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Step by step guide on installing PowerPivot for Excel

• If you are running an operation system other than Microsoft Windows 7, install .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 first.
• Download and install Microsoft Office 2010. Important note: To work with PowerPivot you need to install just Excel 2010, but it is important that you also install Office Shared tools, otherwise you will not be able to register PowerPivot add-in. Also, PowerPivot is not supported in Click-to-Run versions of Microsoft Office
• Download and install PowerPivot add-in from here. Important note: If you are using Excel 32bit, you must download 32bit PowerPivot. If you are using Excel 64bit then you must download 64bit PowerPivot addin.
• Start Excel 2010. You might have to confirm that you want to "install this customization". After that you can start using PowerPivot.

Known PowerPivot for Excel installation issues

• When installing Office 2010 you must install Office ShareTools. More info here... 
• PowerPivot for Excel add-in is not coming up in Excel - a set of tips.
• On Windows XP SP2 you might get error: "Initialization of the data source failed.". To fix this problem apply Windows XP Service Pack 3. More info here...
• If during PowerPivot installation you got error message "This installation package is not supported by this processor type. Contact your product vendor.", that means you are trying to install 64bit PowerPivot application on 32bit Office 2010. Please download 32bit PowerPivot installation and try installing it again.
• If during PowerPivot installation you got error message "Setup is missing prerequisites: This add-in requires Excel 2010. If you have 32-bit Excel, you must install the 32-bit version of the add-in. If not, you must install the 64-bit version. Go to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54583", that means that you are trying to install 32bit PowerPivot application on 64bit Office 2010. Please download 64bit PowerPivot installation and try installing it again.
• If you installed add-in, but do not see in the Excel 2010, then start Excel, select menu option "File", then "Options" and choose tab "Add-ins". At the bottom of the page from the "Manage" list choose "COM Add-ins" and select "Go". In the list of available add-ins makes sure that checkbox near "Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Modeler.FieldList.Addin.Integration" is checked. (tip source)
• You have to make sure that you installed correct Excel 2010 and PowerPivot versions. Here is the link where you can read how you can check your "build numbers" of PowerPivot for Excel and Excel 2010. For v1 RTM PowerPivot for Excel build number is "10.50.1600.1" and Excel 2010 build number is "14.0.4760.1000". Build numbers are the same for 32bit and 64bit software.
• PowerPivot is not supported in Click-to-Run versions of Microsoft Office - Error: ""Setup is missing prerequisites: Excel 2010 is required for installing the Analysis Services add-in.  Go to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54583"
• You receive an error message when you try to install PowerPivot for Excel 2010: "Setup is missing prerequisites"
• Where did my PowerPivot Excel 2010 tab go?

If you have any other issues after installing PowerPivot for Excel, set global environment variable VSTO_SUPPRESSDISPLAYALERTS  to 0 and restart Excel. You should see more detailed message that will give you better idea what your problem is, or you might have to submitt that message to Microsoft support.

Additional resources:

• Video on how to install PowerPivot for Excel.
• How to check your PowerPivot for Excel version installed on your machine
• Office 2010 64bit edition
• Technet: Install PowerPivot Add-In for Excel

Download and install PowerPivot for Excel documentation (November CTP information!!!, not updated for RTM yet)

Download PowerPivot Help file (link from here). You do not need to install this file - it is ready to use windows help file with extension .chm.

Important note: if in PowerPivot help does not show content, select file AS_BIAddin.chm that you downloaded in the explorer, right mouse click and choose properties. At the very bottom of the properties window you will see security notice "This file come from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer" and button "Unblock" on the right side. Click on the "Unblock" buttton and then try to open your PowerPivot help file again.

Another know issue with .chm files is - if they are installed in the directory where in the path name there is special character used (for example character #), then when you open this file you will see error message "The page cannot be displayed". In this case you have to move this file to the folder without special character in the path.