Software Deployment

If you remove these files etc from the vendors MSI, then surely it won't be able to run ISScript scripts etc (unless the neccessary engine already exists on the computer)?

I think you're talking about two things here.

Are you actually stripping it from the vendor MSI, or did you repackage the vendor MSI and you want to strip them out?

If repackaging, strip. If not, do not strip, use a hard-coded property and a seperate MSI install of the installscript.msi

Thanks for the advice.

here's what I've learned from working with these isscript installations: crap! Seriously though, it can be extremely difficult, sometimes impossible, to strip out the Installshield entries without breaking the package. I've read tons of advice on how to do this: set ISSETUPDRIVEN="1" or "0" or "NO" or "Yes" or "No or "YES", install isscript.msi before running the application msi, etc. Most of this advice is worth squat, at least as a standard way to alter these installations or to make them "pure" msi (not Installshield installations). It's done in too many different ways, with too many versions of isscript, to be able to come up with a standard procedure for deleting all the ISScript instances.

If you run into one of these, why not ust use the setup.exe with silent switches? It usually works pretty well, and you can be pretty sure the installation is solid. Most deployment tools can handle EXE command lines as well as MSI files. And if you need vendor support, you can be sure they are not going to support your efforts to bypass their installshield installation.

exactly true to case....

but sometimes you just have to stick to the policy of the company.
They set it that way, you do it that way...unless you propose something to change it another way round....

ORIGINAL: nn1983

Hi everyone
I want to ask whether its a good practice or whether its correct to delete all the instances of ISScript, ISScriptbridge.dll and all the related custom actions from the vendor msi.

I was getting the error that Installer engine not found on the machine, please run Isscript.msi . Then i deleted all the instances of ISScript and ISScriptbridge.dll in the MST
and tried again, it worked.

Pls answer.


As brenthunter2005 stated; the custom actions will not be executed and the application may not work as intended. InstallShield based MSIs often call functions from DLLs resided in the ISScriptbridge.dll (Binary table).

Are you saying that your company don't want these CAs to be included in any of InstallShield based MSIs?
In that case you have two choices:
Repackage the application which is not recommended due failure to deploy future vendor updates/patches.
Change the strict company policy of such behaviour.

I suppose for the sake of completeness it's worth noting that the InstallShield Repackager can (sometimes) convert InstallScript/MSI packages to Basic MSI packages for you, thereby removing the dependency on the InstallScript engine.

Procedure is to run repackager as though you were going to repackage the InstallScript/MSI and point it at the supplied setup.exe. In theory, InstallShield Repackager should recognise that this is actually an MSI, (albeit "enhanced" with InstallScript and shipped as a .exe) and take you into a wizard which gives you the opportunity to convert the package to a Basic MSI.

In practice, I have had variable results with this ranging from Repackager totally failing to recognise an InstallScript/MSI, through to producing quite acceptable results (Blackberry handheld software comes to mind).

Might be worth a try if you have InstallShield Repackager available to you ...

Regards,

Spartacus

By all means!

The more you can strip out of your msi (without breaking it), the better.

Ilikebananas