Error 1606

Error 1606 commonly occurs when users attempt to install or upgrade Microsoft Office 2000 and 2003 products. The error may be a result of the computer failing to access the registry setting for “Administrative Tools, “ errors with an upgrade to Windows XP, or corrupted Microsoft Office files. In order to fix the error, it is necessary to conduct registry modifications and/or edits. In some cases, the error can occur if a third party registry cleaning application that is incompatible with the version and build of Microsoft Windows on the computer is downloaded and run.

How to Fix Error 1606

Step 1 – Open the MS DOS command prompt by selecting “Start” and “Run.” Then, enter “command” in the search text field and press “enter.”
Step 2 – Find the following setting by using the REGEDIT search function:
“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentV ersionExplorerUser Shell”
Step 3 – Double click the “Common Adminstrative Tools” key and type the following information in the “Value Data” then click “Ok”:
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%Start MenuProgramsAdministrative Tools
Step 4 – Click “File” and “Exit” to exit the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
Step 5 – If the error persists, it may have been caused by a third party registry cleaning software program. If this is the case, select the “Add/Remove Programs” option in the “Control Panel” of the computer and click “Remove” following the default menu prompts to remove the third party software. Restart the computer after the application is removed and the error will be corrected.

Programs That Can Cause Error 1606

Error 1606 is associated with the following Microsoft products:
Microsoft Office XP Small Business Edition, Microsoft Office XP Standard Edition, Microsoft Office XP Developer Edition, Microsoft FrontPage 2002 Standard Edition, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 Standard Edition, Microsoft Streets & Trips 2003 Standard Edition, Microsoft Digital Image Pro 9, Microsoft Excel 2002 Standard Edition, Microsoft MapPoint 2002 Standard Edition, Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003, Microsoft Office Access 2003, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003, Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003, Microsoft Office Basic Edition 2003, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, Microsoft Office Publisher 2003, Microsoft Office XP Professional Edition.