software application packaging overview

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Packaging overview Rev. 1.01

Author: David Wood

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PACKAGINGOVERVIEW


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Application & Packaging Basics (FAQ)

* What is Application Repackaging?It is the process of capturing the changes made by an Installation Program (Package)

and it is designed to support company standards and distribution methods.

* What are the steps of Repackaging?

o Review the packaging requirements

o Analyze the vendor package (Review)

o Repackage the application (Scripting)

o Customize the package

o Test the package

o Release the package to end users

* Why it is required & problems in Legacy Installation?

o Customized Installation

o Reduce Cost

o Self Repair

o Source Resiliency

o Unattended Install

o High Support Costs

o Fragile Installs & Uninstallso Difficult & labor Intensive to deploy

* What applications should not be repackaged & Why?o Existing MSI packages should be deployed as they are.

o If you repackage an application and find that it references the MSI.DLL file, it is

better not to repackage the application.

o Microsoft Office 2000 and XP are good examples.

o Applications containing system files managed by the Windows File Protection

features of Windows 2000 and later are also to be avoided, such as Internet Explorer,

Windows Service Packs and certain hotfixes.

All these applications are hard coded to use the Windows Installer service, and may

make calls back to certain locations within the original MSI package.

* What are the types of Packaging tools?o Wise for Windows Installer

o Install Shield

o SMS Installer


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o Marimba

* What are the types of Deployment tools?o Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)

o Altiris Client Management Suite

o Altiris Notification Server Consoleo HP Radia/IBM Tivoli

* What is Windows Installer?It is a built-in Operating System service for Installing and Managing Applications. It

provides a standard method for developing, customizing, installing and updating

applications.

* Benefits of the Windows Installer?

o Advertisingo Installation on Demand

o Repair (Self-healing)

o Rollback (Transactional operations)

o Managed Shared Resources

o Installation in locked-down environments

* What are the types of Setup Captures in Wise / Install shield?

In wise there are three typeso Virtual Capture : Creates a clean virtual OS on your computer, and the installation is

redirected in the clean virtual OS.o SmartMonitor :Watches the installation and records the changes the installation

performs.

o Snapshot: Scan the computer before and after the installation and record the

differences between the first scan and the second.

In Install Shield there are two types

o Installation Monitor: Repackager watches lower-level system activities and records

related changes made to the system by the setup(s) programso Snapshot : Scan the computer before and after the installation and record thedifferences between the first scan and the second.


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* MSI Installation Mechanism (Background Mechanism)?

o Acquisition

The Installer first installs the feature and then progresses through the actions specified

in the sequence tables of the installation database. These actions query the installation

database and generate a script that gives a step-by-step procedure for performing theinstallation.

o Execution

The installer passes the information to a process with elevated privileges and runs the

script.

o Rollback

If an installation is unsuccessful, the installer restores the original state of the

computer. When the installer processes the installation script, it simultaneously

generates a rollback script. In addition to the rollback script, the installer saves a copy

of every file it deletes during the installation. These files are kept in a hidden, systemdirectory. Once the installation is complete, the rollback script and the saved files are

deleted.

* What is a MSI?MSI is Microsoft Windows Installer. It is an installation, in the form of a single file. It

is actually a database that contains several tables (80+). Each of these tables contains

instructions and set-up information. In wise there are 120 (87+33) tables.

* Structure of MSI?

o Products (Collection of Features)

o Features (Collection of Components)

o Components (Collection of files and Registries)

* What is Product?

Product is an Application.

* What is Feature?Features are buckets for Components. Windows Installer configuration commands

operate only on Features (installing, advertising, Uninstalling). Self-healing, install-on-

demand and user profile fix-up operate at the Feature level.


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* What is Component?

Components are collections of resources that are always installed or removed as a unit

from a user's system. A resource can be a file, registry key, shortcut, or anything else

that may be installed. Every component is assigned a unique component code GUID.

* What is Registry, Tell the Structure & types of Registry?

The Registry is a single place for storing information about the Windows OS

(Hardware & Software). Structure

+ Root Keys / Subtrees

+ Subkeys

+ Hives

+ Entries

Types

+ Machine-Specific (HKCR, HKLM, HKCC, HKU)+ User-Specific (HKCU, HKU)

Root Keys

+ HKEY_CLASS_ROOT (HKCR)

+ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM)

+ HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC)

+ HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU)

+ HKEY_USERS (HKU)

* What are Shortcuts & Types?Shortcuts are the entry points to the applications installed on the system which is

normally points to a file.

o Advertised (File should be Installed by the Application)

o Non Advertised (File that is not part of Installation. It is also called Command Line

shortcuts)

* What are INI File & its format?INI files are plain-text files that contain configuration information. "INI" stands for

initialization.

[Section]

Keyname=value

* What are Services & its types?A windows service is a background process which is loaded by the Service Control

Manager of the OS.

o Win32 Service (Win32 services are the services which is running by the executable

file installed by the Application).

o System or Kernel Services (Kernel services are the services which are used by the OS


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the run time also).

# INSTALLLEVEL, .

o Restricted Public

The user cant change the value both internally & externally due to security purposes.

# ALLUSERS, REBOOT, REINSTALLMODE

* What is the Use of the following Properties?

+ ALLUSERS (Null, 1, 2)

User - Per-user, Not valid, Per-user

Admin - Per-user, Per-machine, Per-machine

+ REBOOT (Force, Suppress, ReallySuppress)

Always prompt for a reboot at the end of the installation.

Suppress prompts for a reboot at the end of the installation. But the user can still

prompt by using ForceReboot action.

Suppress all prompts for reboots during the installation.

+ REINSTALLMODE (to specify the type of reinstallation of the Application)

p - If file is missing

o - If file is missing or if an older version is installed.

e - If file is missing or an equal or older version is installed.

d - If file is missing or a different version is installed.

c - If file is missing or the stored checksum doesn't match the calculated value.

a - Force all files to be reinstalled.

u - Rewrite all required user specific registry entries.

m - Rewrite all required computer-specific registry entries.

s - Overwrite all existing shortcuts.

v - Run from source and re-cache the local package. Do not uses the v reinstall option

for the first installation of an application or feature.

+ REINSTALL (List of features to be Installed)

+ RebootRequired (Prompts for Reboot)Yes - Prompt for Reboot

No - Wont Prompt for Reboot

+ ADDLOCAL (Features to be Installed locally during Run Time)

+ ADDSOURCE (Features to be run from source)

+ INSTALLLEVEL (Which features to be Installed)


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* What is Merge Module?Merge modules are a mechanism in Windows Installer that allows companies to

prepackage and share standard component definitions. Merge modules are used to

deliver shared code, files, resources, registry entries and setup logic to applications as

a single compound file.

