Issue

• You receive Error 1084: The service cannot be started in safe mode error message after failing to start the service or uninstall a program
• For the error 'This installation package could not be opened', visit Solution 2: Windows Installer service or to start the Windows Installer service in Normal Mode

Details

The Windows Installer Service needs to be running in order to uninstall in Safe Mode. This solution will start the service.

Solution

Follow the steps below to run the installer service from Safe mode.

1. Start the computer in safe mode. How to start Windows in Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking

2. When Microsoft Windows boots into Safe mode, click Start → All Programs → Accessories. Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator from the context menu.

Windows 8 users: Press the Windows key + Q to open an app search and type cmd into the Search field. Right-click the cmd application when it appears in results and select Run as administrator from the context menu.

3. To enable the service, modify the following registry key by typing in the command below and pressing Enter:
   
   REG ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot\Network\MSIServer" /VE /T REG_SZ /F /D "Service"

4. To start the service, type the following command and press Enter:
   
   net start msiserver

5. The Windows Installer will be started. You can now uninstall programs using your Control Panel or an uninstaller .msi package.