Unable to remove/upgrade MSE

[ChrisJakarta]

Fred Langa, in his recent Windows Secrets Newsletter, calls MSE 'a fine, free security tool'. Indeed, I use it on several computers. But I now have a frustrating problem with this program, which raises a question if it is 'fine.'

The problem arose when I recently tried to update MSE on a Win7 Home Premium system from v4.1.522.0 to v4.2.223.0. This resulted in failure, with the message:

"Cannot complete the Security Essentials installation.
An error has prevented the Security Essentials setup wizard from completing successfully. Please restart your compute and try again.
Get help on this issue.
Error code:0x80070645"

This left MSE in an unstable condition. The only solution was a System Restore, which happily proceeded with no problems. I can still update the virus database, and the virus scans run normally.

I therefore planned to uninstall MSE, but it did not appear in the installed program list, either Windows or Revo. I finally contacted MS Support.

Over several weeks, MS Support offered several complicated solutions, none of which was successful, all of which ended with an unstable MSE, which required a System Restore. Some steps in the proposed solutions treated me as a stupid newbie, while others were incomplete/incorrect and would confuse many. They NEVER included starting with creating a Restore Point (despite me complaining about this every time!). I provided detailed responses, detailing the messages I received at each step in the processes, but despite requests, the technician never commented on these, and refused to provide any feedback on the meaning of these messages, many of which were opaque.

Finally I was informed that:

"I would like to notify you that, If we encounter an error 0x80070648, 0x80070643 or 0x80070645, it indicates that there is a corruption of Windows OS, whatever steps we try for resolution, will result in failure , Hence I suggest you to perform a Repair/ In-place upgrade of the Windows OS."

I have often experienced difficulties removing other AV products from friends'/colleagues' computers, but I have always managed to find a solution on the vendors web site. This is the first time I have had a situation where I have had to effectively reinstall the OS to remove any program. I'm frankly appalled that Microsoft is unable to find a way to uninstall their own program from an up-to-date OS. I cannot recall any incident that might have caused the 'corruption of Windows OS'.

As you may expect, I will be very cautious of using MSE after reinstalling the OS, or of recommending MSE to friends or colleagues in the future. This may be a lesson for us all? Browsing the web, it does appear that I am by no means alone in experiencing this problem.

Chris

[HansV]

Sadly, it appears that Microsoft has outsourced its support to third-party companies that employ under-qualified 'support engineers' who mostly follow fixed scripts...

[viking33]

Chris,
I have also run into compatibility problems with MSE and a Utility program that I use quite a bit. I spent a LOT of time working with both MS and the third party techs and there was never any solution worked out. ( except the one that resulted in my dropping MSE and not looking back. I use the built in AV and Malware sections of System Mechanic very nicely )

However, you should realize that the OS can become corrupted through no fault of your own. You should try the repair\reinstall option that comes with Win 7. It's very easy to use and doesn't take much time to do it. No loss of data or programs and settings either. It's certainly worth a shot.

[ChrisJakarta]

No success! I've been through hell and back trying to follow the instructions of the so-called technicians (not sure they can even read English!) with no solution. So finally followed their advice to do a repair installation. However, as I surmised would be the case, this did not solve the problem either - it leaves MSE in place, with (clearly) all its warts. Although the reinstall went quite smoothly, it did not return the computer to its previous state: I had to reinstall and tweak several programs, including PageMaker, which up to then had been working perfectly (worried me a little, since this is can be a very cranky program, especially on Windows 7!).

Reported the result to the tech. Predictably the answer was a lemon, but even I was surprised by his solution:

It seems that there is a severe corruption of files in your system, which can not be repaired.
I would suggest you to contact computer manufacturer.

I'm sure Asus would immediately come up with a solution - NOT, especially since I bought the unit without OS installed.

So now the only option seems to be to do a clean reinstall. No urgency, since MSE still works OK, just won't upgrade. So I want to prepare carefully. I'll separately post on the Win 7 board a few questions on this that I have been unable to find answers to.

Chris