* What are all Merge Module tables?ModuleSignature, ModuleComponents, ModuleDependency, ModuleExclusion,

ModuleAdminUISequence, ModuleAdminExecuteSequence, ModuleAdvtUISequence,

ModuleAdvtExecuteSequence, ModuleIgnore, ModuleInstallUISequence,

ModuleInstallExecuteSequence, ModuleSubstitution, ModuleConfiguration

* How the Merge Module is working (Background mechanism)?Merge Module is working by checking the version, size & date of the file. If the file is Dllor OCX, it will check the version, other files like text it will check the Size & Date. It

works by the Mechanism of Shared Dlls Count concept which is stored in the Registry

information

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDlls\

* You can create Merge Module for text file, how?Yes you can create Merge Module for the text file also. It will works by the mechanism

of checking the file Size & Date.

* How to give Permission for files, folders & Registry keys in MSI?In the MSI, we can give permissions through Lock Permission table.

* How to give Permission for files, folders & Registry keys through VB Script & what is

the syntax?We can give permission for files & folders through VB Script by using the CACLS &

XCACLS commands. CACLs should only run on NTFS partitions.

CACLS Changes Access Control ListS

Cacls [/T] [/E] [/C] [/G user: perm] [/R user [...]] [/P user: perm [...]] [/D user [...]]

o /T Changes ACLs of specified files in the current directory and subdirectories

o /E Edit ACL instead of replacing it

o /C Continue (ignore) access denied errors

o /G user : perm where access rights granted can be: R


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C F (read, change, full control)

o /R user Revoke specified user's access rights (only valid with /E)

o /P user: perm Replace specified user's access rights. Permission can be: N R C F

(none, read, change, full control)

o /D user Deny specified user access

E.g. cacls c:\myfile.txt /E /G : FIn VB Script the syntax as

On Error Resume next

Set Wshell = CreateObject (Wscript.Shell)

Wshell.Run cacls c:\myfile.txt /E /G : F

* How to disable ARP Details during the Installation through Command line, tell some

ARP properties?msiexec /i ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT=1

o ARPAUTHORIZEDCDFPREFIX

o ARPCOMMENTSo ARPCONTACT

o ARPINSTALLLOCATION

o ARPNOMODIFY

o ARPNOREMOVE

o ARPNOREPAIR

o ARPPRODUCTICON

o ARPREADME

o ARPSIZE

o ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT

o ARPURLINFOABOUT

o ARPURLUPDATEINFO

* What is Dll Cache folder?

During the process of SFC (System File Checker) or WFP (Windows File Protection), it

will scan all the protected files (.SYS, .DLL, .EXE, .TTF, .FON, and .OCX extensions) to

verify their versions. If the versions are not correct, it will replace the particular files

from the back up folder called DLL Cache folder.

* What is SFC?

SFC means "System File Checker." It is a command-line utility that scans the operating

system's files to ensure that they are the correct ones (original Microsoft files). But it

can be run or scheduled manually only.

During the process, it will scan all the protected files (.SYS, .DLL, .EXE, .TTF, .FON, and

.OCX) to verify their versions. If the versions are not correct, it will replace the

particular files from the back up folder called DLL Cache folder


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* What is Windows File Protection (WFP)?

WFP is also one Utility tool which will do automatically.

Some applications will replace the system files (SYS, .DLL, .EXE, .TTF, .FON, and .OCX)

with different files of the same name or with same file with different versions. If the

files are in a protected folder, then Windows File Protection automatically determines

which file was affected, and looks up the file signature in a catalogue file to see if the

file is the correct Microsoft version, and if it is digitally signed. If it is not, then the

correct file will be copied over it from either the winnt\system32\dllcache folder, or

from the Windows CD.

* How Do I Control Windows File Protection (WFP)?

All registry settings for WFP/System File Checker are located in

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\ CurrentVersion\

Winlogon.By default, only Administrators and System will be able to modify these settings.

SFCDisable (REG_DWORD)

0 = enabled (default).

1 = disabled, prompt at boot to re-enable (debugger required).

2 = disabled at next boot only, no prompt to re-enable (debugger required).

SFCScan (REG_DWORD)

0 = do not scan protected files at boot (default).

1 = scan protected files at every boot.

2 = scan protected files once.

SFCQuota (REG_DWORD)

n = size (in megabytes) of dllcache quota.FFFFFFFF = cache-protected system files on the local hard drive.

SFCShowProgress (REG_DWORD)

0 = System File Checker progress meter is not displayed.

1 = System File Checker progress meter is displayed (default).

SFCDllCacheDir (REG_EXPAND_SZ)

Path = local location of dllcache directory (default is

%Systemroot%\system32\dllcache).

* What is Advertisement?It means that, the Availability of an application to users or others with out actually the

full Installation. There are two types of Advertising

o Assigning

An Application appears (shortcuts, files & registries) to a user or others, when an

Application is assigned. When the user tries to open, it is installed upon demand.

o Publishing


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No Entry points appear to a user or others, when an Application published to the

group. It is activated only if the group Application activates the published Application

i.e. Installation on Demand.

* What is Advertised Feature & Component?If a Feature or Component is advertised, only the interfaces required for loading and

launching the application are installed to the user or others. If a user activates an

advertised interface the installer then proceeds to install the necessary Components &

Features.

* What is Installation on Demand?When a user or application activates an advertised feature or product, the installer

proceeds with installation of the needed components.

* What is Transform?A transform is a windows installer file with the extension (.MST). It should be used

along with a MSI to customize or change the installation package without modifying

the MSI. The installer can only apply transforms during an installation.

* What are the types of Transform?o Embedded transformEmbedded transforms are stored inside the .msi file of the package.

o Secured transform

Secured transforms are stored locally on the user's computer in a location where, on a

secure file system, the user does not have write access. Such transforms are cached in

this location during the installation or advertisement of the package. During

subsequent installation-on-demand or maintenance installations of the package, the

installer uses the cached transforms.

o Unsecured transform

Transforms that have not been secured are called unsecured transforms. To apply anunsecured transform, pass the transform file names in the TRANSFORMS property or

command line string during the installation.

