OFFXP: Windows Installer Starts with /Safe Switch

When you start a Microsoft Office program with the /safe command-line switch, the Microsoft Windows Installer dialog box may appear. The Installer dialog box may remain on the screen for several minutes before the Office program starts.

This behavior occurs when you start an Office program in Safe mode using the /safe command-line switch, and your computer's operating system is Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me). The Windows Installer detects the /safe switch and attempts to repair the Office program.

To work around this issue, start the Office program in Safe mode by pressing the CTRL key when you start the program from its shortcut on the Programs menu. To start an Office program in Safe mode, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then point to Programs.
2. Press the CTRL key while you click the shortcut for the Office program that you want to start.
3. Hold down CTRL until you receive a message similar to the following:
   Excel has detected that you are holding down the CTRL key. Do you want to start Excel in safe mode?
4. Click Yes.

NOTE: If you start the Office program by using the /safe switch, you can click Cancel when the Windows Installer dialog box appears. The Office program then starts immediately in Safe mode.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

For more information about Safe mode, click Microsoft (program) Help on the Help menu, type about Office Safe Mode in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.