Microsoft KB Archive/324662

Knowledge Base

OFFXP: "This Installation Package Cannot Be Opened" Error Message When Installing Office XP

Article ID: 324662

Article Last Modified on 12/4/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Office XP Professional Edition
• Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition
• Microsoft Office XP Standard Edition
• Microsoft Office XP Standard Edition for Students and Teachers
• Microsoft Office XP Developer Edition
• Microsoft Access 2002 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Excel 2002 Standard Edition
• Microsoft FrontPage 2002 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Outlook 2002 Standard Edition
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Word 2002 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q324662

SYMPTOMS

When you try to install Office XP, you may receive an error message similar to the following:

This installation package cannot be opened. Contact the application vendor to verify that this is a valid Windows Installer package.

CAUSE

This behavior may occur when there is a problem with the installation of Windows Installer.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, install Office XP from the desktop. To do this, follow these steps in the order in which they are presented.

NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

Create a Folder on the Desktop

1. On the desktop, right-click an empty space, point to New, and then click Folder.
2. Right-click the new folder, and then click Rename.
3. In the box that appears, type Office XP Copy, and then press ENTER.

Edit the CD-ROM Settings

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click System.
3. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
4. Expand IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller.
5. Double-click Primary IDE Channel, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.
6. In the Device 0 pane, click PIO Only in the Transfer Mode box.
7. In the Device 1 pane, click PIO Only in the Transfer Mode box, and then click OK.
8. Double-click Secondary IDE Channel, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.
9. In the Device 0 pane, click PIO Only in the Transfer Mode box.
10. In the Device 1 pane, click PIO Only in the Transfer Mode box, and then click OK.
11. Click OK to close each Device Manager dialog box.
12. When you are prompted, restart your computer.

Copy the CD-ROM Contents to the Desktop

1. Insert the Office XP CD into the CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive. Hold down the SHIFT key to prevent the program from starting automatically.
2. Start Windows Explorer.
3. Locate and then expand the drive that contains the Office CD.
4. Right-click the Office XP folder, and then click Copy.
5. Locate the Office XP Copy folder on your desktop, right-click it, and then click Paste.

Restore the Original CD-ROM Settings

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click System.
3. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
4. Expand IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller.
5. Double-click Primary IDE Channel, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.
6. In the Device 0 pane, click DMA if available in the Transfer Mode box.
7. In the Device 1 pane, click DMA if available in the Transfer Mode box, and then click OK.
8. Double-click Secondary IDE Channel, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.
9. In the Device 0 pane, click DMA if available in the Transfer Mode box.
10. In the Device 1 pane, click DMA if available in the Transfer Mode box, and then click OK.

Restart Your Computer by Using a Clean Boot

A clean boot is a way to create a clean environment. When you start your computer with a clean boot, Microsoft Windows starts and loads only basic devices and services. For information about how to use a clean boot and how to use a normal startup, see the "More Information" section later in this article.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
3. Click the General tab, and then click Selective Startup.
4. Click to clear the following check boxes:
   • Process SYSTEM.INI File
   • Process WIN.INI File
   • Load Startup Items
5. Click the Services tab.
6. Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
7. Click OK, and then click Restart to restart the computer.

Install Office XP from the Desktop

NOTE: After you install Office from the desktop, do not remove the Office XP Copy folder from the desktop, or Office will not start correctly.

1. On the desktop, double-click Office XP Copy.
2. Double-click Setup.exe.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

Return from a Clean Boot State

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services, and then click OK.
3. Click Restart when you are prompted to restart your computer.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to perform a clean boot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

310353 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP

Additional query words: prb OFFXP

Keywords: kberrmsg kbprb KB324662

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