* How to Create Transform in Wise / Install Shield?In Wise Package Studio, by using Install Tailor or New Project - other templates -

Transform

In Install Shield Admin Studio, by using the New Project - Transform


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* How many Transform can be created for one Vendor MSI?Any Number

* How many Transforms can be supplied in the Command line?Any Number

* What is Custom Action?The Microsoft Windows Installer provides many built-in actions for performing the

installation process. For some cases the developer writes an action to execute his own

installation is called custom action

* What are the types of Custom Actions?o DLL file stored in a Binary table stream

o DLL file that is installed with a product

o EXE file stored in a Binary table stream

o EXE file that is installed with a product

o Displays a specified error message and returns failure, terminating the installation

o EXE file having a path specified by a property value

o EXE file having a path referencing a directoryo JScript file stored in a Binary table stream

o JScript file that is installed with a product

o JScript text specified by a property value

o JScript text stored in this sequence table

o VBScript file stored in a Binary table stream

o VBScript file that is installed with a product

o VBScript text specified by a property value

o VBScript text stored in this sequence table

o Property set with formatted text

o Directory set with formatted text

o Installation of a package nested inside of the first package. See Nested InstallationActions

o Installation of a package that resides in the first applications source tree. See Nested

Installation Actions

o Installation of an application that is advertised or already installed.See Nested

Installation Actions


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* What are the types of Sequences in the Custom Actions?o Normal User Interface

o Normal Execute Immediate / Deferredo Administrative User Interface

o Administrative Execute Immediate / Deferred

o Advertisement Execute Immediate / Deferred

* What are the types of Conditions in the Custom Actions and what is the use? o Not Installed - During Installation only

o REMOVE - During UnInstallation only

o NOT REMOVE - During both Install & UnInstall

* What are the types of In Script options in the Custom Actions?o Immediate Execution

Immediate custom actions, can be sequenced anywhere within any of the sequence

tables. It has access to the installation database (read & set installation properties,

modify feature & component states, add temporary columns, rows, and tables).

o Deferred Execution User Context

Deferred custom actions can only be sequenced between the InstallInitialize and

InstallFinalize actions in execute sequence tables. It doesnt have access to theinstallation database. Deferred custom actions are not executed immediately. Instead

they are scheduled to run later during the execution script. The execution script isn't

processed until the InstallExecute, InstallExecuteAgain, or InstallFinalize action is run.

If the Current User doesnt have the elevated privileges (Custom actions make changes

in the system directly), the custom actions should run in Deferred Execution in User

Context only.

o Rollback only

This Action should be executed during the Installation of the Rollback script or if the

Installation is Unsuccessful

o Commit onlyThis Action should be executed during the Installation of the Commit script.

o Deferred ExecutionSystem ContextDeferred custom actions can only be sequenced between the InstallInitialize and

InstallFinalize actions in execute sequence tables. It doesnt have access to the

installation database. Deferred custom actions are not executed immediately. Instead

they are scheduled to run later during the execution script. The execution script isn't


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processed until the InstallExecute, InstallExecuteAgain, or InstallFinalize action is run.

If the Current User have the elevated privileges (Custom actions make changes in the

system directly), then it should run in Deferred Execution in System Context only.

* What is the difference between Immediate Execute / Deferred Execute in

the Custom Actions?

o Immediate custom actions, can be sequenced anywhere within any of the sequence

tables

Deferred custom actions can only be sequenced between the InstallInitialize and

InstallFinalize actions in execute sequence tables

o Immediate custom actions have access to the Installation database

Deferred custom actions doesnt have access to the Installation database

o Immediate custom actions can only run in the User Context

Deferred custom actions can run both in the context of the user and elevated using the

system context.

* What is the difference between Deferred in System Context / Deferred in

User Context in the Custom Actions?

If the Custom action which installs or modify a file under the INSTALLDIR or

Installation should be run in Deferred in User Context

If the Custom action which installs or modify the system file directly should be run in

Deferred Execution in System Context

* What are the types of Processing Options in the Custom Actions and what is

the use?o Synchronous

Windows Installer runs the custom action synchronously to the main installation. It

waits for the custom action to complete successfully before continuing the main

installation.

o Synchronous, ignore exit code

Windows Installer runs the custom action synchronously to the main installation. It

waits for the custom action to complete before continuing the main installation; theaction can be either success or fail.

o Asynch, wait at end of sequence

Windows Installer runs the custom action simultaneously with the main installation.

At the end it waits for the exit code from the custom action before continuing.


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o Asynch, no wait

Windows Installer runs the custom action simultaneously with the main installation. It

doesnt wait for completionof the custom action and doesntcheck the exit code also.

* What are the types of Scheduling Options in the Custom Actions and what is

the use?o Always Execute

This action execute in all sequences

o Run first time

This action execute only the first time Windows Installer encounters it.

o Run once per process

This action execute only one time either Execute sequence that should not run if the

installation is running in silent mode.

o Run only if UI sequence was run

This action execute only if either Execute sequence is run following User

Interface sequence.

* What is Launch Condition?Launch Condition is used to check system requirements on the destination computer

* What is App Search?App Search action is used to search for existing versions of products (Files, Registry,

INI, Directory & Component)

* What is Isolated Component, why we are using and its types?It means that to prevent overwriting of previous versions of shared components, and

ensures that other applications do not overwrite your version of shared components.

o Manifest file concept

o Local file concept

* What is the MSI Assembly tables & its use?MSI Assembly tables specify Windows Installer settings for Microsoft .NET

Framework assemblies and Win32 assemblies. It is used for the registration of .Net


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Assembly files.

When installing assemblies to the global assembly cache, the installer cannot use the

same directory structure. Assemblies can exist only once in the assembly cache.

Assemblies are added and removed from the assembly cache atomically

* What is the latest version of Windows Installer?The latest version of Windows Installer is 4.0

* What is the difference between Wise Package Studio & Install Shield Admin

Studio?Both tools are more or less same, but as per my knowledge for capturing part Install

Shield is good, it wont capture unnecessary files & registry keys and for editing the

MSI or .wsi or .ism, Wise is better because Wise GUI is good.I found lot of bug in Install Shield only

O GUI PART

O SHORTCUT ICON (OTHER THAN EXECUTABLE FILES)

O DIRECTORY TABLE (INSTALLDIR)

O CREATE UNNECESSARY ENTRIES WHILE EDITING THE MST

O PRODUCT LANGUAGE PROPERTY WONT CHANGE IN THE MSI AFTER THE COMPILATION, DEFAULT

1033

O CREATE UNWANTED COMPONENT & CREATE FOLDER ENTRY WHILE EDITING ANY COMPONENT

O COMPONENT NAMES

O IT WONT VALIDATE THE MSI IF THAT MSI IS INSTALLED IN THE LOCAL SYSTEM

* What is Conflict Management?When two or more applications install the same system files (DLLs, .VBXs, and .OCXs),

Windows registry, and other items. To detect, Conflict Management should be use and

for resolve the software conflicts, Application Isolation concept should be use

* What are the types of Deployment (Software Distribution)?o Group policy (Active Directory)

o Software Update Services (SUS)

o Windows Update Web site

o Systems Management service (SMS)


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* What is Software Distribution?One of the more critical aspects to managing a Windows environment is the ability to

deploy new applications, updates, upgrades & patches. Distributing new or updated

software is called as Software Distribution.

