Transforms

I linked a projector (NEC Multisync MT 840) to a Dell laptop that came loaded with Windows Office. At first, it seemed to be working well. Following, I turned off the laptop. When I brought the system back up, I could not access any of the Microsoft products contained on disk I (e.g., Word, Power Point, etc). When I clicked on the icon, It appeared to be working (i.e., the hour glass came up), then nothing. I tried to reinstall Office over the exisiting, with the same result. I uninstalled Office. When I try to reinstall I get the following error message:

“Error applying transforms. Verify that the specified paths are valid.”

What are transforms and how do I ensure their validity?

Any help offered is greatly appreciated.