Software Deployment

Have you tried using a snapshot type application, i.e. Novell's ZENworks, InstallWatch, etc? After finalizing the snapshot, search file and registry entries to see where it put the serial number and import it into the package.

Thanks for the reply. I realise my question wasn't very clear, I think you are referring to get the application to recognise the serial after it has been installed, where as I am not at the stage yet.

I am currently creating a transform in devshield to add in things like USERNAME, COMPANYNAME etc, and of course the serial number. I then was running through the msi/mst manually to check the values were being inserted ok. However when putting the serial number in the usual ISX_SERIALNUM property it isn't recognised. I also tried using various other properties that looked like the could be for the serial number but without sucess.

Hopefully someone else has tried to package photoshop cs2 in this way and will already have encountered these problems and managed to resolve them?

Looking at the dialog in the MSI - SERIALNUMBER seems to be the correct property you should use.
Have you tried that already?
Also, have you had any issues when installing silently?
/qb! switch seems to be giving some hassle?

SERIALNUMBER was one of the properties I tried without sucess. I've not even tried running it silently yet since I couldn't get it to use the serial number.

I wish adobe offered an install tuner app like the do fo acrobat!!

Hi Dila,

Though I've never tried to do Photoshop CS2 (yet, I'm sure its around the corner), I have some general tips that might come in handy, hope they come in handy. For serial number based installs I usually try two things:

1. Run the install manually, fully logged (msiexec /i %PATHTOMSI% /L*v c:\photoshop.log) and run through the complete installation. Then search the log file for the serial number, or sections of the serial number (some installs split the serial number into two bits, Autocad springs to mind). This might be assigned to a property (or properties), so creating a transform with these set can do the trick.

2. Open up the dialog box in the dialog editor of either wise or installshield, find the window that asks for the input of the serial number, and find what property (or properties) it has assigned to it.

Hope this helps

Rgds

Paul

Hi dila,

I just loooove Adobe! Just wondering are you packaging the whole suite(AdobeCreativeSuite2) or did you just get Photoshop as a stand alone?

If its the whole suite you are doing how did you get the serial number? Are you using the serial number for the whole suite? I am doing the suite and when I try to just run the photoshop msi and enter the provided serial number it rejects it as incorrect. I cant get a log file from the setup as when I try to run through the command line using /l*v or /verbose it will install but will not produce a log file. It will not run silently(/s /v) to produce one either. what a headwreck!

I am trying to make MST for Photoshop CS2 with Install Shield tunner, but I am getting "Lanuch Readme" option at the end of installation. could not find how to disable this feature.

When trying to install Photoshop MSI with "/qb" switches for silent install, Adobe Bridge is not installed and even Photoshop gives errors.

Also how to turn off "Adobe updates" after installation.

I found lot of problems in adobe CS2 MSI products.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

What format are you using for your serial number? make sure you populate both the following properties.
SERIALNUMBER=000000000000000000000000
and ISX_SERIALNUMBER=000000000000000000000000 is the encrypted version of serial number

For anyone working with the entire creative suite, use the suite installer with the xml answer file, it'll save you heaps of headaches, see the kb article on this site for more info.

Hello Rakhtar
ORIGINAL: rakhtar

When trying to install Photoshop MSI with "/qb" switches for silent install, Adobe Bridge is not installed and even Photoshop gives errors.


I had similar situation with InDesign CS2. Silent installation works odd. I'm realy sure, that after Photoshop installation, you can find msiexec.exe process in Task Manager/prosesses tab. Bridge is installed totaly silent;-) without any visible signs, you must check Eventviewer that Bridge is installed.

ORIGINAL: rakhtar
Also how to turn off "Adobe updates" after installation.



I'v disbled updates with Wise - First Use Settings
Regards
JKMW

Your best bet when doing a silent install of Photoshop CS2 is simply to run the MSI with the /qb switch. This is, of course, after supplying your companies name and serial number in the "Abcpy.ini" located in the same directory as the MSI itself. It acts as an answer file for the MSI without you even having to instruct the MSI to look for it.

I'm also trying to figure out how to turn off Adobe Updates. Does anyone know where the setting is stored? Is it in a registry key? Unfortunately, I don't use Wise Package Studio.

*edit*
nm, I found out where its stored. Its in a prefs file.

I'm also having trouble, but I'm getting an Error 1911 message. It can register a particular file type. The file is a 8LI file. Any ideas?

For others, the Updater stores it's config in %appdata%\Adobe\Updater\AdobeUpdaterPrefs.dat

Here is the contents of mine, from Creative Suite 2. I found that if you make the file read-only, then Abode Updater can't store it's settings if the user manually runs the Updater.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
- <AdobeUpdater>
<LastDateCheck>2005-05-13</LastDateCheck>
<AutoCheck>0</AutoCheck>
<DownloadDir>D:\Updater</DownloadDir>
<ShowNewProducts>0</ShowNewProducts>
<AutoCheckType>0</AutoCheckType>
- <ApplicationsEnabled>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="bridge1">0</MapPrefEntry>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="creativesuite2-en_US">0</MapPrefEntry>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="golive8-en_US-LIC">0</MapPrefEntry>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="helpcenter1">0</MapPrefEntry>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="illustrator12-en_inatl-LIC">0</MapPrefEntry>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="indesign4-en_GB-NONDEBUG,LIC">0</MapPrefEntry>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="photoshop9-en_US-LIC">0</MapPrefEntry>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="stockphotos1">0</MapPrefEntry>
<MapPrefEntry MapPrefKey="versioncue2-en_US-CS">0</MapPrefEntry>
</ApplicationsEnabled>
</AdobeUpdater>

I would prefer to find a setting to disable it in the help menu, although it's that big a deal, the updater doesn't even work through our firewall/proxy.

Hi Guys

I have been banging my brains out over the last week trying to work on an unattended script method of deployment.

Thanks to crazynut and a lot of perservance I have managed to get it to work.

Initially I tried do an Administrative install of Photoshop CS2 v9.0 and then tried creating a msiexec /i photoshop.msi /q type script after copying and modifying the abcpy.ini file with the correct serial no. in the root location of the main msi file. By the way Abcpy.ini has to be copied from the CD to this location as it doesn't appear with the admin install.

Sadly the error message was that the photoshop.cer file couldn't be verified.

Then I decided to remove the admin installation files created in the first place. I then manually copied all the relevant files/folders from the cd from to the shared network location drive including the modified abcpy.ini created above and tried using the installer shortcut below.

The shortcut install file reads like this and works.
C:\WINNT\system32\msiexec.exe /I "S:\Student\PhotoshopCSv9b\Adobe Photoshop CS2.msi" /qn

This after trying to modify several entries in the Property table of the msi file with serial numbers and Yes and 1 values etc using Microsoft ORCA program and then trying to create a transform file with Wise Package Studio 5.6 Arghhh what a time waster !!!!!

It's seems like Adobe isn't quite following standard MSI guidelines. Perhaps with the next release they will get it right hopefully !!

Happy hunting

Foxpro