Service won't start even when set to Automatic

[MooCow]

I'm running Windows XP Pro SP2.

Anyways, under services.msc I see that the "Windows Installer" service is set to automatic, yet when windows boots up, it doesn't start. I can start it manually, but when I tried to install an application, it gave me the error message "Cannot access Windows Installer" or some where along those lines. I tried checking the event log but its so cluttered with other event messages and I can't pinpoint the problem. Tried searching for "service won't start" but no results...

 

[LoStMaTt]

http://update.microsoft.com

Make sure that you have the latest version of Windows Installer which you can recieve from the above website.

 

[Phoenix86]

There should be a corresponding event generated. Check the even viewer and post the error there.

 

[Order]

Check to see if it is dependant on another service that is disabled.