Software Deployment

Hello Teitan,

If you are not considering to repackage the exe, then I would suggest not go for MSI at first place. Try to find out the silent switches for the exe instead of wrapping it in an MSI, as silent switch would suffice your cause.



Regards

Shiv

If you are calling setup.exe from msi, make sure that your setup.exe has a return value and you check this in your msi's calling script. Also, on msi rollback, setup file should remove the installed components. Otherwise, you may end up in half done installation.

I'am running the setup.exe over an MSI CA including the silent switches for install and uninstall of the setup.exe
The problem is, that we are forced to create msi packages thats why i do it this way.

Greetings
Teitan

Yes, you can do it that way, but you are missing on the benefits of an msi...

I personally will not recommend that...

- Extract the MSI.
- Install it
- Use a lightweight snapshot tool like InstallWatch to take a 'Before' snapshot
- Rename the product's entry in the registry's Uninstall tree (so that the next step is fooled into re-installing instead of modifying
- Run the EXE, ensuring that you choose EXACTLY the same options as in step 2
- Take an 'After' snapshot
- Incorporate any relevant changes in your transform

Is this the 19th or 20th time I've typed this out?

If you are to repackage and adhere to the Microsoft standards then capture the application as per VB's suggestion. And, again it all matters what the client standards you follow. Ultimately its your client who has to get that application.

As far as i've seen it there is no MSI file extracted. Otherwise I wouldn't call the setup.exe from a msi.

i think you may of misread this one Ian.

He never made mention of the setup exe containing another MSI he stated that the setup.exe would be called from the same folder as the parent MSI.

It would appear the OP is simply wrapping an EXE with an MSI due to corporate standards. Assuming I am reading this correct then the approach to using a CA from the parent MSI would be acceptable way of deploying the exe. Murali commented correctly about Commit / Rollback CA's.

I may [of] have mis-read it, you're right. Maybe it's time to retire.

ORIGINAL: VBScab

I may [of] have mis-read it, you're right. Maybe it's time to retire.



Nah, then who would answer all these various [s]stupid[/s] questions over and over again? ;)

That would be a good solution to call the setup.exe file using custom action. Or if setup.exe is not another application, then whatever files and registry that adds by the setup.exe will be add to the MSI package. Im not saying for the .msi itself but adding it in the "transforms" that you produce.

Hope it helps.

Sssssssssssssoooooooooooooooooooo....the post that started this thread was completely erroneous, then? if it would be good practice to call a setup.exe over an CA at which the setup file is stored in a folder beside the msi package.