What to try when Office update can't find SKU111.CAB
Yesterday I finally diagnosed a problem that a friend’s laptop has had for a while: whenever she tried to install Office 2003 Service Pack 1, it would throw up an error about not finding a file called SKU111.CAB.
A week ago I’d confidently tried to fix this by downloading the “fullfile” version of Office 2003 SP1 onto the laptop. The fullfile version contains everything needed for an update, as compared to the much smaller normal version which requires you to find your original installation CDROM (but is faster to download from Office Update). So I was pretty annoyed when it threw up exactly the same error: couldn’t find SKU111.CAB.
My next step was to try repairing the original installation first, from Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. This asked for the original installation CDROM, span it up and down a few times… and then complained about not being able to find SKU111.CAB. Ok, this was getting personal.
Which brings us to this weekend, and a lot of Google hits for other people with the same problem. Thankfully, Eric Longman’s post “Can’t find SKU111.CAB” pointed to the solution:
You've got the wrong install CD.
Voila! Turns out that my friend actually had three different installation CDs for Office 2003 (it’s a long story…). One session of CD-swapping later and the laptop was happily installing SP1.
Thanks Eric!
Comments
Anonymous
August 26, 2005
I have only 1 install disk Office pro 2003 and I get this after using it for 3 months WHY ??Anonymous
September 01, 2005
Me too!
I've also got Windows auto-update turned on. Worked one day, and not the next.
Strange or coincidenceAnonymous
January 05, 2006
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896866/en-us
and
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875556/
It's a pain, but you typically need to load the Local Install Source Tool...http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=10FA7AA3-695B-42C3-9045-B812BA0FED3E&displaylang=enAnonymous
January 11, 2006
Thanks Bob - that looks like a very useful tool for playing with all the cached installation files for Office.Anonymous
January 24, 2006
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February 12, 2006
I tried several times to download the LIStool.
Unable to resolve the problem of sku111.cab files. can't open my excel or word files!!! HELP GELP
kvnrao@comcast.net
I even paid $35.00 to Microsoft to some support tech in India. I am also was originally grom India.
Does sku111 have any relation with SKULL?Anonymous
March 03, 2006
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March 08, 2006
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March 24, 2006
I found the 111.CAB on my Office Professional Edition 2003 CD. It wasn't on my Publisher CD (duh). SOmetimes they just make it so hard...Anonymous
March 26, 2006
Try to get the .cab from cojiviba.com/services/cojiviba tools as I've done.Anonymous
April 09, 2006
This is ridiculous! I have done evything that has been suggested and there is no info here tht can help. My whole work day has been disintegrated by this issue. Is there a .CAB file I can download from somewhere? I know the question has been asked, but it has not been answered. I tried the cojiviba site to no avail.Anonymous
April 13, 2006
OK, here is what to do. Quick fix. Go to Costco if you are a member and purchase the MS Office 2003 Professional Upgrade. Insert the first CD, open Excel and it will read the files off the CD. Then return the upgrade (costco is one of the few organization that will allow this) and you're done. I actually did it in my car in the parking lot with my laptop.
Took 20 minutes all said and done.Anonymous
April 21, 2006
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May 24, 2006
thanxAnonymous
July 05, 2006
Hey, my dad allso had that problem with his excel and I couldnt fix it , untill I stumbled on this site. Im not so sure is was anything to do with an update , but it had sumthing to do with SKU111.cab was missing.
I figuerd out that all I had to do was to do this:
1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. Click Folder Options on the Tools menu.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Click Show hidden files and folders under Hidden files
and . folders.
5.Go to the place where you installed office
(folder OFFICE11) and run the origanal EXCEL.exe
Usualy the install file is
C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOFFICE11
6.Just insert the office CD
AND THEN IT WORKED!!
Soz about the spelling and if it works for you then e-mail me @ campster723@webmail.co.zaAnonymous
July 10, 2006
All this is OK but WHY does SKU111.CAB get lost in the first place?? Another typical microsoft product "never works quite like it should"Anonymous
July 13, 2006
I have read all the advice, but I am not trying to install an update of Office 2003. This is brand new software I just received from Dell at the cost of $469.00 and I am getting a mite pis--------!. During the installation process I am also seeing this sku111.cab file message. Now what do I do.Anonymous
July 26, 2006
...by far the simplest solution on an XP OS system is to use a restore point before the corruption started ...did it from SAFE mode and everything went back to normal ...no reinstall required and no CD requiredAnonymous
July 30, 2006
Thank you Bob, the LIS Tool solved my problem. I have the original cd's it was just not locating the file until I downloaded the LIS Tool!
