Office XP updates and patches released after September 2002 may require Windows Installer 2.0

The Microsoft Office XP client updates and patches that were published after September 2002 may require the Microsoft Windows Installer service 2.0.

This article provides more information about this requirement.

When you try to install an Office XP client update or patch that was released after the release of Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 2 (SP-2) on a computer that does not have Windows Installer 2.0 installed, you may not be able to install the update or patch.

Office XP updates and patches that were released after the release of Microsoft Office XP SP-2 may require Windows Installer 2.0. If you are not sure if Windows Installer 2.0 is required for your update or patch installation, refer to your client Office XP update or patch documentation.

To avoid potential issues installing Microsoft updates and patches released after the release of Microsoft Office XP SP-2, upgrade to Windows Installer 2.0. Microsoft strongly recommends that you upgrade to Windows Installer 2.0 to obtain the latest updates to Microsoft Office and all other Windows Installer based programs.

Administrators should refer to the "Administrator Section" of this article for more information about how this requirement affects post Office XP SP-2 administrative updates and patches and post Office XP SP-2 client updates and patches installed in a corporate environment.

Note By default, Windows Installer 2.0 is included in Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP-3). Windows XP users or users who are running the Windows 2000 SP-3 do not have to upgrade their Windows Installer software when they install Office XP client updates and patches. If you are not sure if you are running Windows Installer 2.0, see the "How to Determine If You Have Windows Installer 2.0 Installed" section of this article to determine if you have to upgrade.

For more information about how to obtain the latest version of Windows Installer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to Determine If You Have Windows Installer 2.0 Installed

If you are not running Windows XP, follow these steps to determine if you have Windows Installer 2.0.

1. Use one of the following depending on your version of Microsoft Windows.
   
   Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Windows 2000:
   1. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
   2. In the Search for files or folders named box, type msiexec.exe.
   3. Change the Look in box to your local hard disk.
   4. Click Search Now.
   Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
   1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
   2. In the Named box, type msiexec.exe.
   3. Change the Look in box to your local hard disk.
   4. Click Find Now.
2. Right-click the found file (the Msiexec.exe file), and then click Properties.
3. On the Version tab, locate the file version.

If you are running Windows Installer 2.0, the file version of the Miexec.exe file should be equal to or later than 2.0.2600.2.

What Is the Difference Between Administrative and Client Updates?

One of the primary differences between administrative and client updates is that administrative updates are designed to update an administrative installation point, where as client updates are designed to be installed on individual workstations.

For more information about how to update Microsoft Office by using administrative and client updates, visit the following Microsoft Web sites.

Installing Administrative Updates

Installing Client Updates

Administrator Section

If you deployed Office XP from an administrative installation point, and then applied client updates (binary patches) for both Microsoft Office XP Service Pack 1 (SP-1) and Office XP SP-2, Microsoft Windows Installer 1.1 prevents you from installing any future updates. Organizations that installed Microsoft Office XP from the Office CD, and then installed both Office XP SP-1 and Office XP SP-2, experience the same Windows Installer 1.1 limitation.

To avoid potential issues installing Microsoft updates and patches released after the release of Microsoft Office XP SP-2, upgrade to Windows Installer 2.0. Microsoft strongly recommends that you upgrade to Windows Installer 2.0 to obtain the latest updates to Microsoft Office and all other Windows Installer based programs.

The Windows Installer 2.0 requirement applies to your Office XP update or patch installation, except in the following scenarios:

Scenario 1

The documentation that comes with your update or patch does not state that Windows Installer 2.0 is required.

Scenario 2

You are installing a post Office XP SP- 2 administrative full file update.

Scenario 3

You meet all the following requirements:

• You installed from an administrative image.
• You installed Office XP SP-1 by using an administrative update.
• You installed Office XP SP-2 by using a client update.

Scenario 4

You meet all the following requirements:

• You installed from an administrative image.
• You installed Office XP SP-1 by using an administrative update.
• You installed Office XP SP-2 by using an administrative update.

Scenario 5

You meet all the following requirements:

• You installed Office XP SP-1.
• You have chosen not to install Office XP SP-2.

Office XP Installation Matrix

The following table provides more details about the Windows Installer 2.0 requirement by providing an installation matrix that describes multiple Office XP and service pack installation scenarios.

SP-1 Install Method	SP-2 Install Method	Post SP-2 Update Type	Windows Installer 2.0 Required (Yes/No)
Client	Client	Client	Yes
Administrative	Administrative	Client	No
Administrative	Client	Client	No
Administrative	Administrative	Administrative	No
Administrative	Client	Administrative	Not Supported