Office 2007: “The Windows Installer service cannot update one or more protected Windows files.”

Posted on by Jody Bruchon

Recently, while trying to optimize an installation of XP for imaging purposes, we chose to be very aggressive in file deletion, and the first test machine failed to install Office 2007 with this nasty error: “The Windows Installer service cannot update one or more protected Windows files.”

In the Event Viewer “System” log, we saw this MsiInstaller error 11933: “Product: Microsoft Software Update for Web Folders (English) 12 — Error 1933. The Windows Installer service cannot update one or more protected Windows files. SFP Error: 21. List of protected files: c:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\40\bin\fp4autl.dll”

We deleted that folder’s contents because we saw no point in keeping FrontPage extensions that no one even uses, but Office insists on having them there. So because the solution will not be very obvious to many people slamming into this same issue, and help on the Internet is a bit spotty for this particular error, we’ll let you in on how to fix it.

If you haven’t already installed 7-zip on your computer, get it now. It rocks, it’s free, very fast, and compact. Run the 7-zip file manager from Start > Programs > 7-Zip > 7-Zip File Manager, and go to Tools > Options > System and hit [Select All] and then [OK]. This will associate all of the archive types 7-Zip supports with the 7-Zip File Manager. Close it and follow the rest of the directions.

You’ll need access to a Windows XP CD for this one. The file you’re looking for is called FP40EXT.CAB and is in the I386 folder on the CD. If you can’t find it on the CD or don’t have access to a CD, use the built-in search functions in Windows XP to look for that file on your hard drive. Once you’ve found the file, double-click on it and it should open in 7-Zip. Find the file “fp4autl.dll” in the list, click on it, and click the [Extract] button on the 7-Zip program toolbar.

You will be prompted for a folder to extract to, usually defaulting to your user account’s temporary files folder (which is NOT where we want it!) Hit [backspace] to clear the box, and copy and paste (control-v or right-click and “paste) this into the blank instead:

c:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\40\bin\

Hit [OK].

Office 2007 will now install without hitting this error. If it doesn’t, try going to the Event Viewer (shortcut: Start > Run > eventvwr.msc) and looking through the System long for an event similar to the above. That will at least tell you what file you’re trying to get, and using your Google-Fu should take care of the rest.

129 thoughts on “Office 2007: “The Windows Installer service cannot update one or more protected Windows files.””

  2. Worked for me too after i used a SP3 disk for the FP40.cab file , my SP1 disk did not work with this fix.

    Thanks alot , appreciate you writing this up….

    Reply

  5. I don’t advocate downloading DLL files for your OS from the Internet unless it’s a last resort. There’s no easy way to know that they aren’t infected or otherwise tampered with, and you know that a file extracted from your installation disks is sure to be okay.

    Reply

  10. WinRAR is what I used, not as good as 7zip but it’s what i had; Eitherway – amazingly this simple little trick worked – I WAS SO ANGRY AT MY NETBOOK because it kept telling me to put in my CD, and I had it on a virtual CD – so nothing would work.

    You saved me from another fresh XP install 🙂 Thanks

    Reply

  15. 1. From Windows install disk, or c:i386 that may have been set up in an OEM install, open (Double click) on the FP40EXT.CAB file. It should open.

    2. find fp4ault.dll in the list

    3. double click and select extract to c:program filescommon filesmicrosoft sharedweb server extensions40bin

    4. Restart the 2007 office install

    Reply

  20. Thank you very much dude!!!!!!!!! it works!!! I only downloaded the file and then I put it on the folder 😀

    Reply

  26. Installing XP from a thumbdrive and then Office 2007 would not install. This was the fix for it.

    Thanks!!

    Reply

  49. Awesome, it worked.

    That’s pretty poor design. I can only imagine how frustrated someone who isn’t as competent as finding solutions online would be if they encountered this error.

    Reply

  53. Looks like it worked. If you don’t have the XP disc (I don’t) you can type the .cab file name into a search engine and download it from a website, then follow the instructions above.

    Reply

    1. I haven’t had a problem with it on Windows 7. Honestly, it’s primarily because I’m more of a Linux user/developer and all my personal Windows machines still run XP. I have a Win7 laptop but it has OpenOffice.org installed 😉 Actually, I use a variant of it called “Go-OO” because it includes the libwps library which, believe it or not, opens old Microsoft Works files that MS Word won’t even open. I made that switch because a business customer of ours was still using Works 4.5 (we’re talking Windows 95 era versions of Works) and I found that when I tried to open the documents in a copy of Office 2007, the Works Converter couldn’t understand it. Apparently they made a major change in the Works file formats at Works 6.0 and Microsoft’s Works Converters don’t understand anything older than that. (I have Works 3.0 documents still lying around…)

      Reply

  60. Thanks, you saved me! I was fighting with this problem on two machines, installing them from a custom-built USB stick (made by me, no pirate crap here 😛 ). I obviously also had the original CD, so I just sticked it in, performed the magic, and now Office is happily installing on the background. Great job!

    Reply

  73. Pambihira, sobrang galing! (Phillipines language)

    wow fantabulous! (in English) thanks Author 🙂 5 star for u!

    Reply

  75. thanks too much it worked for me as a charm,
    anyway i dint use 7-Zip or any zip progrm, used Expand command in the I386 folderit self

    Reply

  76. Thank you very much. It removed my problem in installing Office 2007. Keep helping people like this. God bless you.

    Reply

  77. My problem is that I don`t find those files on the CD or my HDD(on the notebook)But I did on my desktop pc. So I copy the files in the notebook and I just install Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010. Cheers

    Reply

  83. Thanks dude, this work like magic. Acer netbooks will not take Office07 for nothing until I came across this page. Thanks again.

    Reply

  85. GREAT HEAVENS!!!

    Blessed be thee for you have given bliss to thy wretched OFFICE2007!!

    God Bless, and more power!!

    (Satan laughs upon those who uses PIRATED SOFTWARES.)

    *Crack!*

    Satan: “HA HA HA HA HA Let there be PIRATE BAY!”

    Reply

  86. thanks a lot
    n its working fine u had helped me not to waste the time to reinstall the operating system , i was going to install operating system
    it helped a lot in wastage of time..

    thanks a lot

    Reply

  87. Great dude, i installed windows from USB FLASH onto a netbook, but couldn t install microsoft office 2007. Then i found FP40EXT.CAB on flash. It worked, great man.

    Reply

  95. Thanks a million! After many frustrating hours jumping through ridiculous Microsoft hoops, a lucky series of links brought me to your blog. Ten minutes later Word 2007 was sucessfully installed.

    Tom G.

    Reply

  99. Hey bro, I just followed all your instructions and I’m installing Office 07 right now and hoping it’ll be successful. Thanks btw…..in advance. 😀

    Reply

  105. TNX so much! xD
    it really helped! i thought it didn’t worked the 1st time and when i restarted my notebook it worked and completed the installation… thx again for the solution…

    Reply

  106. Thank u soooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was searched so many websites to solve this problem but i couldn’t…. Really u given clearly n helped us lot…

    Reply

  107. At first, i would like to thank you very much for what you do…

    However, some other files maybe should be extracted too:
    Fp4autl.dll but also Fpencode.dll and Fp4awel.dll
    It may be usefull in some aspect of Office’s using… But I’m not sure…

    I saw that info on the Microsoft’s support for that kind of failure:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811122/fr

    Reply

  116. Thanks so much, my system was in spanish so the place to extract was in spanish, your explanation was very clear… THANKSSS SO MUCHHHH !!!

    Reply

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