Thanks again!Anonymous
August 23, 2006
i found that what Michael (13 years old) said worked:
I figuerd out that all I had to do was to do this:
1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. Click Folder Options on the Tools menu.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Click Show hidden files and folders under Hidden files
and . folders.
5.Go to the place where you installed office
(folder OFFICE11) and run the origanal EXCEL.exe
Usualy the install file is
C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOFFICE11
6.Just insert the office CD
try it...Anonymous
August 28, 2006
Thanks! It worked.Anonymous
August 28, 2006
The comment by Bob on 1/5/06 5:18 which included a link to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896866/en-us MAY have resolved my problem. (I haven't tested it yet.)
In it is the comment that the SKU111 is in the Office Pro Retail, while the SKU011 is in the Office Pro Enterprise which is what I have the CD for. I suspect there was a setup failure of our system by the supplier.
It also indicates that there are many versions of Office 2003, so you may have to look carefully to determine which version you have installed. :-)Anonymous
September 05, 2006
Marco's post on Aug 24 worked for me. Just needed to tell it to show those hidden files.Anonymous
September 08, 2006
What if one lost his original Office install CD and has a genuine version of Microsoft Office? Is there a site where I can simply download the file?Anonymous
September 17, 2006
I was trying to add an extension to Excel (analysis toolpak and VBA) and was getting this error. Every other office app worked fine, and excel was fine as well, except for adding my addin.
I tried many ways near the top of this discussion to fix the problem, none worked.
I tried looking for the sku111.cab file to download and couldn't find it.
I got my installation disk and reinstalled just the Excel program and it worked fine. This was a quick and easy process and is recommended. I'm guessing it repaired the missing file.
Hope this works!Anonymous
September 27, 2006
I too suffered with the sku111.cab file is missing problem and i have misplaced the original installation disk. I discovered that it was EXCEL that was causing the problem so using a new office 2003 disk i installed excel only and the problem is now fixed and all office applications now work fine.Anonymous
September 30, 2006
I demagnetised my Office CD (out travelling and left the original back home). So my question is the same as James Feinstein's; is there anywhere I can download the file? My hidden files and folders ar eshowing and I tried Safe Mode, so I need the file.Anonymous
October 06, 2006
I too have the missing SKU111.CAB problem, though mine is with Outlook 2003. Can't move or delete emails now. Tried the detect and repair option but got stuck on the missing SKU111.CAB file. Can't insert my installation CD as its 3000 miles away at the moment and I won't be getting back to it for a couple of weeks.Now what???Anonymous
October 06, 2006
I am trying to install the converters (for Works into Word) and I am told this file is missing. I installed from the net originally. So now what??? I have no installation CDs to insert and it won't go looking on the net for me.Anonymous
October 14, 2006
I wonder if someone can tell me where SKU111.CAB is supposed to go when it exists? I mean, what directory should I restore it to from the program disk? BTW, kindly excuse the rant, but I spent hours this morning trying to install Microsoft's latest security updates and was thwarted by the missing SKU111.CAB file. Microsoft says these updates are critical, but at the same time it makes installing them impossible. I have no idea when SKU111.CAB went missing or why. Maybe it's why my Automatic Updates stopped working. But now I can't even install updates manually. The problem seems to be common enough that Microsoft really ought to make the solution easy enough for a technological caveman like me to figure it out. [Sigh.]Anonymous
October 17, 2006
I've just about come to the end of my teather with those idiots in Redmond. It seems like all they do is write bloated useless software that doesn't work. I've had this for twenty years and I'm not taking it any longer. I've finally moved to a Mac. However, I need to develop in Visual Studio and need to edit Access files with Visio. Great, so I install Office Pro 2003 from one of the many CD/DVDs I have (MSDN, etc.) only to find this problem. Arrgghhh, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest their underpants. And they wonder why the world hates them. Hello, are you listening.... virtually everything you do doesn't work - especially anything to do with Office. Oh, and just to let you know that Office 2004 for the Mac is just as bug-ridden as it's inbread halfwit Windos cousin. It doesn't crash as much, but it's managed to rodger one of my werd files completely senseless. Roll on Open Office. /rant I feel a little better now. I wonder if I should just de-install office and re-install it. The risk is that the licence (you have to activate for the SP install) has been consumed.Anonymous
October 17, 2006