* What is Group Policy (GPO) & how to set it?Administrators use Group Policy to define options for managing, configuration of

servers, desktops, and groups of users. It is used to set policies across a given site,

domain, or range of organizational units.

Use gpedit.msc in the run command to set the policy.

* What is Elevated User & how to create it?If the user having the privileges of MSI features (Windows Installer) is called asElevated UserYOU CAN CREATE THROUGH GPEDIT.MSC IN THE RUN COMMAND OR REGISTRYKEYS

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\POLICIES\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS\INSTALLER

TYPE :DWORDKEY:ALWAYSINSTALLELEVATED VALUE :1

* What is Wrapper MSI?It means that the Application (MSI) is packaged by calling the Exe (Executable file)

inside the MSI (Internally calling the source or exe).

* What is Lock down environment?

Software restriction policies provide administrators with a Policy-driven mechanism

to identify software running on computers in a domain, and control its ability to

execute.

This policy can be used to block malicious scripts, help lockdown a computer, or

prevent unwanted applications from running.


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* How do deploy the Package?o Group policy (Active Directory)

o Software Update Services (SUS)

o Windows Update Web site

o Systems Management service (SMS)

* What is IntelliMirror?IntelliMirror management technologies is a set of powerful features for change and

configuration management. It ensures that users data, software, and personal settings

are available when they move from one computer to another, and persist when their

computers are connected to the network.

Microsoft divides IntelliMirror's features into the following four categories:o User Data Management :. IntelliMirror supports the mirroring of user data to the

network and local copies of selected network data.o Software Installation and Maintenance :IntelliMirror allows you to centrallymanage software installation, repairs, updates, and removal.

o User Settings Management : IntelliMirror allows you to centrally define computing

environment settings for both users and workstations.

o Remote Installation Services : IntelliMirror allows you to image workstations with

the Windows 2000 Professional operating system

* What is Active Directory?Deploying applications through the Active Directory is done through the use of group

policies, and therefore applications are deployed either on a per user basis or on a per

computer basis.

* What are the other tools which are used during the testing & solving the

Issues in the Application?o Picture Taker


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o Windows Install Master

o Install rite

o RegMon

o FileMon

o CsDiff

o Icon Extractor & Icon Builder

o RegExtractor

o WiLogUtl

o WiseComReg

o ResourceW2K

* What is Orca tool & what is the purpose and Advantages?This tool is a Microsoft product. It is used for edit the MSI Databases

(tables).(Alternative product: InstED!)

o No limitation for the table entries

o Easy to edit the Databases

o If you edit any tables and give save, only those tables will be modified, but in Wise or

Install Shield all the tables will change

* Why multiple MSIExec is running during the Installation?Windows Installer uses a client-server model for performing installations. Additionally

for security reasons, Windows Installer hosts DLL and script custom actions in a

"sandbox" process. Depending on how the install was initiated, one of the MSIExec

processes can be the client process (Current User). Another MSIExec process is

Windows Installer service (System).

* Which drive your Application will Install, C drive has less space and D drivehas more space? Why & how to solve?

It will install D drive only due to Windows Installer features.

We can solve by adding WindowsVolume entry in the directory table as parent of

TARGETDIR


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* What is a Patch?Patching is a streamlined process for updating earlier versions of a Windows Installer

setup package i.e. when you update only files that already exist in your installation

package. Only the package code is changed.

* What is Upgrade?Upgrade is a process of updating the earlier versions of a Windows Installer setup

package i.e. Adding, changing & deleting new Files & Registries. But here product code,

product version & package code should be changed.

* What are the types of Upgrades and what is the difference?

o Small Update

A small update is a product update that changes a few files or possibly adds some new

content. But there is a limitation for the changes that can be made to the feature-

component structure for the package. Only the package code is changed. It is also

called as a "Hotfix" or Quick Fix Engineering (QFE).

o Minor Upgrade

A minor update is a product update that makes enough changes. But there is a

limitation for the changes that can be made to the feature-component structure for

the package. The package code & product version is changed for the product. It is also

called as a Service Pack.

o Major UpgradeA major update is a product update with a large number of changes. There is no

limitation for the changes that can be made to the feature-component structure for

the package. The package code, product code & product version is changed for the

product. It is also called as a "Product Upgrade.

* How you validate the MSI?In Wise Package Studio,by using Package Validation option by selecting the MSIwith the default Cub file or Browse your own Cub file.

In Install Shield,by Build - Validate- Default Cub file or Browse your own Cub file.

* What is ICE?It means Internal Consistency Evaluation. ICEs are used to validate installation

packages.


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* Give some ICE Error number and tell how to solve the ICE Errors?There are totally 96 ICE Errors and 14 ICEM Errors in the Windows Installer. Some

examples are as follows

o ICE03- Basic data and foreign key validationo ICE18- Validates the KeyPath column of the Component table when it is NULL.o ICE21- Validates that all components in the Component table map to a feature in theFeatureComponents table.

o ICE33 - Checks for entries in the registry table that belong in other tables.o ICE38 - Validates that components installed under the user's profile use a registry key

under HKCU as their key path.o ICE64- Checks that new directories in the user profile are removed in roamingscenarios.o ICE57- Validates that individual components do not mix per-machine and per-userdata.o ICE59- Checks that advertised shortcuts belong to components that are installed bythe target feature of the shortcut.

oICE81

oICE50

* What are the File types of Application Packaging?o WSI - Microsoft Windows Installer Project file

o ISM - Install Shield Project file

o MSI - Microsoft Windows Installer

o MST - Microsoft Transform

o PCP - Windows Installer Patch Project file

o MSP - Microsoft Windows Installer Patch

o WSM - Microsoft Windows Installer Merge Module

Project file

o MSM - Microsoft Windows Installer Merge Module

o EXE - Executable file


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* How to install the .Exe file through silent mode?Normally all the .Exe file can be Installed silently by / s. But it depends up on the .EXE

file behavior.

* How to register the DLL manually?By using the command line option regsvr32. For example

1. regsvr32 Dll name For Register the Dll

2. regsvr32 /u For Unregistered the Dll

3. regsvr32 /s For Silent register

* What is COM Component?The Component which is having the COM information entries is called as COM

Component. If the component is COM Component, it should have entries in the Class,ProgID, Registry & Typelib tables in the MSI.

