Skype - popular program for video and audio calls over the Internet. Before you can start using Skype, you must first install it. This is where problems can arise. One of these problems is the installation error 1601. It is quite rare, but if you do not fix it, you will not be able to install Skype. This article will show you how to fix error 1601 when installing Skype.
Installer problem
One of possible reasons - damage to the installer (incorrectly or incompletely downloaded, damaged by viruses). To fix this, try re-downloading the installer from the official Skype website and start the installation process again. If a this way did not help, and Skype still gives an error, then the problem may be hiding in the Windows registry.
Cleaning the registry
If you update the program by incorrectly uninstalling old version, then error 1601 during installation is very likely to appear again. To fix the problem, you need to clean out the problematic registry keys, as well as files left after incorrectly uninstalling Skype. To do this, first of all do the correct uninstallation. Go to Control Panel and launch Programs and Features. Select "Skype" and click the "Remove" button.
The program will be uninstalled from the PC.
Note: The method is indicated for operating systems Windows 7 and higher.
Now download and run cCleaner program, go to the "Registry" section and click the "Search for problems" button.
After that, go to the "Cleaning" tab and click the "Clean" button.
Reboot your PC and repeat the installation process again. Now with installing Skype you shouldn't have a problem.
Damage to Windows system files
If any of the system files are missing or damaged in Windows, then in this case, an installation error 1601 in Skype may occur. And not only Skype. One of the ways to solve the problem is to run the system file checker procedure. To do this, open a command prompt, enter the command "sfc / scannow" and press the Enter key. The process will take some time.
After the system has restored the files, try to repeat the installation. If the problem still persists, restore damaged files can be done by restoring the system to an earlier state. Open the Start menu and type "System Restore" in the search bar. Select the earliest restore point and start the process. The computer will be restarted and restored to an earlier state. Now you can try to install Skype again. The 1601 error code should disappear.
Reinstall Windows
If none of the above methods did not help, only reinstalling the operating system remains. This is a cardinal method that is highly likely to solve the problem. Before starting the reinstallation process, save all the necessary data with system disk and transfer them either to a flash drive or to a second partition on the disk.
Note: before installing, check the size of the system disk and select it during the installation process. If you do not know how to reinstall the OS, contact the service center.
This method should only be used if none of the others have helped. Code 1601 should no longer appear in this case.
Installation problems in Windows XP
The 1601 error can also be seen by users still using Windows XP. The issue here is due to the outdated installer service. To solve it, it is enough to update the service and re-register it. Download the installer from the link https://www.microsoft.com/en-RU/download/details.aspx?id\u003d8483 and run it. Follow the instructions of the program and restart your computer after installation is complete.
Next, you need to re-register the component. To do this, first deregister. Press the key combination Win + R and in the window "Run" enter the command "msiexec / unreg". Press enter and wait a few minutes. Now open the Run line again and enter the command "msiexec / regserver". Wait a few minutes and restart your PC. Try restarting the Skype installation. The process should go smoothly.
Now you know how to fix code 1601 with Skype installation. One of these methods should solve your problem. If it doesn't, then it is most likely that a hardware issue is causing the 1601 failure.
What to do with error 1601
When Paboutuser installs, uses or removes software from your device, different errors may occur at this time. So, for example, error 1601 may occur when installing skype.
Can't install the program
As soon as the Skype installation starts, it is interrupted and the screen shows a failure, code 1601. This error looks like this (Fig. 1). By the way, such an error can occur when loadingjava games.
Who is to blame for the failure
It should be understood that the presence of such failures is not at all to blame for Skype, but for the service itself " Windows installer". To be able to figure out why the program cannot be installed, it is necessary to establish the very cause of the failure. The device may give you "eror 1601" in the following cases:
- windows Installer has crashed.
- it is damaged;
- if the installation service was not configured correctly.
No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to install Skype until you can fix the Installer and make it work properly.
How to fix the problem
The following method is suitable for any operating system, but if you have XP, then in Windows XP you need to install additionally Windows Installer 4.5 and try to install skype again, perhaps this time the program will not throw an eror.
The first step is to run the line as administrator. Everything will depend on your OS, since for example, in Windows 7 there are many ways to activate command line, some are quite complex, while others are suitable for beginners.
Launching with a search engine
When you run the command line as an administrator, you should be confident in your actions, since all changes are made immediately to the operating system, and it is no longer possible to fix them.
This method is ideal for Windows 7 and Vista, as these operating systems support the search engine in the Start menu. The user should do the following operations:
- go to the start menu and type the word - cmd in the search engine;
- stand on the icon right click mouse and enter the "Run as administrator" menu;
- as a result, you will see "Admin: command line" (Fig. 2).
Activation via "Start"
To access through the "Start" menu enter there, find "System Tools - Windows". Click on the down arrow, a list of programs appears, including the "Command Line" (Fig. 3), to start it you need to make two clicks with the right mouse button.
Correction algorithm
As soon as the command line appears in front of you, you need to register the following "net stop msiserver && msiexec / unreg" in it. With this command it will be possible to disable the installed Windows.
Now you need to delete unnecessary installer dataWindows. To do this, you should:
- download a special utility WICIeanup.exe and run it as administrator;
- press "Skan";
- after scanning make icons next to all found objects, press “Delete”.
