Updating office and getting an error message (Office for Windows)

I have tried to open a word / excel document. 

It says it is updating, please wait a moment. 

After a few minutes I get a message saying: 

WINWORD.EXE - Application Error - This application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142). Click OK to close the application. 

I have this error for the second time now. If I try to launch any Office app the error occurs.

The suggestion to 'repair' does not work. (it puts a tick beside the button but that is all)

I tried to Uninstall Office and got the same error.

I can't work from home like this and there is no information I can find that is any good.

Looks like I have to return to Office 2016

:-(

Dave M121  Thank you so much for your fix. I first went into some kind of Microsoft chat with a technical assistant and was supposed to go to a technician but "first $1 for a 7-day trial."  Then $49 a month.  What the heck?  So I discovered this site instead and went through the steps you suggested. They worked like a charm. I was almost in tears, thinking I would have to take my laptop to the Geek Squad on my only day off. You are a real life saver! And you don't cost $49 a month..haha!

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/uninstall-office-from-a-pc-9dd49b83-264a-477a-8fcc-2fdf5dbf61d8?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us#officeversion=click-to-run\_or\_msi

This will help you.

Thanks Dave

This worked for me too with Office 365 on multiple occasions now.

Microsoft, are you monitoring this? Please fix it.  I rely on this software for my business and getting up in Australia for early training sessions with US clients is frustrated when I can't run PowerPoint to screen share due to this issue.  Very frustrating that this appears to be well known, but is unresolved.

Hm I think this has happened to me.

Generally I found it best to restart and then do the online repair immediately. (Could be slow still)

I assume there is some process hanging around otherwise. (Generally I had already tried to open an Office product, got the error and gone for the repair.)

Your milage may vary!