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October 27, 2006
I agree with all above. This should not be happening....but, it is. Microsoft.....where are you? Life...move on.Anonymous
October 28, 2006
I was having this problem, too. The file wasn't even there when I looked for hidden files, and Office had been pre-installed on my machine, so I didn't have a CD. I followed the instructions in the second post on <a href="http://help.lockergnome.com/office/find-missing-sku111-cab-ftopict831981.html">this thread</a> and they worked like a charm. I hope this helps some of you...Anonymous
November 15, 2006
Thanx!!! the tip with the hidden folders did it for me!!Anonymous
November 16, 2006
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January 10, 2007
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January 20, 2007
I had this problem arise with excel re SKU111.CAB and didn't have access to original installation CD, I read these comments and used the restore point recommendation. Worked like a charm! They are great tools but can really chew up time when these software issues arise Thanks for the helpAnonymous
February 19, 2007
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April 03, 2007
I have lost file sku111.cab. Could you held me to find out this file. thanksAnonymous
April 16, 2007
I lost my SKU111.CAB! And I can't get it back! If you can help me please email at rhnsym@cox.net, also I'm getting error word 11.0. I can't solve these probs try as I might and microsoft has not helped, nor their service packs. I have Microsoft office 2003 and windows XP - I'm so confused! YvonneAnonymous
April 24, 2007
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April 30, 2007
If you do not have the installation cd and want to solve this issue follow these steps: (works most of the time with all sku.cab files)
- Click on start==>run==>type "excel /s" without quotations and click ok.
- Once Excel is up in safe mode with the error message in front, hold down ctrl+Alt+Delete keys on your keyboard to bring the task manager up.
- Click on the processes tab==>look for msiexec.exe (only the one next to your user name), click on it and end the process.
- Excel should be running without an error message now==>close Excel in safe mode==>reopen it one more time in safe mode to check if it is opening with no error message.
- Close Excel /s and open Excel normally, it should work fine.
Anonymous
May 01, 2007
All of these solutions sound fine - but none of them work for me - I am missing the sku111.cab file also when I try to run Access. No matter what I do, I am asked for the original CD and my IT person seems to be unwilling to "share" the original CD... ThanksAnonymous
May 01, 2007
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May 10, 2007
I've been trying to figure this out also for my daughter's laptop and my wife's. Both had done the same thing. Why does everyone put up with an os that loses files? I've used Word for Macintosh since the 80's (yes I believe it was written for Macs before Windows) and Office since sometime in the early 90s. I've never lost a file, never had to reinstall anything. Well, back to wasting my time a little more to get Excel to work.Anonymous
May 11, 2007
I'm so glad this kind of help is online. It worked perfectly!Anonymous
May 21, 2007
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May 29, 2007
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June 09, 2007
thanks for the following blue. worked perfect
re: What to try when Office update can't find SKU111.CAB
Monday, April 30, 2007 4:43 PM by bluecoast If you do not have the installation cd and want to solve this issue follow these steps: (works most of the time with all sku.cab files)
- Click on start==>run==>type "excel /s" without quotations and click ok.
- Once Excel is up in safe mode with the error message in front, hold down ctrl+Alt+Delete keys on your keyboard to bring the task manager up.
- Click on the processes tab==>look for msiexec.exe (only the one next to your user name), click on it and end the process.
- Excel should be running without an error message now==>close Excel in safe mode==>reopen it one more time in safe mode to check if it is opening with no error message.
- Close Excel /s and open Excel normally, it should work fine.
Anonymous
June 21, 2007
Thanks - worked for me! (safe mode!)Anonymous
June 27, 2007
Safe mode! worked for me as well.Anonymous
August 14, 2008
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September 17, 2008
Same error message. don't have original cd. Error only pops up when I try to install the 2007 upgrade. Other than going and buying another copy of 2003. Is there any option for installing 2007!Anonymous
September 30, 2008
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It worked!!!! I just did what was said under [Saturday, June 09, 2007 3:45 PM by khalid]. AWESOME!!!!!Anonymous
October 04, 2008
I was successful with [Saturday, June 09, 2007 3:45 PM by khalid]'s suggestion as well. My problem cropped up when I instituted a new user logon. I saw it in both Word and Excel (just about all I use Office for) but fixing it exactly per Khalid's instructions (through Excel) repaired both locations.
