Software Deployment

I thought I was pretty clear, but hey...

You shouldn't re-package ANY software supplied in MSI form. As I mentioned, you need to be aware that many, many set-up EXEs simply extract and MSI and either un MSIExec against that MSI or use the Windows Installer object model. Either way, you should create transforms for these, not re-package them.

Note that recent MS apps do not use transforms. For those, you'll need to create patches but that's a whole other journey.

Have a look in the WiseSourcePath table. That shows you where WPS is trying to retrieve its files from. My suspicion is that you captured an installation, cleaned the box and are now trying to edit the WSI. Having cleaned the box, the files etc you captured are no longer present.

In SUC, I generally select 'Copy Source Files and Installation...', specify the project folder as the 'Destination' and select 'Store source files as relative paths'. This means you then get entries like '.\(package_name)\Program Files\(application name)\blah.exe' instead of 'C:\Program Files\(application name)\blah.exe'

To get yourself out of your hole temporarily, simply re-run the vendor install, using the same options you did previously. Once you have the files copied locally, copy them to the project folder, then edit the table entries appropriately.

Thanks but I did not do any setup capture of the EXE. What I am seeking is the native Shockwave MSI file.....Adobe does not seem to have one on their web site.....only the EXE.

So yes.....I could run this EXE through the setup capture but I "hate" doing that and only do it as a last resort. I always try to run native installers.

Thank you.

Sometimes adobe will give you the MSI for corporate distribution if you just fill out a form and give your contact info. I forget whether shockwave is one of those but I know I've done that for Adobe before.
Search around.

VBScab: Thanks for your answer! But I dont understand why Wise take away this files that obvious is needed.
This time I was repackaging Internet Explorer 7.
Anyway i should copy the missing files from the local computer to the Project map at the sharepoint server. Then include them into my .wsi file?

Can someone give me a proposal of some documentation I can go back and read in when I get in trouble? I went to a course in MSI packaging but it was almost a year ago and we only did some small programs that included like 10 files ore something like that.
And its about now I will start working with this. I will soon package CAD and SAP for example and it stressed me up a little that I always run in trouble, so I need too learn this like now [8|]

Thank god for this forum anyway!



mhsl808: Thanks for stealing my post! [&:]

If you compile or save a transform or MSI file without the corresponding support files, then you get a Wise SourcePath error. For example if you keep the media settings as cabs outside and compile the transform or MSI in a directory not containing the cab fils then i am sure you get this error. In case you have to compile it then make sure you move the cbas /supporting files along with the MSI and/or transform file.
It generally happens that newbies tend to create a lot of copies of the MSI and/or MST. As they work, they move MSI and transform (for convinience) to another directory to only get this error.

I suggest you read the WPS help file for Wise SourcePath and you shall get an answer for the same.

Also it is recommended always as a good practice to work on the .WSI and then compile it to create the MSI (NA if your are working on a vendor supplied MSI). I say this as are you suposed to work on SAP in the near future as you mentioned.

Cheers

This time I was repackaging Internet Explorer 7.NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! Do NOT re-package vendor MSIs unless you are *absolutely* forced to by some unavoidable circumstance. Use a transform instead.

But I dont understand why Wise take away this files that obvious is needed This will be irrelevant, given the above but FYI, WPS didn't take anything away. If the SourcePaths are pointing at 'C:\Program Files\[application name]' and you have rebuilt the target w/s then obviously that path no longer exists. That's why I suggested simply re-installing the app on your workstation. You could then copy the files to the Project folder and edit the SourcePaths accordingly, to point at the Project folder, using the syntax I showed you.

As for documentation, there's a ton online. You could try here on InstallSite, even :) http://www.installsite.org/pages/en/w2k_aboutmsi.htm

Ok.

I do this steps. I begine to intall Internet Explorer 7. Select to not download the latest updates for IE7 under installation.
When the installation is complete I press on the "restart now" button.

When I have restart my computer the errors starts.

Wise do not start automatically after reboot. When I start Wise manually and choose Install Editor I get a screen promted that says.
"Wise has detected invalid component key paths. Valid component keypaths are required to edit this file properly. Do you want to correct these components before continuing?"
If I press yes Wise crash and I have to Uninstall IE7 on the local computer. When I have done that i can edit my .wsi file in the installer editor.

If I take a look in the complie logfile it tells me:
"Could not write row in table: Directory
Could not write row in table: File
Could not write row in table: MIME"

Finaly in the Installer Editor if I press compile I been prompted a screen say:
"Remove missing files. The following files have source path that are missing or invalid. Select the files to remove from this installation."
Its a list with 9 files. If i select to remove all this files and do a compile I get one source path error and it say:

"File with key Wise located at w:\share point\projects\internet explorer 7\repack\nul\ could not be compressed. This may be a temporary file location. Make sure file Wise has a source path."


Sorry if I am a pain in the ass right now [8D]

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! Do NOT re-package vendor MSIs unless you are *absolutely* forced to by some unavoidable circumstance. Use a transform instead. Having made that point AGAIN, I recall that IE is somewhat of a special case. There is an admin kit for IE and a ton of information on the Microsoft site. Check out the 'Realted Links' section here http://itninja.com/link/internet-explorer-administration-kit-–-ieak9,-ieak-8,-ieak-7-|-technet

It's still true, though, that you should not re-package applications which the vendor supplies in MSI form. Watch out for set-up EXEs which expand and then run MSIs - the same goes for these, too.

ORIGINAL: VBScab

This time I was repackaging Internet Explorer 7.NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! Do NOT re-package vendor MSIs unless you are *absolutely* forced to by some unavoidable circumstance. Use a transform instead.

But I dont understand why Wise take away this files that obvious is needed This will be irrelevant, given the above but FYI, WPS didn't take anything away. If the SourcePaths are pointing at 'C:\Program Files\[application name]' and you have rebuilt the target w/s then obviously that path no longer exists. That's why I suggested simply re-installing the app on your workstation. You could then copy the files to the Project folder and edit the SourcePaths accordingly, to point at the Project folder, using the syntax I showed you.

As for documentation, there's a ton online. You could try here on InstallSite, even :) http://www.installsite.org/pages/en/w2k_aboutmsi.htm


Ahaaa okey..Sorry. But it is a .exe file??
Why should we not repack an msi?
Or do I have all answers within all my errors? [:)]

I feel that I have to do alot exercise and read alot. Can someone give me some tip on some good applications to practice on?

Thansk anyway!

Ahaaa okey..Sorry. But it is a .exe file??For IE, use the Admin kit to produce a customised install.
Why should we not repack an msi? You will encounter problems with updates, patches and so on, especially with MS products which will be updated by WSUS (or similar), quite apart from the hassle of editing out the junk you don't want in the resulting MSI.

See here http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb204770(VS.85).aspx and here http://blogs.msdn.com/windows_installer_team/archive/2006/05/01/587990.aspx for more details.

ORIGINAL: VBScab

Why should we not repack an msi? You will encounter problems with updates, patches and so on, especially with MS products which will be updated by WSUS (or similar), quite apart from the hassle of editing out the junk you don't want in the resulting MSI.

See here http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb204770(VS.85).aspx and here http://blogs.msdn.com/windows_installer_team/archive/2006/05/01/587990.aspx for more details.


So I should not repack any applications from Microsoft? Like Office etc...?

Thanks for all help! I will find some other applications to practise on [:D]