Windows Installer (msiexec.exe) fails to start with Application Error 0xc0000142

Question

For some reason, Windows Installer has stopped working recently, showing the following error:

This error shows when attempting to launch the Windows Installer manually. If I attempt to do so via the Windows Installer Service, it simply hangs there for a while before failing. I cannot unregister and re-register the service, as doing so means I need to launch msiexec.exe, and that simply fails. I have tried the following:

• Using the sfc and dism commands
• Running an in-place 'upgrade' of Windows
• Deleting msiexec.exe and letting sfc replace it

Whenever msiexec fails, an event is generated in Event Viewer, which shows as follows:

Anything I can find online usually has a piece of software I don't have installed causing the problem, or the same unregister and re-register commands which won't work for me.

Answer 1

Hi. Thank you for your question and reaching out.

Try uninstalling unfamiliar programs. "Search Protect," "SW Booster," and "Performance Optimizer" should all be uninstalled.

Open the Control Panel on Windows.
2. Choose the list of installed programs.
3. Select and remove "Search Protect." Verify once again whether you were successful in fixing Application Error 0xc0000142.

You can also check https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/64b3a500-ee74-4b66-b370-9d607ef92b6c for more information.

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