Software Deployment

Can you tell me how you deployed it onto XP clients from a Windows 2003 server. My MSI doesn't do that. I've followed the following article.

http://www.appdeploy.com/packages/detail.asp?id=213

It talks about fixing the MSI. How do I do this?

Yeah that is the article I followed. To edit the tables you need to use a tool like Orca which come as part of the Windows Installer SDK which you can download from the microsoft site.

Using Orca you open the MSI and edit the tables as mentioned in the article.

Hope this helps if not let me know where you are getting stuck.

Well I encountered the same problem. I couldn't deploy the software package msnmsgr.msi through GPO in a Win2000 server/client situation even if I followed the instructions published on http://www.appdeploy.com/packages/detail.asp?id=213 .

There is a solution to this problem which is very simple but effective:

Remove "InstanceType"=dword:00000000 from the registry entry below:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\C838BEBA7A1AD5C47B1EB83441062011]
"ProductName"="MSN Messenger 6.1"
"PackageCode"="637043860D71ACA4BA61C92FDF062011"
"Language"=dword:00000013
"Version"=dword:060100d3
"Assignment"=dword:00000001
"AdvertiseFlags"=dword:00000184
"ProductIcon"="C:\\WINDOWS\\Installer\\{ABEB838C-A1A7-4C5D-B7E1-8B4314600211}\\MsblIco.Exe"
"InstanceType"=dword:00000000
"Clients"=hex(7):3a,00,00,00,00,00

And use the complete stripped entry as a basis for a MSI to install these registry settings, which purpose is solely to advertise the package Messenger 6.1.
You could look upon this MSI as being a helper MSI (which can be installed through GPO)to give the user elevated rights to install the msnmsgr.msi either manually or through a commandline action triggered by a script with the command msiexec /i msnmsgr.msi /q

Rien van Lieburg
Systems Engineer
Wageningen University
The Netherlands

I don't know if this applies to any of your situations, but keep in mind that you will also receive this message "not able to extract deployment information" if the application you are trying to deploy is already installed on the server from which you are working. Uninstalling the application, if possible, does not always correct the situation/clear the message.

A way around this: install the adminpak.msi for Windows 2000 Server (or for 2003, if that is your platform) on a computer that is a member of the domain, and use it to define your software package and Group Policy Object.

I worked on a server once that displayed this message when trying to deploy a WinZip package that had worked without fail in other environments. Uninstalling WinZip from the server had no impact. Installing the adminpak on a domain workstation and using it to set up the GP was the only way to get it done.

Craig --<>.