For example most of the merge module components are called as COM Component

(MSCOMCTL.ocx, COMCTL.ocx )

* How the COM Component is working (Mechanism)?COM Component is working by the mechanism of Windows Installer Tokens. It is

nothing but Advertising.

This token triggers the Windows Installer to check for the key files of the relevant

feature and parent features of an MSI. If these tokens are deleted the self healing

mechanism is not invoked. Windows installer tokens should never be part of theregistry table of an MSI. They are created at install time by the msiexec service due to

the way the MSI has been authored using advertising.

These tokens exist in 3 forms.

o Tokens within .lnk files that indicate to the OS that they are Windows Installer

advertised shortcuts.

o Tokens for advertised file extensions.

o Tokens for advertised COM Dll information.

They have the following structure.Your browser may not support display of this image.


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* What are the default Windows Installer properties?o [AdminToolsFolder]

C:\Document and Settings\Current User\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools\

o [AppDataFolder]

C:\Document and Settings\Current User\Application Data\

o [CommonAppDataFolder]

C:\Document and Settings\All Users\Application Data\

o [CommonFilesFolder]

C:\Program Files\Common Files\

o [DesktopFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Desktop\

o [FavoritesFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Favorites\\

o [FontsFolder]

C:\Windows\Fonts\

o [LocalAppDataFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Local Settings\Application Data\

o [MyPicturesFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\My Documents\My Pictures\

o [NetHoodFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\NetHood\

o [PersonalFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\My Documents\

o [PrintHoodFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\PrintHood\

o [ProfilesFolder]


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C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\

o [ProgramFilesFolder]

C:\Program Files\

o [ProgramMenuFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Start Menu\Programs\

o [RecentFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Recent\

o [SendToFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\SendTo\

o [StartMenuFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Start Menu\

o [StartupFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\

o [System16Folder]

C:\Windows\System\

o [SystemFolder]

C:\Windows\System32\

o [TempFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Local Settings\Temp\

o [TemplateFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Templates\

o [WindowsFolder]

C:\Windows\

o [WindowsVolume]

C:\

* What are the default Environment settings in XP?


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o ALLUSERSPROFILE

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users

o APPDATA

C:\Documents and Settings\current User\Application Data

o CommonProgramFiles

C:\Program Files\Common Files

o COMPUTERNAME

System Name

o ComSpec

C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe

o HOMEDRIVE

C:

o HOMEPATH

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User

o ProgramFiles

C:\Program Files

o SystemDrive

C:

o SystemRoot

C:\Windows

o TEMP

C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Temp

o USERNAME

Current User

o USERPROFILE

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User


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o Windir

C:\Windows

* What is Package Code?

The Package Code is a GUID identifying a particular Microsoft Windows Installer

package. It associates an .MSI file.

* What is Product Code?The Product Code is a GUID identifying a particular Application or product.

* What is the difference between Static & Dynamic scanning?o Static Scanner : This scanner looks at all the files included in the project and checks

for any dependencies. It then recommends all the possible dependencies and allows you

to add them to the project.o Dynamic Scanner :The Dynamic Scanner monitors the system for dynamicallyloaded files in memory while running the application file. Use the dynamic scanner to

launch your application and test the controls in the application. Some of these controls

load files in the memory that are picked by the dynamic scanner. This scanner then

recommends all these files in the form of a list from which you select or deselect files.

All the selected files are added to the project by this scanner. The dynamic scanner is

more robust than the static scanner and certainly picks more dependencies.

* What is the Event Viewer, how to open & what is it use?It is a Windows utilitytool in the OS. You can open by giving eventvwr in the run

command also.

It is used to view all exceptional events occur in the OS and also for the System

administrator to track the performance of the OS.

* What is VB Script?

VB Script is a Microsoft Scripting language that means it is a lightweight

programming language. It is a light version of Microsoft's programming language

Visual Basic. It is used to add interaction for the web page projects.


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* Tell some objects in the VB Script & when & why it is used in the Application?

o Class Object :- Provides access to the events of a created class

o Dictionary Object :-Object that stores data key, item pairs

o Err Object :-Contains information about run-time errors

o FileSystemObject Object :-Provides access to a computer's file system

o Match Object :-Provides access to the read-only properties of a regular

expression match

o Matches Collection :-Collection of regular expression Match objects

o RegExp Object :-Provides simple regular expression support

* How to install only one particular feature during the Installation through

Command line?msiexec /i ADDLOCAL=

* TransformsThe installation process can be manipulated by applying transforms (.mst) to the

installation database. A transform makes changes to elements of the database. For

example, Windows Installer can use a transform file to change the language in the user

interface of an application. The Windows Installer transform files modify the

installation package file at installation time, and can therefore dynamically affect the

installation behavior.

Customization transforms, much like patches, remain cached on the computer.

These transforms are applied to the base package file whenever Windows Installerneeds to perform a configuration

change to the installation package. Transforms are applied at initial installation; they

cannot be applied to an already installed application.

Custom Actions :InstallExecuteSequence

Merge Modules & Nested Executables :as a.msm file component, Avoids version

conflicts

self heal or self repair

Transforms

.mst file

Secure, unsecure, embeded

defualt -unsecure (can modify)

secure -read only


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Microsoft Windows InstallerMicrosoft included Windows Installer as a core service (msiexec.exe) within

Windows 2000 to install, repair, and remove software based on instructions contained

in .MSI files.

These .MSI files are basically database files that contain all the information an

application needs in order to install a packaged application. Then once you package

your application you can deploy it using Group Policy by one of two methods:

Assigningan application. You can assign a .MSI package to either a computer or auser. If you assign it to a computer, the packaged application installs the next time the

computer reboots. If you assign it to a user, the application typically installs when the

user tries to run it from the Start menu or tries to open a file that has a file extension

associated with the application.

Publishingan application. You can publish a .MSI package to users only. Thisprovides the user with an option within Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel that

lets them manually install the application if they want to.

This tool fully complies with Microsofts .MSI standards while also extending the

capabilities of .MSI packages without making changes to their native format. The

result is a powerful tool that can be used to deploy legacy, Web-based, and .NET

applications quickly and easily.

The Msiexec.exe program is a component of Windows Installer. This program uses a

dynamic link library, Msi.dll, to read the package files (.msi), apply transforms (.mst),

and incorporate command-line options. The installer performs all installation-related

tasks: copying files onto the hard disk, making registry modifications, creating

shortcuts on the desktop, and displaying dialog boxes to query user installation

preferences when necessary.

Each package (.msi) file contains a relational type database that stores all the

instructions and data required to install (and uninstall) the program across many

installation scenarios. For example, a package file could contain instructions for

installing an application when a prior version of the application is already installed.

