KB2538242 visual c++ redistributable update on june 2011 keeps trying to install

DO NOT HIDE THIS UPDATE!!

Microsoft may indicate that it installed successfully, but that is not necessarily the case! When I tried manually installing, I got an error that I am unfortunately all too familiar with now (but it can be fixed):

"Error 1402.Could not open key:

 UNKNOWN\Components{GUID}{GUID}.

  Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel."

In the above, {GUID} will be an actually GUID that looks something like this: C9AE13788D0B61F80AF18C3B9B1A1EE8

Have you used CCleaner by chance?! I have...thanks to EA Games inability to provide proper support, I downloaded it in one of my final attempts to re-install their software (meanwhile it didn't work...go figure, the one time I buy a game in the last 10 years...whatever I would have been far too distracted by Portal 2 anyways...what a failure of a company...but I digress)...

Okino has been thoughtful enough to document this issue and how to fix it after they first encountered it (note: in my case I have to make the initial edits they are suggesting and then try inheriting the admin rights to the sub directories under the Advanced menu then both the permissions and owner tabs...it won't work without this even though it throws an error...I have to then close the window, re-open it and repeat the procedure...magically it will then work...I was so fed up with this that I went to the parent folder "Components" and applied these permissions to every single registry key...this worked, but likely means my computer is far less secure...but I won't be home for two weeks and couldn't deal with this any more...ultimate solution, again, is to reinstall)

http://www.okino.com/conv/changing_windows_registry_permissions.htm

Hopefully this will help, for now, but the sad truth is that if you have used CCleaner and didn't first backup your registry, you're either out of luck or you're going to end up learning a lot about your registry (because you're going to have to do this for half of your installs). A reinstall will ultimately save you a lot of time, but it will come at the cost of about a day's worth of work depending on how complicated your system is, how many programs you have to reinstall and how fast your connection is.

Good luck...I hope this helps :/

When I searched for a solution, I saw the quote you have above. And yet when I placed an email request for  support they came back with a 'special' link to some site (not on the public MS domain) that was exactly the Windows Installer Cleanup program. Possibly it may have "sometimes damaged other components" but for me it resolved this issue completely.

When tech support replied she said that this really was not an 'update' issue because the Visual C++ packages were written by a 'third party'. But she still had the attached link to the Cleanup utility. She also said that there is a specific Site on the MS site that addresses VC++ issues. I did find one but could not find anything except Developer forum and wanting to sell new 2010 versions of MS Studio. I did find the site: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2538242 that talks about contacting a '866' number or getting support on this issue.

You may want to place an email request for support, like I did. Here is a beginning link I used to 'slog' my way through to support: http://support.microsoft.com/select/default.aspx?target=assistance.

Sorry I can't just give you a specific link. There are a multitude of sites on the web where they say you can download the utility. Search for MSICUU download.

Could you please give the link to this MS Install Cleanup utility?

When I searched for it, I found this ominous warning:

"While the Windows Installer Cleanup utility resolved some installation problems, it sometimes damaged other components installed on the computer. Because of this, the tool has been removed from the Microsoft Download Center."

at this link:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

I was having this same problem and contacted MS Tech Support. They sent me a link to a MS Install Cleanup utility. I installed that and deleted any program that had to do with any Visual C++ 2005 program. I then "unhid" the update and it installed perfectly and has never attempted to install again. I had  some additional problems installing some .Net updates yesterday. I went to Control Panel/Programs and Features and used the repair option on the .Net 4 Client and was able to load the two .Net update without a problem.

This may be a mute point now that MS said they are going to re-issue the C++ update. I am using Windows 7 Home Premium (32 bit). Hope this may be helpful to any having this issue.