Grant Thompson's Blog

On Windows XP SP2 I have run across this error a few times. Typically it is an unhandled exception in C:\Windows\msiexec.exe when trying to open Outlook for the first time. Detect and Repair Outlook (or other Microsoft Office applications returns the same error. No Office Updates will install.

I never determined the exact cause of the error but the following steps solved it.

1. Download all versions of the .NET framework from www.microsoft.com/downloads (at the time this post was written they were 1.0, 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0)
2. Install 1.0 then 1.1 then 2.0 then 3.0 - each time choosing reinstall or repair.
3. Reboot the machine
4. Repair Outlook or Office
5. Install Windows Updates and Office Updates (optional but recommended)
6. Test

I believe this is corruption in the .NET framework somewhere along the way that breaks the C++Runtime Library.

Here are the downloads:

1.0 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d7158dee-a83f-4e21-b05a-009d06457787&DisplayLang=en

1.1 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=262d25e3-f589-4842-8157-034d1e7cf3a3&DisplayLang=en

2.0 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&DisplayLang=en

3.0 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=10cc340b-f857-4a14-83f5-25634c3bf043&DisplayLang=en

1. Create (or have the user create) and invitation file and send it to you or save it somewhere you can get it (i.e. a network share). Ensure the invitation is created using the Administrator account (or another account with privileges you need).
   1. Log on to the machine you want to control as Administrator
   2. Click Start/Help and Support
   3. Click Invite a friend to connect to your computer with Remote Assistance
      
   4. Click Invite someone to help you
      
   5. Choose your delivery method - depending on what is functioning on the machine Save invitation as a file (Advanced) is usually the best
      
   6. Accept the default name and expiration or change them as needed. NOTE: If the session will require a reboot you may want to extend the invitation expiration so you can use the same invitation to connect over a period of more than 1 hour.
      
   7. Click Continue
   8. Enter a password - using a password is recommended but not required. If you choose not to use a password uncheck the Require the recipient to use a password box
      
   9. Click Save Invitation (or Send Invitation) - note if you use IM this is different
2. Reboot the machine in Safe Mode with Network Support. You can do this with MSConfig:
   1. Click Start/Run, type msconfig and click OK
   2. Click the BOOT.INI tab
   3. Select the /SAFEBOOT option and the NETWORK radio button
      
   4. Click OK and reboot the machine
   5. Log in as the user that created the invitation
3. Open the invitation file from the computer you are connecting FROM
4. On the remote computer accept the Remote Assistance session
   
5. Initiate control on the computer you are connecting FROM
6. On the remote computer accept the remote control request

To turn off safe mode if you used MSConfig:

1. Click Start/Run, type msconfig and click OK
2. On the General tab choose Normal Startup
   
3. Click OK and reboot the machine

NOTE: If the ESC key is pressed on either machine Remote Control will be lost and the machine you are connecting to will have to accept it again. The ESC key cannot be pressed in key combinations (i.e. CTRL+ESC will stop remote control). Likewise a reboot will require steps 3-6 be repeated.