The package file could also contain instructions for installing the software on a

computer where that application has never been present.


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The Installer is actually a relational database. This database consists of the Installer

package (data1.msi). This package contains information such as the installation

sequence, system dependencies, destination folder paths, setup properties, component

to feature relationship, and overall installation options. This database is never actually

changed or written to. Instead, it uses what is called a Transform file (.mst) to apply

customizations that you desire, to transform the database from its default state. TheInstaller doesn't stop there. It also is used for post-installation features such as Detect

and Repair, Add/Remove programs, Run From Network and Install on First Use

options. It is also used to give Elevated Rights (which is not turned ON by default) to an

application on Windows NT so the user doesn't have to be a member of the local NT

Administrator group. Overall, the Installer technology creates a higher level of

customization than has ever been attempted before. Windows Installer technologies

are divided into two parts that work in combination: a client-side installer service

(Msiexec.exe) and a package file (.msi file). Windows Installer uses the information

contained within a package file to install the application.

Installation package fileEach package (.msi) file contains a relational type database that stores all the

instructions and data required to install (and uninstall) the program across many

installation scenarios. For example, a package file could contain instructions for

installing an application when a prior version of the application is already installed.

The package file could also contain instructions for installing the software on a

computer where that application has never been present.

Because the database is relational, changes made to one table are propagatedautomatically throughout the database. This is a very efficient process for introducing

consistent changes into the installation process that simplifies customizing a large

application or group of applications. The Windows Installer database tables reflect the

general layout of the entire group of applications, including:

Available features Components Relationships between features and components Necessary registry settings

The Windows Installer database (.msi file) consists of multiple interrelated tablesthat together compose a relational database of the information necessary to install a

group of features. The following table describes the groups of related tables:

Group Description

Core table group Describes the fundamental features and components of the

application& installer package.


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File table group Contains the files associated with the installation package.

Registry table group Contains the registry entries.

System table group Tracks the tables and columns of the installation database.

Locator table group Used to search the registry, installer configuration data,

directory tree, or .ini files for the unique signature of a file.Program installation group Holds properties, bitmaps, shortcuts, and other elements

needed for the application installation.

Installation procedure group Manages the tasks performed during the installation

by standard actions and custom actions.

How do I install only the features I want?TheADDLOCAL, ADDSOURCE, andADVERTISEproperties can be used to install only acertain number of known features. The following command-line script would be used

to install the "Sports" and "News" features of the example.msi package locally on the

machine.

MSIEXEC /I EXAMPLE.MSI ADDLOCAL=SPORTS,NEWS /QB

THE FOLLOWING COMMAND-LINE SCRIPT WOULD ADVERTISE THE "SPORTS" FEATURE AND INSTALL

THE "NEWS" FEATURE TO RUN FROM SOURCE.

MSIEXEC /I EXAMPLE.MSI ADVERTISE=SPORTS ADDSOURCE=NEWS /QB

Another important thing to remember is that feature names are case-sensitive.

What is a managed application?

Ans: A managed application is an application where the systemadministrator exerts some level of control over the installation and


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maintenance of the product. Managed applications are often used todeploy software to large numbers of users or machines. Managedapplications are a way for system administrators to allow users toinstall authorized software in locked-down environments where users

generally do not have the rights to install software.

An application is considered managed if it is:

Installed or advertised to a user by a member of the Administrators group. Installed or advertised per-machine by a member of the Administrators groupAssigned or published on Windows 2000 and later by an Administrator. Marked as managed by another software and deployment management sy

the management system used, but generally requires an administrator's actio

An installation package cannot declare itself "managed." Whether ornot an application is managed is controlled by the systemadministrator.

Note that "managed" is different from "elevated." An elevatedapplication is an application that can run with system privileges wheninstalling. All managed applications are elevated, but applications can

be elevated without being managed by means of theAlwaysInstallElevated policy. Due to its security implications, thispolicy is disabled by default and requires careful consideration beforeuse.

What are the differences between a 'deferred' custom action and

an 'immediate' custom action?

Deferred custom actions can only be sequenced between theInstallInitialize and InstallFinalize actions in execute sequence tables.Immediate custom actions, on the other hand, can be sequencedanywhere within any of the sequence tables.


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Deferred custom actions cannot access the installation database. Infact, deferred custom actions have very limited access to theinstallation session because an installation script can be executedoutside of the installation session that created it. Immediate customactions have access to the installation database and can read and setinstallation properties, modify feature and component states, and addtemporary columns, rows, and tables among other things.

While both deferred and immediate custom actions can run in thecontext of the user initiating the installation, only deferred customactions can run elevated using the system context.

Deferred custom actions are not executed immediately. Instead theyare scheduled to run later during the execution script. The executionscript isn't processed until the InstallExecute, InstallExecuteAgain, orInstallFinalize action is run.

When should I use a deferred custom action instead of animmediate custom action?

Deferred custom actions should be used when the custom actionmust make a change to the system or call another system service.

Additionally, only deferred custom actions can run in an elevatedcontext. If your custom action requires elevated privileges in order torun, your custom action needs to be marked as deferred.

Note: Custom actions marked to run in the system context(msidbCustomActionTypeInScript +msidbCustomActionTypeNoImpersonate) will only run in the systemcontext if the installation itself is elevated.

Additionally, when making a change to the system by means of a


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custom action, you should also include a rollback custom action thatcan undo the change.

What are the differences between small, minor, and majorupdates?

A small update is a product update that changes a few files orpossibly adds some new content. A minor update is a product updatethat makes enough changes to warrant changing the product versionfor the product, whereas a major update is a product update with alarge number of changes that warrants a change in the product code.This table summarizes what changes in each update and the possibledistribution vehicles for each.

It's sometimes easier to think of a small update as a "hotfix" or QuickFix Engineering (QFE) update, a minor update as a service pack, anda major update as a product upgrade.

Small and minor updates can be considered almost equal in that theonly real difference is that a minor update has a change to theProductVersion whereas a small update does not. The rules that theyfollow and application of the patch are the same. Application of smalland minor update patches requires explicit reinstallations. Majorupdates are not subject to that limitation and a reinstallation is notrequired for patch application. Additionally small and minor updatepatches are limited in the changes that can be made to the feature-component structure for the package. Significant changes can bemade to the feature-component structure in the scope of a majorupdate.


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Custom actions

Custom actions are actions entirely defined by the user. They

can be executable files, dynamic linked libraries, Visual Basic

scripts or JavaScript files. They can be scheduled at any time

during the installation.

Basically, an installation process consists of two sequences:

Installation User Interface Sequence and Installation Execute

Sequence. In Advanced Installer, these sequences are located in

the Custom Actions page, under the Project Details tree.

