Software Deployment

When performing a silent install I have an error concerning the fonction Nero_AgRegisterComEx.
ID Thread error 2532 and ID Thread error 2576.
I have read somewhere here that the cause was a wrong version of Direct X. That it sould be 9.0c.
Although dxdiag tells me that I have version 9.0c. So I don't really understand where the trouble comes from.
It's true though that when I launch the dxsetup.exe shipped with nero (which doesn't seem to doo much) and then perform my silent install, it works.
What am I missing ?
Two things:
- run your install with ProcMon. This will highlight missing file or registry entries.
- quicker, use a small footprint snapshotter (e.g. In Control) to see exactly what Nero's flavour of DXSetup does to your target machine. It's obviously changing something which satisfies Nero that the correct DX is present.

Thanks for your quick answer. Here's some news :
I have run a snapshotter prior to the installation of directx and it eventually found 2 files that were missing from my C:\Windows\system32 folder.
Those files are d3dx9_28.dll and d3dx9_30.dll. Don't know what there up to... ?
Funny though because when running dxdiag the files don't appear in the directx file list and there is no change at all in the DxDiag info box.
Anyway, just copying thoses two files seemed to have solved the problem, my silent install of nero is not bugging me anymore.

Any idea for my shortcuts ?
If not I'll just create a custom action with a vbs to delete them at the end of the installation and build my own set.

I have come across another problem with the burn rights.
I'm trying to find a way to give rights to burn to my end users.
I have then did the same action. A capture before and after setting the rights for everyone in the BurnRights app.
This gives me a few registry entries to add or modify. But even playing with those modifications doesn't do it.
I found a post here saying to modify the allocatecdroms value to 1 in the HKLM\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\Winlogon. But that doesn't work either. I still get the naging message saying to contact the administrator bla bla bla...
If anyone has a hint here it would be appreciate.
Thanks

IIRC, you need a reboot after changing that value. Sorry. BTW, check out http://www.appdeploy.com/packages/detail.asp?id=217

I'm also sorry I can't help you with the shortcut thing. It has to be happening in a CA as you surmise but which one? Which authoring tool are you using? Does it allow to debug, like Wise Package Studio does? You could step through each action, checking the Start menu until the s/c appear...

I have rebooted my computer after changing the values, but it didn't work.
Question : If I just change the allocatecdroms value to 1 in the HKLM\Microsoft\WindowsNT\Current Version\Winlogon do I still need BurnRights installed ?
I have been throught those pages allready, and that helped me alot to get started. Thanks to them ;-)
I think I'll go with my idea of deleting the initial shortcuts with a vbs script.
and then create a CA executing the command line neroburnrights.exe /all.
(btw do you have any idea how I can easely do that ?)
Thanks

oops I forgot... I use Installer Design Studio 3.02
and I don't think it as a debug option.... or I never used it yet ;-)

I seem to recall that BurnRights adds another, similar reg entry...

Anyway, I don't know how to add a CA at all using the product you're using but it's best to put execution of files which get installed by an MSI into the 'Execute Immediate' sequence after the InstallFinalize Standard Action.

Hello,

Regarding the shortcuts part of your query.

If I remember correctly, with Nero v7.0, if you installed their MSI silently then *no* shortcuts would be created at all.

If (and its a big if) this is still the case with v7.9, then you could use this to your advantage because the CA(s) that is/are creating the shortcut(s) must either be located in the InstallUISequence or alternatively have a condition attached to it/them depending on UImode.

This hopefully might help you narrow down your search for the CA(s) you need to address.

Regards,

Spartacus

Just in case somebody was in the same situation, here's how I managed to get it done :

For The Shortcuts :
I was in fact testing the installation with /passive and not /quiet.
Maybe the /quiet swtich avoids the installation of the shortcuts, I havent tryed it.
But for sure the /passive switch installs them.
I then went with my first idea of creating a CA with a vbs deleting these shortcuts.
My problem afterwards was to create a new shortcut. I really had a hard time, when it hit me !
The InstallExecuteSequence was missing the CreateShortcut standard action. It worked much better after that.

