even viewer if this were the case. The problem the OP is reporting is due to a corrupt Application install and I have also seen this before. Only way I have managed to get around this problem is to create a new user account and move all documents manually to that account and delete the old one. I do not know the reason behind this, other than there is something in the Profile for the old account that is corrupted. It is a crappy problem to have and does not seem to be well documented or even acknowledged by MS.

Good luck.

- Tim