In the User Interface Sequence only immediate custom actions

can be used. It contains a list ofStandard Actionsstarting with

Beginand ending with ExecuteAction. ExecuteActionis the one

that triggers the execute sequence. At the end of theinstallation process, the installer returns from the execute

sequence in the UI Sequence. It does that in order to execute

the actions that may be specified after ExecuteAction. The

installation process ends with the ExitDialog.

The Execute Sequence contains a list ofStandard Actionsthat

starts with Beginand ends with InstallFinalize. It also can contain

all types of custom actions: immediate, deferred, rollback and

commit actions. In Advanced Installer, the Execute Sequence

standard actions are organized in three categories:

Before Initialization
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Before File Installation

Before Finalization

In the "Before Initialization" category only immediate actions

can be used. The sequence that starts with the InstallInitialize

standard action and ends with InstallFinalizewill be gone

through twice. The first time the installer scans all the actions

contained by the Execute Sequence and it creates the

installation script used for the actual install. The second time,

based on the installation script, the installer executes all the

actions contained by the package only if their conditions were

true when the script was built. For example, it will start/stop

services, it will write/modify registries, create shortcuts and it

will install the files on the target machine.

When the installation script execution is done, the installer

returns to the User Interface Sequence in order to display the

exit dialog and/or execute any custom actions that may beplaced after the ExecuteActionstandard action.

As mentioned above, there are four types of actions:

immediate actions

deferred actions

rollback actions

commit actions

The immediate actions can be used anywhere in the Install UI

Sequence and in the Execute Sequence, but for the second one

there is a phase where immediate actions can no longer be

used. That is when the installation script is triggered. The


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immediate actions should not modify the target machine since

those changes cannot be rolled back.

The deferred actions, can run only during the installation script

execution. The deferred actions should be the only ones that

makes changes on the local machine. This is why each deferred

action must have a rollback action so that the changes it makes

can be undone if the setup fails or is canceled.

The rollback actions are used when the application is installed,

but something went wrong and the installation must be rolled

back. While the installation script is executed, the installer builds

a rollback script. After every standard action is executed, the

installer adds a rollback command to the rollback script.

The commit actions are the opposite of the rollback actions. Thecommit script is executed after the InstallFinalizestandard action

when everything ended successfully. Its purpose is to delete the

backup files created by the rollback script.

For each of the deferred, rollback and commit actions you have

an additional option: With no impersonation. This is related to

the current user's rights set by the User Account Control (only

for Windows Vista or above) when running the package. A

normal user can run a custom action that requires administrator

rights only if the With no impersonation option is set for it.


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Path Variables

Define commonly used paths in a central location so that you do notneed to change every source file's path each time you move theproject or change the directory structure. In the previous example, ifyou keep all of your application's source files in various subfoldersunder C:\Work\Files, you could create one variable that points to theFiles folder.

If you want to include a file that is in C:\Work\Files\Images, you enter\Images. If you move your files to D:\Work\Files, you cango to one place, your variable .

All path variables can be viewed and modified in the Path Variables

explorer in the Path Variables view. You can use path variables inalmost any location in InstallShield where you link to source files,such as in the Dialog Editor, dynamic file links, and the releaselocation. Instead of entering the path variables yourself, you can haveInstallShield recommend them whenever you browse to a path. Pathvariables are used during the development of your installation project.These paths do not apply to the target machines where theapplication is being installed. Rather, they are used to link to sourcefiles for your installation project. When the project is built, those linksare evaluated and the files they point to will be built into theinstallation.

There are four types of path variables that you can use. Each type


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functions somewhat differently from the others. Regardless of thepath variable type you use, the variable name is provided in the samemanner throughout InstallShield.

Types of Path Variables

VariableType

Description

Predefined

Path

Variables

Predefined path variables are path variables that pointto some of the most commonly used folders. Unlikeother types of path variables, these values cannot beedited in InstallShield.

SeeRegistry

Path

Variables

The values of registry-based path variables are

derived from the registry keys you created. Aftercreating the registry key, you need to set a pathvariable to this key.

Environment

Variables

Environment path variables are based on the valuesof your system's environment variables. You can setan environment path variable to an existingenvironment variable.

Standard

PathVariables

Standard, or user-defined, path variables are definedthrough InstallShield. You can specify a path variable

such as with a value of C:\Work\Files.These variables do not rely on any outside sources,such as the registry or system paths.

Standard Actions

A Windows Installer installation is run as a sequence of events,

called Standard Actions. In between


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them, you can schedule your ownCustom Actions.

The standard actions used by Advanced Installer can be shown

by using the "Show Standard Action" button on the toolbar of

the "Custom Actions" page and they are:

InstallUISequence

Standard Action Description

Begin starts the UI sequence (when the dialogs are shown)

PrepareDlg "PrepareDlg" dialog is shownAppSearch performs the searches in theSearchpage

FindRelatedProduct

s

older or newer versions of the package are searched

its Product Code is placed in the "OLDPRODUCTS" p

LaunchConditions evaluates the launch conditions

CCPSearchvalidates that qualifying products are installed on a

performed

RMCCPSearchvalidates that qualifying products are installed on a

performed

CostInitialize determines the disk space required by the install pro

FileCost determines the disk space required by each file in th

CostFinalize ends the disk space costing and resolves the folders

MigrateFeatureStat

es

during an upgrade it reads the feature states in the

these feature states in the new version.

WelcomeDlg "WelcomDlg" dialog is shown

ResumeDlg "ResumeDlg" dialog is shown

MaintenanceWelco "MaintenanceWelcomeDlg" dialog is shown
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meDlg

PatchWelcomeDlg "PatchWelcomeDlg" dialog is shown

ProgressDlg "ProgressDlg" dialog is shown

ExecuteAction starts the Execute sequence (when the actual installa

InstallExecuteSequence

Before Initialization


Begin starts the Execute sequence (when the actual installa

AppSearch performs the searches in theSearchpage

FindRelatedProduct

s

older or newer versions of the package are searched

its Product Code is placed in the "OLDPRODUCTS" p

LaunchConditions evaluates the launch conditions

CCPSearchvalidates that qualifying products are installed on a

performed

RMCCPSearch validates that qualifying products are installed on a performed

ValidateProductID sets the ProductID property to the full product ident

CostInitialize determines the disk space required by the install pro

FileCost determines the disk space required by each file in th

IsolateComponents

installs a copy of a component (commonly a shared

for use by a specific application (typically an .exe). Th

from other copies of the component that may be ins

on the computer

CostFinalize ends the disk space costing and resolves the folders

SetODBCFolders checks for existing ODBC drivers on the system and
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each new driver to the location of an existing driver

MigrateFeatureStat

es

during an upgrade it reads the feature states in the o

these feature states in the new version

InstallValidate

verifies that all volumes to which cost has been attri

for the installation. It also notifies the user if one or m

or removed are currently in use by an active process

RemoveExistingPro

ductsupgrades an older version of the package if one is fo

Before File Installation


InstallInitialize marks the beginning of the sequence of actions w

AllocateRegistrySpaceensures that an appropriate amount of free regist

registry.