For the burning rights I added a CA (type 82) with the commande line : neroburnrights.exe /all.
It worked like a charm.

Again thank you guys for your answers, is good not to feel alone lost in the labyrinths of an msi table !

Well now I can't managed do deploy it via GPO.
I get error event message ID 102 and 108 and that on 2 different computers.
My OS is french so the error message is "Cette action n'est valide que pour les produits actuellement installés"
I've read here and there that deploying Nero via GPO was an impossible mission ???
A someone come across a solution ?

My schoolboy French tells me that it's saying "That action is only valid for products which are already installed." It seems it's trying to upgrade or uninstall, not install.. Turn on MSI logging and check the log.

Hi,
I forgot to mention that a manual installation with a command line works perfectly...
and I havent found any errors in the log file, well nothing that I could interprate as an error.

The appmgmt.log obtained after an installation by GPO gives me an : L'erreur est : %1605
Wich is : ERROR_UNKNOWN_PRODUCT 1605. An returns me to the same error message "That action is only valid for products which are already installed"
Coded error ID 102 and 108. I can't managed to find anything on the net giving me a good hint....
I keep testing ... and searching....

In that same log, does the command line shown (i.e. the ones passed to it by your deployment tool) match the one you used to install the product? I'm thinking possibly something's missing/corrupt, making the deployment instigate an upgrade/uninstall...

Hi Alan,
you need to make sure, that there are no leftovers from earlier install attempt on the machine.
Experience this very message also when i was playing around with NERO 8 on the weekend.
Use 'MSIzap' to clean the machine. Or use a plain vanilla Windows to test.
That should do the trick
Regards, Nick

Hi,
When I install my msi + mst via gpo, I allways do it on a clean computer clearly to avoid any type of conflict.
As VBScab says, it looks like the app trys to upgrade or uninstall.(according to the ID Event info) I'm trying to understand the mechanism. Why will it do that while being installed via gpo and not when I install manually. There is a difference here somewhere.
Btw is there any way of having a complete log of installation (like the msi log info) when deploying via gpo. The few things I've found are not very usefull.
Also I've been searching for information concerning the FindRelatedProducts Action. I'm wandering if the problem could be around here.
But so far no luck.

Btw is there any way of having a complete log of installation (like the msi log info) when deploying via gpo. The few things I've found are not very usefull. - Set a value 'Logging' to "voicewarmup" in the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer
- Restart the w/s or VM
- Start your installation
- Logs appear in %SYSTEMROOT%\Temp as MSI[randon_hex_number].LOG

This is an all-or-nothing policy, meaning that every install will write a log so you'll need to clear TEMP down before and after or turn the policy off. Of course, you can set this policy with GPMC if you prefer. I can't recall the exact policy name, though. Knowing MS's penchant for ludicrous, convoluted double-negatives, it's probably "Don't not disable MSI logging"...

Hi Alan,
check your settings in the GP object also. If you use the language transform, remove it. Use only one single transform to apply your settings.
And set "Ignore language when deploying this package".
Regards, Nick

Well boys, I have SOLVED my ultimate problem !
I have managed to deploy my package via gpo.
I went back to the drawing board and thanks to the suggestion of nheim I have build a new mst from scratch.
I had previously build my mst by modifying the existing 1036.mst (thinking that would resolve my language problem, but in finall the french language installs by itself)
I was wrong from the beginning... big mistake. That's how we learn I guess.
Anyway thank you very much to you all for your help. I'm sure I'll be posting some more soon.. ;-)

Hi Alan,
glad to see it worked out. However, check this beast carefully!
In my tests, this thing was very sensitive to changes.
Make sure it gets uninstalled with the policy and that a repair does not ruin the hole thing!
Maybe the repair-button is better disabled.
Regards, Nick

Hi, Its me again.
Nick, I will seek to what you have mentionned above.
I'm having another problem. I need to reboot the computer so that the burnrights issued from my CA neroburnrights.exe /all works for all users.
Unfortunatly, even if I define a property Reboot = Force , this one seems to be override by something else.
Indeed when I look into the install log I found my Reboot property set to ReallySupress.
In my InstallExecuteSequence I have a ScheduleReboot = ISSCHEDULEREBOOT.
Playing with this doesn't take me anywhere.
I tried adding a custom action forcing the reboot just before InstallFinalize, so indeed the computer reboots finally but I'm missing half the application.
How can I found out what changes my Reboot property in the first place ? (This seems to be the problem)
Or does anyone has come across that kind of issue ?
Again thanks for your wise advices.