Now you can install Windows Installer back. To do this, write "net start msiserver && msiexec / reqserver" on the command line.
If you go all the way correctly, then when you re-install skype, you should not get error 1601.
Fixing the error using Windows Installer
Error 1601 is not critical, but it is still necessary to fix it and the sooner the better. You can do this in the simplest way.
Error 1601 that occurs when working with Skype, when the program window closes by itself, can be caused by many reasons. The most common ones are:
- The software was not fully installed and a crash occurred.
- The reason skype error 1601 a virus can become.
- Erroneous deletion of some of the files required by Skype for stable work... This error can occur due to many factors. One thing is important here - to eliminate them. The first thing to do is test your computer for errors.
Fixing Skype crash code 1601
Methods are provided from the easiest to the most professional:
- The first and most effective is to try to restore records. In the register of which the code 1601 is registered.
- Check your computer special utilities or a virus scanner to exclude infection.
- Clear disk of temporary files. This will increase productivity and, perhaps, the problem will be solved by itself.
- Check the drivers and update them if necessary.
- Restore the system using the restore point of the period that preceded the error.
- Reinstall Skype.
- Verify system files for errors and problems. This can be done by entering the sfc / scannow command, in search bar Start menu.
- Update itself windows system... Check the update center and if there are new ones, install them.
- If this does not help, you will need to reinstall the OS. But this is a last resort. Most often, the problem is solved even when using the first recommendations.
A similar message appears on almost all microsoft programs... The solutions are similar. These tips are applicable to their solution. Start troubleshooting the error using the list in order. This will save the time it will take to reinstall the system if you select this item.
Skype is a popular program for communicating with people on the Internet. It supports many platforms and there is also a web version. But the main Windows client requires installation. The procedure itself is extremely simple, no different from other programs. But there are also various difficulties.
Sometimes Skype installation fails with code 1601. What is the reason for this problem? The point is not at all about the program, as it might seem at first. The problem lies in the system installer service. Most often, this error appears on computers under windows management XP. Its text indicates that the program was unable to access the installation service. And this prevents Skype from being delivered.
Fixing the problem is extremely simple, it is done in three steps. The first is to update the service Windows Installer. Required version downloaded from the link https://www.microsoft.com/ru-RU/download/details.aspx?id\u003d8483. There you need to select the language of the program and click on the "Download" item. A pop-up window will open, we only need the first file. Put a tick under it and click Next. The download of the program will start. Once it boots up, open it up and install it. The procedure is that it is enough to press "Next" several times.
Once the program is installed, you can proceed to the next step. Open Run, it's on the Start menu. You can also activate it with the Win key combination (located between the left Ctrl and Alt) + R. A window will appear in which there is an input line. You need to insert the command there msiexec / unreg and click on the OK button. The program will close immediately. 
It will seem to you that the action has not been completed, but it is not. Continue to follow the instructions. Open Run again, this time entering the command msiexec / regserver... The program will work imperceptibly, the maximum - the cursor will briefly turn into an hourglass. This will be evidence that everything is true, but if nothing happened, then it's not scary. 
This is a very simple way to fix the error code 1601 in Skype. Now you can proceed to the installation of the program, henceforth the error will not occur. If that doesn't help, open the distribution kit as administrator. To do this, right-click on the file with the exe extension, select the appropriate item and confirm the action in the system window. 
Skype is prone to some bugs, such as failure due to insufficient memory. These errors pop up during the operation of the program by the user. Other errors do not occur during operation, but during the installation of the program - this is the error number 1601 when installing Skype on Windows 7 and others oS... The comment in the error message window informs the user that the program cannot access the services of the OS built-in installer and suggests contacting the support service. Appearance windows looks like this:
Skype developers are not to blame for this. It's not about the program, but about the service windows utilityresponsible for the installation process: it may be damaged, it may have an unsuitable version, or even simply be missing - anything can happen.
Until we rebuild normal work installer, error 1601 will pop up over and over again. Our short article is devoted to solving this problem and contains all the necessary recommendations. As always, the main thing for you is to have eyes and wiggle your convolutions a little - if all this is in place, then any problem is within your reach. However, we came here not to read the notation, but to teach you how to fix the installer. So, let's go.
Fixing the Windows installer
Extremely short instruction on fixing the installer contains the following points:
- Download and install Windows Installer 4.5. You can get it from here: http://www.skaip.su/Windows-installer-4-5-dlya-Windows-xp.
- Then we launch the console (command line) - this must be done as an administrator, otherwise the entered commands may not be executed.
- At the command line prompt, enter the following text: net stop msiserver && msiexec / unreg. The point of this instruction is to temporarily stop the installer.
- Download and install a utility named WICleanup.exe. Download source: http://download.skaip.su/other/WICleanup.exe/.
- Since the utility does not need installation, we just run it as administrator.
- A window with the "Scan" button will open - click this button and wait for the scan to finish.
- You will see a list of files, and opposite each - a "checkmark". Check all the boxes and click the "Delete" button.
- The stopped installer can be started by the command: net start msiserver && msiexec / regserver.
- We try again to install Skype - in theory, everything should work out.
This entire sequence of actions can be performed in a matter of minutes. The information provided here may be useful in other circumstances as well. Not only Skype, but many other programs also complain about the Windows Installer.
