methodology question about registry entries
I'm working on repackaging an app called MediaWiper (v 4.11.04), and am using v1.1 of the AppDeploy repackager. The .msi I created installs the program and it appears to work as intended, but based on what I saw when creating the .msi, hundreds of reg keys changed. I excluded some that obviously weren't needed, but I suspect a lot more are unnecessary, and my fear is that the install isn't going to work as well on PCs that are in any way different from my test PC.
So my question is: how do I go about testing which of these changed reg keys to include/exclude? Can I open up the Repackager .xml project file and exclude additional reg keys, then remake the .msi? Or do I need a different approach? This is new territory for me, so I'm not quite sure how to proceed.
So my question is: how do I go about testing which of these changed reg keys to include/exclude? Can I open up the Repackager .xml project file and exclude additional reg keys, then remake the .msi? Or do I need a different approach? This is new territory for me, so I'm not quite sure how to proceed.
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Posted by:
AngelD
15 years ago
First off, when you capture the application with the AppDeploy Repackger or any re-packaging tool you need to do so on a clean machine to get less junk in the package. Turn off for example windows update, the indexing service and so on.
Finally you need to install and test the application on a clean machine.
A lot of clean so performing these steps on a virtual machine (ex. VMware) will speed up this task.
What is (unnecessary) junk or not you'll learn after a while. If there are some entries you don't know what to do with then just post away and we'll try to help you with those.
Finally you need to install and test the application on a clean machine.
A lot of clean so performing these steps on a virtual machine (ex. VMware) will speed up this task.
What is (unnecessary) junk or not you'll learn after a while. If there are some entries you don't know what to do with then just post away and we'll try to help you with those.
Posted by:
bkelly
15 years ago
Just what does and does not belong is something learned over time. Like AngelID suggests, you can ask questions about those you are unsure of in the Package Development forum and get some pretty good answers. You can indeed edit the XML file to remove entries if you wish. Then you can just choose to use a recipe file to create a package on a system that already has the software installed. I intend to improve the included exclusion list over time, but for now you will often need to do some clean-up.
Most applications focus necessary changes in HKCR, HKLM\Software\<Vendor>, %PROGRAMFILES%\<Vendor> or %PROGRAMFILES%\<App Name>. If you wish HKCU changes can often be safely ignored. When starting out, it may be best to simply exclude everything outside these locations and test the created MSI to confirm the results.
Most applications focus necessary changes in HKCR, HKLM\Software\<Vendor>, %PROGRAMFILES%\<Vendor> or %PROGRAMFILES%\<App Name>. If you wish HKCU changes can often be safely ignored. When starting out, it may be best to simply exclude everything outside these locations and test the created MSI to confirm the results.
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