Windows Installer Notes

For a general overview of Manifold Technical Support, please see the Support page. This page provides a tip on working with Windows Installer.

Manifold System is installed by Microsoft Windows Installer, a standard installation utility built into Windows that is used by innumerable applications. When Manifold is uninstalled using the Windows Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs applet, the removal is done by Windows Installer.

Although Windows Installer is a very reliable, well-understood program, it is possible for Windows systems or software installations to be damaged in ways that might get Windows Installer confused. This usually happens when people or third party programs (such as uninstallers) partially uninstall or partially reinstall, tinker with registry entries, delete installation files they might need later or make other alterations to Windows.

Advice for avoiding problems with Windows Installer:

• Retain the .msi file used to install whatever is your current Manifold installation, in case you later need it for an uninstall or reinstall.
• If you ever encounter unexpected messages from Windows Installer, such as "Newer Version installed," try resolving the problem by uninstalling (using the Windows Control Panel Add or Remove Programs applet) your current Manifold installation and then re-installing. If that does not work, try cleaning up all Windows Installer records related to Manifold using the Microsoft Windows Installer CleanUp Utility, then reboot and install Manifold.

The Microsoft Windows Installer CleanUp Utility (usually together with instructions for usage) is made available on Microsoft's web sites. However, the pages from which this utility may be downloaded are sometimes moved by Microsoft or are sometimes replaced with "user friendly" web scripts that are unable to repair some Windows Installer problems. The real Windows Installer CleanUp Utility is called msicuu2.exe. To find it on the Microsoft site, visit the Microsoft home page at http://www.microsoft.com and in the search box enter msicuu2.exe to find links to Microsoft pages from which the utility may be downloaded.

Important: Your authoritative technical resources for Microsoft products are Microsoft documentation and technical support services. This page provides advice that has helped many Manifold users with typical Windows installations. Your particular Windows installation may be different. If so, please consult your Microsoft tech support resources for assistance.