Resolve the Windows “Bootstrapper is not working” Error

Users have reported the “Bootstrapper is not working” error as a Microsoft Office and Windows problem on multiple forums. The “Bootstrapper has ceased operating” error appears, according to users who have reported the problem, either while downloading Office or when attempting to run an app from that suite. Users are unable to use Office on Windows due to that problem in either case.

The Microsoft Office (Microsoft 365) suite’s Microsoft Setup Bootstrapper is mentioned in that error message. Have you encountered the “Bootstrapper is not working” problem as well? This will resolve the Windows Bootstrapper problem.

The reasons why Microsoft Setup Bootstrapper is not working

When attempting to launch a software from the Microsoft Office suite, you can get the Microsoft Setup Bootstrapper has stopped operating issue. There are many different reasons why this might happen. Here are a few of them right now:

• Third-party antivirus software blocks the installer’s ability to communicate with MS servers.
• The installation files or registry keys are damaged.
• software clash with IObit.
• Registry Editor disables Task Scheduler.
• AppComparFlags impairs the updating procedure.
• The Windows version is incompatible with the office installation.

Method 1: Remove third-party antivirus software (if applicable).

Some consumers claim that after uninstalling their third-party antivirus program, the problem was fixed in their circumstances. It turns out that several overly cautious antivirus program (McAfee, Avast, and maybe others) will prevent the Microsoft Office suite from upgrading, leading to the error message “Microsoft setup bootstrapper had ceased operating.”

If this case applies to yours, you might be able to address the problem by simply turning off your security suite’s real-time protection. Of course, the procedures for doing this depend on the AV program you’re using.

However, bear in mind that some users have claimed that the problem was not fixed until they totally removed their third-party antivirus software from their computer. If you’re willing to go this far, refer to this article (here) for instructions on removing security software and making sure all leftover files are also deleted.

Move on to the next solution below if you’re still getting the “Microsoft setup bootstrapper had ceased operating” error after dealing with your 3rd party security suite.

Method 2: Applying a Microsoft Fix-It tool

Fortunately, Microsoft has a program that can automatically fix this specific problem message (and a few others). Several impacted users have stated that using the Microsoft Fix It tool helped them remedy the problem.

This fix-it will fix a number of issues that ultimately prevent program from being started, installed, or deleted. On Windows 10, Windows 7, and Windows 8.1, you can use it. This utility might end up automatically fixing the problem if the corrupted registry keys or files from installed or uninstalled apps are the root of the problem.

An overview of how to apply this fix is provided below.

• By visiting this page and selecting the “Get” button, you may download the.diagcab file.
• After downloading the utility, double-click the.diagcab file to launch it.
• Select Advanced from the first question, then confirm that the option next to “Apply repair automatically” is checked. Next, move forward by clicking the Next button.
• When the preliminary detection stage is finished, click Install when prompted.
• Select the problematic programme (usually Microsoft Office) on the following screen, then click Next once again.
• Select Yes, try uninstalling on the next page.
• When the procedure is finished, restart your computer and check to see if the error notice is still present.

Jump down to the following technique if you’re still having the issue after using the Fix-it tool.

Method 3: Uninstalling IoBit Software

IoBit Uninstaller and Advanced SystemCare are at the top of the list of IoBit software items that are known to interfere with Microsoft Office and cause the “Microsoft setup bootstrapper has ceased working” error, according to user reports.

According to some impacted users, the problem was fixed after they uninstalled the incompatible IoBit program. The only way to identify the offending IoBit product if you own several of them is to uninstall each one one by one until the problem stops happening.

• Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue box.The Programs and Features box will then appear once you input “appwiz.cpl” and hit Enter.
• The Publisher column is located at the top of the Programs and Features window. Click there to get started. This will arrange the software through its publishers, making it simpler to find every IoBit product.
• Then, to uninstall an IObit product from your computer, use the right-click menu to select Uninstall, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
• Launch the programme that was causing the “Microsoft setup bootstrapper had ceased operating” problem after restarting your computer to confirm the preceding removal was successful.
• Return to the Programs and Features page and uninstall the remaining IObit products if you’re still seeing the same problem message. Do this until you can figure out who is to blame for the conflict.

