Windows Installer in Safe Mode

So I got a new laptop at work the other day. Just like any computer that I get I do a complete wipe and reload from the OS up just because I don’t like all the extra stuff that comes preloaded. So I grab my Windows 7 x64 with SP1 disc and do the install. Everything looks good. I get all the drivers loaded and get it updated. I start installing applications again no problem until I try to install Corel WordPerfect X5. I get through the whole installation and then it tells me my system wasn’t modified.

I called Corel support and they had me perform the WP X5 install from Safe Mode. In order to do that I had to allow Windows Installer to start in Safe Mode as well as enable another option for WP licensing.

Here are the steps I followed (Steps for Windows 7 only):

Restart the computer in Safe Mode with Networking (Press F8 right after POST)
Click Start, and type “REGEDIT” in the search box and hit enter
Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetControlSafeBootNetwork
Right-click on “Network” folder and click New, Key
Call the key “MSIServer” (no spaces)
Click the new MSIServer key on the left, then on the right, set its (Default) value to “Service”
Close REGEDIT

You should now be able to install programs while in Safe Mode.

As mentioned above to get WP X5 to install this way I had to add another registry key for the licensing features. Here are the steps for that.

Repeat Steps 1 – 3 above if you aren’t still in Safe Mode with REGEDIT open
Right-click on “Network” folder and click New, Key
Call the key “PSI_SVC_2”
Click the new PSI_SVC_2 key on the left, then on the right, set its (Default) value to “Service”
Close REGEDIT

You should now be able to install WP X5 while in Safe Mode.

The reason I had to install WP X5 this way was because of some kind of security hardware built into the laptop. I have successfully installed WP X5 on other computers running Windows 7 x64 with SP1 without having to follow the steps above.

Windows Installer in Safe Mode

Eric