Registry corrupted

I have Windows ME. When I load up Microsoft Word, I receive this message: "Microsoft Word could not start <Keyname>. Microsoft Word cannot install the necessary files due to Windows installer error 1009. The configuration registry database is corrupt." Where <Keyname> is the name of a certain program, or option, (such as SpellCheck) that Office Setup is trying to open. (I believe that Microsoft calls such a program a "key"). When I try to reinstall Office, partway through installation, I receive this message: "Error 1402. [followed by the previous message]".
Microsoft's website recommends this: "Click Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Informatin. On the Tools menu, click Registry checker. If you recieve an error message, proceed to [the next solution]". But when I do this, I receive no error message. Nothing happens.
The Microsoft page regarding errors 1402 and 1009 has an alternate solution: "Click Start > Run > type scanreg/fix. Restart your computer. Restore a good copy of your registry. Run Office Setup." There are several problems with this solution. One, at the top of the page containing this advice there is a warning that this advice is preliminary and has not been confirmed by Microsoft. The registry is a risky thing to tamper with based on advice that has not been confirmed. Two, Windows has not created a system restore point that is acceptably recent. I the first solution listed requires a good copy of the registry, I will not be able to provide one.

Are there any solutions to errors 1402 and 1009, or to fixing a corrupt configuration registry that do not involve restoring a good copy of the registry?
Thank you.

joel96--Can you reach Registry Checker this way
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q221512/ ?

It might not be the registry. It might be the windows installer. You can try installing a new copy. Also do a full RAM check since these little errors often come from corrupted data.

As you can see from my initial post, I do not have a recent copy to restore back to. If there is any way to fix the corrupted configuration registry without restoring a good copy of the registry, let me know.

I fixed the problem along with others within a couple of weeks after my last post. The cause of many glitches started when I plugged a modern power supply into an old motherboard. This might have reset the BIOS.

I fixed Word's start up error messages by reinstalling the software. I never could get Spellcheck to work though.

What I ended up doing was restoring my drivers one at a time. I got my sound back from a patch from Microsoft's website, reinstalled the videocard drivers from the original disk, ran a patch from Microsoft to fix Autoplay, and reinstalled any extra hardware devices (modem, mouse, joysticks, and printer). I might have fixed the sound with a patch from Creative, as well.

I ended up building a new computer from scratch, and Word works fine on it.