Continue to the procedure below in case you’re still getting the same problem message.

Method 4: Reactivating Task Scheduler Using the Registry Editor

Reenabling the Task Scheduler repaired the problem, according to several users who were having trouble fixing the “Microsoft setup bootstrapper has stopped operating” error. As it turns out, the Task Scheduler is known to be blocked from running in situations when this error message is known to be generated.

Reenabling the Task Scheduler using the Registry Editor is the easiest way to fix the problem if this scenario applies. Here is a little explanation on how to accomplish it:

• Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue box.The Registry Editor will then launch once you input “regedit” and hit Enter. If the UAC (User Account Control) asks you to provide administrative rights, select Yes.
• Use the right pane of the Registry Editor to enlarge the HKEY LOCAL MACHINE key. Access the SYSTEM key next.
• Navigate to CurrentControlSet > Services > Schedule to access the Schedule key folder.
• Double-click on the Start value in the right-hand pane while the Schedule key is active.
• Change the start data’s value to 2, but keep the base at hexadecimal.
• After clicking OK to save the changes, you should restart your computer and close the Registry Editor.
• Open the program or installation that was causing the error when the subsequent startup is finished to see if the problem has been fixed.

Continue to the next method below if you’re still getting the “Microsoft setup bootstrapper had ceased operating” problem when attempting to open a Microsoft Office programme.

Method 5: Deleting the AppCompatFlags key and uninstalling the Office installation

Several afflicted users have stated that the problem was only fixed when they totally uninstalled their Office installation and deleted the AppCompatFlags key in the Registry Editor. The Microsoft setup bootstrapper is not working. This problem did not appear when users launched any Microsoft Office applications after doing this and reinstalling the Microsoft Office suite.

Here is a brief explanation of how to accomplish it.

• Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue box.The Programs and Features page will then appear once you input “appwiz.cpl” and hit Enter.

• Look through the list of programmes on the Programs and Features page, then select Uninstall from the context menu when you find your Microsoft Office suite.

• After completing the uninstallation, restart your computer by following the on-screen instructions.

• On startup, press Windows key + R to open a new Run dialogue box.This time, enter the command “regedit” to launch the Registry Editor tool. If the UAC (User Account Control) asks you to add administrator privileges, select Yes.

Go to the following area inside the Registry Editor tool:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags

Note: You have two options for getting there: manually (using the left-hand pane) or by pasting the address into the navigation bar and pressing Enter.

• Once there, select Export by using the right-click menu on the AppCompatFlags key. After that, save the document in a handy place for quick access.

Note: This step is performed as a backup in case something goes wrong and the registry modifications have unintended effects.

After the backup has been created, select “Delete” by using the right-click menu on AppCompatFlags.

Close Registry Editor after deleting the key, then restart your computer. Check to see whether you can open the Office application without getting the “Microsoft setup bootstrapper had ceased operating” issue at the next restart.

Method 6: Launching compatibility mode on the Setup.exe

When installing an older version of Office (Office 2010, Office 2013), some customers have reported seeing the error message “Microsoft setup Bootstrapper is not working” but they were able to get around it by running the installation application (setup.exe) in compatibility mode.

Here is a little explanation on how to accomplish it:

• To find the location of the Office installation, use File Explorer.
• Right-click Setup.exe in the Installation folder, then select Troubleshoot Compatibility.
• Click “Try recommended settings” when the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter appears for the first time.
• Check to see if the setup opens without an error notice by clicking the Test the software button.
• Click Next, then select Yes to preserve these settings for this program if everything is in order.
• Reopen the installer to finish the installation procedure.