Software Deployment

Recently I was working on a way to install Frontpage to an already installed version of Office using the Office PROPLUS.MSI
Once an application is installed you cannot modify the state of it with an MST unless you uninstall and re-install it.

There is another way and that is to use the Office Maintenance wizard (Maintwiz.exe), to create a CMW file. The interface for this is very similar to the Office Custom Installation Wizard, which creates MST's for Office.

I managed to create a Wise script which calls the Maintwiz with a CMW file and then run it quietly. I had to also create an uninstall, I did this by creating another CMW file which took Frontpage off.

My Problem is this. When I run the originally compiled .exe it works, Maintwiz calls the windows installer service (W.I.S.) and then applies the CMW file and applies the changes. However if I wrap it in an MSI and call Maintwiz with a Custom action it won't allow a second instance of the W.I.S.

I have it working fine but it's bugging me as to how to get this to work within an MSI, We already have one that was scripted by another person where it installs Access onto the machine using Maintwiz. There is an exe which runs in a Custom action. This exe unpacks Maintwiz and the CMW file to Windows\Temp.

So, Any ideas?