2012-01-25

Error Updating Windows Live Writer 2011

I just launched Windows Live Writer on my Windows 7 64-bit PC and it told me an update was available. While trying to run the update, it failed with this error:

It looks like another program is preventing the installer from working.
Error: 0x80070643
Source: wllogin-amd64

I reran the installer a few times, but kept getting the same error. I downloaded the offline installer and got the same error. I uninstalled Windows Live Essentials 2011, then tried reinstalling, but got the same error. I was able to find the installer logs in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\WLSetup\Logs. Searching for “error” in the latest log, I saw this:

MSI_ERROR      :00001674 (01/25/2012 12:27:54.317) Service 'Windows Live ID Sign-in Assistant' (wlidsvc) could not be installed.  Verify that you have sufficient privileges to install system services.

When I took a look at that service, I saw it was disabled. When I tried to start it, it gave an error saying that it was “marked for deletion”. After a reboot, I noticed the service no longer existed. I restarted the install and everything went smoothly.

In summary, if you get the first error above, here is what worked for me:

  1. Uninstall Windows Live Writer 2011
  2. Reboot!
  3. Reinstall Windows Live Writer 2011

Hopefully this saves someone some time and frustration. There are tons of search results for this error without useful remedies. I upgraded from version 15.4.3502.922 to 15.4.3538.513.