Microsoft Project Not installing

Question

When trying to install Microsoft Project, the status bar never goes beyond what looks like 2%.

Answer 1

That is an incredibly frustrating bottleneck, Bill, but getting permanently stuck right at the 2% mark is a very specific tell for how Microsoft handles background installations. It almost always means the "Click-to-Run" installer engine has hit an architectural deadlock, usually because your machine has a lingering, pre-existing version of Office apps that uses a completely different bit-version (like trying to drop a 64-bit Project install on top of an older 32-bit Office setup).

To break past that freeze right away, close the installer window, press Windows Key + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter. Scroll down to find Microsoft Office Click-to-Run Service, right-click it, and select Restart to completely wipe out the frozen queue. Once that's refreshed, head back to your online account portal, look for the "Advanced" or "Other install options" link instead of clicking the default download button, and manually choose the specific 32-bit or 64-bit version that matches your current suite. Matching those up will let the installer bar fly past 2% and finish up flawlessly!