Fix: Office Background Installation Ran into a Problem

The Office installer may suddenly stop and show the message “Background Installation Ran into a Problem” without giving much detail.  This error usually means that the Microsoft Office Click-to-Run service had a problem during the setup and could not finish installing Office in the background.

Most of the time, this happens because the stream.x86.x-none.dat file is broken—often caused by a download that got interrupted or damaged Office setup files. Other reasons include old registry keys left from earlier Office versions, problems with permissions, or important services like “Office ClickToRun” being blocked.

In this article, we will discuss different ways to solve this error.

1. Use Event Viewer to Review Microsoft Office Alerts

Sometimes, the error is caused by third-party Office Add-ins that interfere with Microsoft Office. When the error happens, details are saved in your event logs. By looking at Event Viewer, you can get a better idea of what’s going wrong.

1. Click Start and type Event Viewer in the search bar. Right-click it and select Run as Administrator.

   

2. In Event Viewer, find Application and Service Logs and double-click on Microsoft Office Alerts. Here, you can read the event descriptions and see what’s specifically causing the error.

   

3. If you see it’s a system-related error, click Start and search for cmd in the search bar. Right-click on it and select Run as Administrator.

   

4. Copy and paste the command below, then press Enter:

   sfc /scannow

   

This should fix the problem. If the error is still there, try the next solution.

2. Repair Your Office Installation

Microsoft Office comes with a built-in repair tool that can automatically fix problems by repairing missing or damaged files.

1. Click Start and open Apps & Features.

   

2. Select the Microsoft Office product that’s giving you trouble, then click Modify. This opens the repair window. Even if you click on a single app, like Microsoft Word, it will repair the whole Office suite.

   

3. The next steps depend on how Office was installed:
   • Click-to-Run:
     1. In the window that asks How would you like to repair your Office Programs, choose Online Repair.
     2. Click Repair to start fixing Office.

     

   • MSI-based:
     1. In the window that says Change your installation, select Repair.
     2. Click Continue to start the repair.

     

4. Just follow the on-screen steps to finish the repair process. This should resolve most Office installation errors. If you’re still having problems, move to the next solution.

3. Update Microsoft Office

Sometimes, simply updating Office can resolve errors caused by old or corrupted files. Microsoft recommends keeping your Office products updated, especially if you’re using Office 2013 or newer.

1. Click Start and open any Microsoft Office application, such as Microsoft Word.

   

2. Click on Blank Document.
   
3. Next, click File.

   

4. Click Account (or Office Account if you’re using Microsoft Outlook).

   

5. Choose Update Options > Update Now. If you don’t see the Update Now button, you might need to click Enable Updates first.

   

After updating, check if the problem is gone. If not, try the last solution.

4. Reinstall Microsoft Office

If none of the above worked, a clean reinstall can help. Here’s how you can completely remove Office and install it again.

1. Click Start and open the Control Panel.

   

2. Click Uninstall a program under the Programs section.

   

3. Type Office in the search bar. Then, right-click your Microsoft Office product and select Uninstall.

   

4. Install Office again from Your Account Page. This should finally solve your issue.