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Sometimes, I do agree with Mac users. Microsoft sucks.

I give up on trying to install the Windows Live Writer. It just refuses to install. After giving a variety of different errors and exhibiting a variety of different installation behaviours, it still refuses to install. And I now lost the previous version I had, because the installer uninstalled it!

I was updating all Windows Live software and trying out the Photo Gallery (which I later uninstalled). Windows Live Messenger updated successfully and is now reported to be up-to-date. But the Writer simply refuses to install. It gives errors like:
  • Installation failed due to unknown reason
  • Connectivity problems: Can't connect to Internet (even downloading the 135 MB 'Try again' installer did not work!)
  • Installation failed due to installation conflict: More than one instance of Windows Live installer is running (which is false, because I tried just after I restarted my computer. I even tried 'End Process' on running instances of Windows installer, which led to...
  • Can't access Windows installer service. (this error was caused by me, as explained before).
And it exhibits behaviours like:
  • Using the old Writer.msi in the cache folder of Windows Live installer (if you know what I mean). I solved this by deleting the cache completely which, by the way, freed up almost 400 MB of my hard disk space!
  • Downloading the Writer installation file over and over again (with each 'Try again').
  • Installation briefly starting and ending with error.
  • Installation going all the way to 94% then ending with error.
  • Installation going all the way to 96% then pausing, then ending with error.
I had been battling with this for the past 2-3 days. I uninstalled Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP2, used Windows Install Clean Up Utility, ended up unable to install 3.5 SP2, solved that by using the .NET fx Cleanup Tool (more about this here), restarted several times, checked for Windows Updates, solved the problem of Help and Support looking ugly (more about this here) and lots of other stuff I can't remember. Nothing helped.

I give up. Microsoft sucks. They always like to bring out new experimental stuff and throw it to their users, making their lives miserable. Why couldn't they stick with the good old tried and tested "run setup.exe, install software, run software" routine. Why did they have to come up with this headache-laden "new and improved" Windows Installer technology?

Anyway I tried to find some other alternative to Writer, but nothing comes close to the beauty and capabilities of Writer. Not even the w.bloggar (which had its last update in December 2007!) I miss Live Writer!

Back to the good ole Blogger New Post page.

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