This email was sent from MSN Support. This fix, unlike all the others I tried, worked AFTER downloading the Win Installer Update mentioned at the foot of the email

Good Luck

Lon
________________________

Thank you for writing to MSN Messenger.

This is Carlos and I am writing to assist you with your concern regarding installing MSN Messenger.

The problem you are experiencing may be the result of an error in the Setup files on your computer. Please follow the steps below to resolve your issue.

If you are receiving “Error 1603” when attempting to install MSN Messenger, do NOT delete any files or remove MSN Messenger from your machine.

Instead, please follow the steps below, based on the scenario that applies to your situation.

>>>If you are attempting to upgrade to MSN Messenger from the upgrade message you received on your MSN Messenger client and received “Error 1603”:

– Close all applications and reboot your system.
– Launch MSN Messenger.
– Click the “There is a new Messenger available, would you like to upgrade now?” message and follow the steps.

>>>If you are attempting to upgrade or download to MSN Messenger v5.0 from the MSN Messenger website and you received an “Error 1603”:

– Close all applications and reboot your system.
– Navigate to the MSN Messenger site and re-attempt to download MSN Messenger v6.0 and follow the steps.

Also, update your Windows Installer files. Go to the links below.

– Windows Installer Redistributable for Windows Me
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=32831&area=search&ordinal=1

For additional online help, please go to:
http://messenger.msn.com/Help/

Sincerely,

Carlos
MSN Messenger Support