This patch package could not be opened... error message

[dn0460]

Hi,

I tried to post this a while ago, but it didn't appear to go. So I
apologize if this ends up as a duplicate.

I am trying to uninstall Office 2003 Pro on Windows XP Home Edition. I
tried Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, and got the error message:
"This patch package could not be opened. Verify that the patch package
exists and that you can access it, or contact the application vendor to
verify that this is a valid Windows Installer patch package".

To make a very long story short, I tried the setup on my Office CD (same
result). I rebooted and retried (same result). I found KB article 907749
and followed the instructions to reinstall Windows Installer (same result).
I tried a registry cleaner (Pareto Logic RegCure) which found a lot of errors
and says it corrected them, but I still can't uninstall Office and get the
same message. I tried uninstalling a couple other programs that used Windows
installer and they worked fine, so I focused on Office.

I found KB article 295823, and it sounded like just the ticket. I
downloaded the Clean Up Utility and ran it. After agreeing to the license, a
few windows flickered past quickly and it appeared to be done (is that how it
should look?). So I tried again (both Add or Remove Programs and the Setup
from my Office CD) with the same result, and again after rebooting (same
result).

I found a number of similar posts in this discussion group, and it seems
that the Clean Up Utility did the trick for most people. But I'm still
stuck. If anyone has any suggestions for next steps in my scenario, please
let me know. Any ideas will be appreciated.

Thank you.
Dan Nelson

 

[cisgoogle]

Hi Dan,

I had the same problem a while ago.

On
http://www.itexperience.net/2008/11...ld-not-be-opened-at-uninstall-of-office-2003/
is a solution
After the installation, you should run the Clean Up Utility to start
the uninstall

 

[dn0460]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I had run out of ideas and hadn't had a response
so I gave up and used the nuclear option last week. I backed up the C drive,
and ran my Dell "back to factory settings" CD. After many updates to Windows
XP (through SP3 and more) I was able to re-install Office. It took along
time, but things are fine now.

I appreciate the tip on "itexperience.net". I'll file this and look there
too next time I'm stumped.

Thanks,
Dan