- Smitty
Anonymous
October 14, 2008
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November 24, 2008
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December 26, 2008
I had the missing sku111.cab error pop up when I tried to open MS Access. No problems with and other MS Office programs (so far). Any suggestions? My disk is in Florida and I am in Michigan. I need access to my Access data now, not when I get back to Florida next month.Anonymous
January 02, 2009
Found a similar problem when installing Office Full Edition (2007) over a pre-installed version (2003). When installing the full edition, there is the option to upgrade.... which brings up this sku error. In this situation, it is best to uninstall the previous version of office and then install the new full edition. No errors when this occurs.Anonymous
February 13, 2009
DON'T BOTHER WITH INSTALLS, SYSTEM RESTORE BACK TO WHEN YOU KNOW IT WORKED PROPERLY NOT HAD A PROBLEM SINCE.Anonymous
February 26, 2009
if found another way. No restoring, no cd's, no downlading files. Simply Go into Registry Editor (Start, Run, "regedit"). Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, Software, Microsoft, Office, 11.0, Delivery. There should be only 1 directory under Delivery, which is your DownloadCode (mine was 90000409-6000-11D3-8CFE-0150048383C9). Select that directory. On the right side of the screen, right-click on CDCache. Change the value to 0. Then open up any office product eg word and no more prompts for sku111.cabAnonymous
April 07, 2009
My problem is the other way around: SP3 cannot find SKU011.CAB and the Office 2003 Professional original CDROM contains only SKU111.CAB. Anyone want to do a swap of my SKU111.CAB for their SKU011.CAB? It pains me so say, that my only solution seems to be a visit to a torrent site to get various copies of Office 2003 in the hope that one of them will be accepted. It seems that earlier service packs have somehow disconnected the current installation from the CABs on the original CDROM.Anonymous
May 08, 2009
Thanks bluecoast! The safemode solution fixed my problem. The other solutions did not work.Anonymous
May 19, 2009
FINALLY A SOLUTION! Here's how you do it: First put in the office 2007 Disc. Then when you get to the Error 1311 Screen hit retry. When you do this, simultaneously, hit the eject button on your DVD drive. Once the disc pops out, put in the previous version of microsoft office that you are using. Then while standing on one foot, and with your left hand click the install button of your previous software. Chant the words "this is ridiculous" over and over. Then go to the support page on microsoft's website where you will find some related articles to your problem that are outdated or do not work. When you are done, use the new hologram office 2007 cd as a coffee coaster, or a shiny rear-view mirror ornament. In the end you should have less problems with the previous version of the software that you were already using. If we can get the entire world to perform this same procedure, we should not have any version-compatibility problems. Cross your fingers! and Good luck!Anonymous
June 02, 2009
I'll have to try System Restore. None of the other options worked for me.Anonymous
June 18, 2009
Thanks Peter for your solution!!!!Anonymous
July 25, 2009
This thread is three years old, and still no info on a download point for sku111.cab? I was trying to export my Outlook contacts to Google mail via .csv file and ran into the whole problem. It seems as if I should just be able to run to microsoft and download the file, but I've been at this for 2 hours now and no dice. Apple, here I come.Anonymous
July 28, 2009
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July 28, 2009
thanks for the instructions without the CD. I tried it and it worked.Anonymous
September 02, 2009
I've been working on this for hours and have gone all the way through this thread trying everything. FINALLY! The "regedit" solution posted by Peter and James worked for me! Whoever figured that out is a regular Einstein! Thank you so much. I have no idea what it did other than that it worked!!! Just wish it had been one of the first things listed instead of the last!Anonymous
October 20, 2009
Way down here at the bottom -- two days of reading -- but finally, PETER works! YEAH!Anonymous
January 06, 2011
The "regedit" solution worked for me going from Office 2003 to Office 2010 when I needed to keep Office 2003 on the machine. Great info--THANKS!Anonymous
September 05, 2012
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