Windows Installer Error message on boot up

Question

I am having error message on bootup of my new Microsoft Surface Pro 11 installed 2 days ago. i have attached a screen shot of the error message herewith and would appreciate help on how to fix. Also, i am unable to run speedtest.net downloaded from the Microsoft Store. The installation actually seems to go through, but the screen is blank

Windows ® Installer. V 5.0.26100.2033

msiexec /Option [Optional Parameter]

Install Options

	Installs or configures a product

/a 

	Administrative install - Installs a product on the network

/j  [/t ] [/g ]

	Advertises a product - m to all users, u to current user

 

	Uninstalls the product

Display Options

/quiet

	Quiet mode, no user interaction

/passive

	Unattended mode - progress bar only

/q[n|b|r|f]

	Sets user interface level

	n - No UI

	b - Basic UI

	r - Reduced UI

	f - Full UI (default)

/help

	Help information

Restart Options

/norestart

	Do not restart after the installation is complete

/promptrestart

	Prompts the user for restart if necessary

/forcerestart

	Always restart the computer after installation

Logging Options

/l[i|w|e|a|r|u|c|m|o|p|v|x|+|!|\*] 

	i - Status messages

	w - Nonfatal warnings

	e - All error messages

	a - Start up of actions

	r - Action-specific records

	u - User requests

	c - Initial UI parameters

	m - Out-of-memory or fatal exit information

	o - Out-of-disk-space messages

	p - Terminal properties

	v - Verbose output

	x - Extra debugging information

	+ - Append to existing log file

	! - Flush each line to the log

	\* - Log all information, except for v and x options

/log 

	Equivalent of /l\* 

Update Options

/update [;Update2.msp]

	Applies update(s)

/uninstall [;Update2.msp] /package 

	Remove update(s) for a product

Repair Options

/f[p|e|c|m|s|o|d|a|u|v] 

	Repairs a product

	p - only if file is missing

	o - if file is missing or an older version is installed (default)

	e - if file is missing or an equal or older version is installed

	d - if file is missing or a different version is installed

	c - if file is missing or checksum does not match the calculated value

	a - forces all files to be reinstalled

	u - all required user-specific registry entries (default)

	m - all required computer-specific registry entries (default)

	s - all existing shortcuts (default)

	v - runs from source and recaches local package

Setting Public Properties

[PROPERTY=PropertyValue]

Consult the Windows ® Installer SDK for additional documentation on the

command line syntax.

Copyright © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Portions of this software are based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

Answer 1

Hello

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

Here’s the professional English translation of your troubleshooting guide for the Surface Pro 11 issues:

### Issue 1: Windows Installer Boot Error

#### Root Causes

1. Incomplete configuration of MSI packages during pre-installation  
2. Residual installation tasks for Office or other Microsoft products  

#### Solutions

1. Disable Startup Items:  

   - Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager  

   - Navigate to "Startup" tab → Disable all "Microsoft Installer" related entries  

2. Repair Installation Service:  

   Run as Administrator in CMD:  

   ```cmd

   net stop msiserver

   reg delete HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer /v ImagePath /f

   reg add HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer /v ImagePath /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d "%SystemRoot%\system32\msiexec.exe /V"

   net start msiserver

   ```

3. Clear Installation Cache:  

   ```cmd

   rmdir /s /q %windir%\Installer

   rmdir /s /q %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Installer

   ```  

### Issue 2: Speedtest.net App Blank Screen

#### Root Causes

1. ARM64 architecture compatibility issues on Surface Pro 11  
2. Graphics driver initialization failure  

#### Solutions

1. Reset the App:  

   - Go to Settings > Apps > Installed Apps  

   - Select Speedtest → "Advanced Options" → Click "Reset"  

2. Run in Compatibility Mode:  

   - Right-click Speedtest shortcut → Properties → Compatibility  

   - Check "Run in compatibility mode" → Select "Windows 10"  

3. Alternative:  

   Use speedtest.net via browser for more accurate results  

### Last Resort: System Reset

If issues persist:  

1. Navigate to Settings > System > Recovery  
2. Select "Reset this PC" → "Keep my files"  
3. Install all Windows Updates post-reset  

### Critical Notes

Before executing commands:  

• Connect to power  
• Back up critical data (though files are preserved during reset)  
• Surface Pro 11 requires ARM64-optimized apps  

Best regards,

Tamara-Hu | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Hello Tamara_Hu

Thank you for your assistance in trying to get my 2 issues resolved. Unfortunately, the recommendation didn't work. I have attached a screenshot taken as a photo for your information. It's possible I am not technical enough to have followed the instructions. It is just that the Windows installer boot-up error is rather annoying for a new system; other wise the basic MS suite that I need is working fine.

The second issue with fixing the display issues with speedtest didn't work as well. I don't think I want to go through the process of reinstalling the entire system, and would rather make do with the online route until there is a fix in the future.

Answer 3

Hello,

Thank you for your patience, and I completely understand your frustration—it’s disappointing when a brand-new system has these quirks.

Based on your screenshot, it appears there were some issues while running the Command Prompt commands.

1. Stopping the Windows Installer service (this part executed successfully):

   ```cmd

   net stop msiserver

   ```

2. Deleting the registry entry (executed successfully):

   ```cmd

   reg delete HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer /v ImagePath /f

   ```

3. Recreating the registry entry (failed due to a syntax error):  

   The correct command should be:

   ```cmd

   reg add HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer /v ImagePath /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /d "%SystemRoot%\system32\msiexec.exe /V"

   ```

4. Restarting the service (failed because the previous steps were incomplete):

   ```cmd

   net start msiserver

   ```

5. Clearing the cache (may have failed due to missing quotation marks):

   ```cmd

   rmdir /s /q "%windir%\Installer"

   rmdir /s /q "%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Installer"

   ```

Simplified Solution:

Since the installer error is more of a nuisance than a functional issue, and your Office apps are working fine, you may choose to simply disable the service as shown above. This will stop the error messages while maintaining system stability.

Here are the corrected, ready-to-copy commands to resolve the Windows Installer service issue:

Step 1: Stop the Windows Installer service  

Open CMD as Administrator and run:

net stop msiserver

Step 2: Fix the registry entry  

reg delete "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer" /v ImagePath /f

reg add "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSIServer" /v ImagePath /t REG\_EXPAND\_SZ /d "%SystemRoot%\system32\msiexec.exe /V"

Step 3: Restart the service  

net start msiserver

Step 4 (Optional): Clear the installer cache  

rmdir /s /q "%windir%\Installer"

rmdir /s /q "%ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Installer"

Alternative: Reset Windows Installer  

If the above doesn't work, run the following in Administrator PowerShell:

msiexec /unregister

msiexec /regserver

Then restart your computer.

Fully Disable the Service (to hide the error only)  

sc config msiserver start= disabled

(This takes effect after a reboot. You’ll need to manually enable it when installing software in the future.)

Instructions:

1. Copy and paste each command into CMD (press Enter after each).
2. If you encounter permission issues, make sure CMD is run as Administrator.
3. Restart your computer after completing the steps to see the effect.

Best Regards, 

Huy-K | Microsoft Community Support Specialist