ProcessComponentsregisters and unregisters components, their key p

clients

MsiUnpublishAssembl

ies

unpublishes the assemblies installed by the packa

uninstall

Uninstall removes components

UnpublishComponent

s

removes information about components publishe

during an uninstall

UnpublishFeaturesremoves selection-state and feature-component m

the system registry. Runs only during an uninstallStopServices stops services which use "Stop"control operation

DeleteServices removes services which use "Delete"control oper

UnregisterComPlus removes COM+ applications from the registry. Ru

SelfUnregModules unregisters all modules which usedself registratio
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during an uninstall

UnregisterTypeLibrari

esunregisters type libraries from the system. Runs o

RemoveODBCremoves the ODBC data sources, translators and d

uninstall

UnregisterFontsremoves registration information about installed f

only during an uninstall

RemoveRegistryValue

s

removes registry entries created in theRegistryp

uninstall

UnregisterClassInfomanages the removal of COM class information fr


UnregisterExtensionInf

o

manages the removal of extension-related inform

registry. Runs only during an uninstall

UnregisterProgIdInfomanages the unregistration of OLE ProgId inform


UnregisterMIMEInfo unregisters MIME-related registry information froduring an uninstall

RemoveINIValuesremoves INI files or entries created in theFiles an

during an uninstall

RemoveShortcutsremoves the shortcuts created in theFiles and Fo

an uninstall

RemoveEnvironmentS

trings

modifies or removes the environment variables cr

page. Runs only during an uninstall

RemoveDuplicateFilesremoves files created byFile Duplicationoperatio

uninstall

RemoveFiles removes the files created in theFiles and Folders
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uninstall

RemoveFoldersremoves the folders created in theFiles and Folde

uninstall

CreateFolders creates the folders specified in theFiles and Folde

MoveFiles moves or copies files which useFile Moveoperati

Before Finalization


InstallFiles installs the files specified in theFiles and Folderspag

PatchFiles

patches files included in the patch. Runs only during

DuplicateFiles duplicates the files which useFile Duplicationoperat

BindImagebinds each executable or DLL that must be bound to

is not used by packages created with Advanced Insta

CreateShortcuts creates the shortcuts specified in theFiles and Folde

RegisterClassInfo manages the registration of COM class information w

RegisterExtensionI

nfo manages the registration of extension related inform

RegisterProgIdInfo manages the registration of OLE ProgId information

RegisterMIMEInfo registers MIME-related registry information with the

WriteRegistryValue

screates the registry values specified in theRegistryp

WriteINIValues creates INI files or entries specified in theFiles and F

WriteEnvironmentS

tringscreates or modifies the environment variables create

RegisterFonts registers fontsmarked for registration

InstallODBC installs ODBC drivers, translators and data sources

RegisterTypeLibrari registers type libraries with the system
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es

SelfRegModules registers the modules which useself registration

RegisterComPlus registers COM+ applications

InstallServices installs services specified in theServicespage

StartServices starts services which use "Start"control operationsin

Rollback performs installation rollback in case of an error

Install installs or removes components

Commit removes rollback information

RegisterUser creates users and groups specified in theUsers and G

RegisterProductregisters the product information with the installer a

Programs. Also, it caches the MSI package

PublishComponent

smanages components which need to be published

MsiPublishAssembl

iespublishes the assemblies installed by the package

PublishFeatures writes each feature's state into the system registry

PublishProduct

manages the advertisement of the product informati

action publishes the product if the product is in adve

is being installed or reinstalled

InstallIIS manages the elements created in theIISpage

InstallFinalizeruns a script that contains all operations spooled sin

Also, it marks the end of the Execute sequence

* What are the types of Installation modes?

All Windows Installer package should be Installed by the following command

line:

Msiexec /Option [Optional Parameter]

o Install Options
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+ /I - Installs a product

+ /j - Advertise a product

u - Advertises to the current user

m - Advertises to all users of machine

g - Language identifier

t - Applies transform to advertised package+ /a - Administrative Installation

+ /x - UnInstalls a product

o Display Options (during Installation & UnInstallation)

+ /quiet - no user interaction

+ /passive - unattended mode

+ /q - sets user interface level

n - No UI

n+ - No UI except for a modal dialog at the end

r - Reduced UI with no modal dialog at the end

b - Basic UI

b! - Basic UI with hide cancel button

b+ - Basic UI with a modal dialog at the end

b+! Basic UI with a modal dialog at the end & hide cancel button

b- - Basic UI with no modal dialog at the end

b-! - Basic UI with no modal dialog at the end & hide cancel button

f - Full UI

+ /help - help information

o Restart Options

+ /norestart - Do not restart after the Installation

+ /promptrestart - Prompts the user for restart if necessary

+ /forcerestart - Always restart the computer after Installation

o Logging Options (Writes logging information into a logfile at the specified existing

path. Default is 'iwearmo')

+ /l - I - Status messages

w - Nonfatal warnings

e - All error messages

a - Start up of actions

r - Action-specific records

u - User requests

c - Initial UI parameters

m - Out-of-memory or fatal exit information

o - Out-of-disk-space messagesp - Terminal properties

v - Verbose output

x - Extra debugging information

+ - Append to existing log file

! - Flush each line to the log

* - Log all information, except for v and x options

+ / log Equivalent of /l*


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o Update Options

+ /update

+ /uninstall

+ /p - Applies a Patch

o Repair Options (Repairs a product)

+ /f p - only if file is missingo - If file is missing or an older version is installed (default)

e - If file is missing or an equal or older version is installed

d - If file is missing or a different version is installed

c - If file is missing or checksum does not match the calculated value

a - forces all files to be reinstalled

u - All required user-specific registry entries (default)

m - All required computer-specific registry entries (default)

s - All existing shortcuts (default)

v - Runs from source and reaches local package

o Others

+ /m Generates an SMS status .mif file

+ /? Or /h Displays the copy rights for

Windows Installer

+ /y Calls the system function DllRegisterServer to self-register modules passed in on

the command line.

+ /z Calls the system function DllUnRegisterServer to Unregister modules passed in on

the command line.

+ /c Advertises a new instance of the product

+ /n Specifies the particular instance of the product