How can I found out what changes my Reboot property in the first place ? (This seems to be the problem)
Install with verbose logging, this should give you the information if any custom action is changing the property value.

You did use the REBOOT property (all upppercases) when you say Reboot property right?

Hi AngelID,
Thanks for your answer.
Yes the REBOOT property was set with uppercase letters. (sorry about that, I have to be more vigilant on my writing ;-))
When you talk about verbose logging you mean by adding a /L*v when launching the msi to get an install.log ?
If yes, I have done that but I can't find much. Nothing that I can interpret ...with my low level of experience of course.. ;-)
From what I found out revelant, there are those lines :
MSI (s) (64:CC) [11:40:27:225]: Skipping action: ScheduleReboot (condition is false)
MSI (s) (64!FC) [11:41:47:547]: PROPERTY CHANGE: Modifying REBOOT property. Its current value is 'FORCE'. Its new value: 'ReallySuppress'.
Property(S): RebootYesNo = Yes
Property(S): REBOOTPROMPT = S
Property(S): REBOOT = ReallySuppress
Is there a way to find out what changes that property ?

Hi Alan,
the problem lies here:
----
MSI (s) (64:CC) [11:40:27:225]: Skipping action: ScheduleReboot (condition is false)
----
If you look at the 'ScheduleReboot' action in the 'InstallshieldExecuteSequence' table, you see, that it is conditioned with the single property
'ISSCHEDULEREBOOT'. Therefore you need to set this property to something, for example "1".
Hope, this lets you make some progress on this issue.
Regards, Nick

Nick,
I have set the property ISSCHEDULEREBOOT =1.
I don't get the Skipping action sentence in the log anymore.But it still won't reboot.
And my property REBOOOT initially set to Force is always changed to ReallySuppress

A funny thing though is that at the end of my log I get this message
MSI (s) (E4:08) [15:14:48:825]: Windows Installer a initié un redémarrage système afin de terminer ou de continuer la configuration de 'Nero 7 Essentials'. (Saying windows installer as initiate a restart, but it doesn't reboot)

When I manage to restart the computer with something before InstallFinalize, Nero does not install right.
Nero Burning Rom won't launch and i will not even be able to uninstall it properly.
Of course after InstallFinalize... nothing happens

Here's the end of my InstallExecuteSequence:
ScheduleReboot ISSCHEDULEREBOOT 6401
InstallFinalize 6600
NeroAg_RegisterComEx 6601
NeroAg_ExecPostInstallTasks 6602
InCD_DeleteInCdServices 6603
InCD_CreateInCdServices 6604
NeroAg_RunFileAssociationsDialog 6605
NeroAg_Finalize 6606
RemoveUnwantedShortcuts 6608 (added by me)
BurnRightsForAll 6609 (added by me)

I'm lost.......

As I couldn't manage to force the reboot with my Nero package, I have gone around and
created another msi that just does the job of restarting the computer. Not very clean but it does the work !
The only thing now is, I have forced reboot on install but is there a way to avoid the reboot on uninstall ?

Hi Alan,
you need to put a condition 'NOT REMOVE' on the sequence, which does the reboot.
Regards, Nick

Thanks for you're quick answer Nick, but could you be a little more precise. I'm sorry I'm quite new to msi mod.
To force my reboot, I have just added REBOOT = Force & REBOOTPROMPT = Suppress
in the property table, and my main feature just adds a fake texte file in the windows directory.
Also I'm working with a tool that just do a little bit more than Orca... so I'm mostly working in the tables... wich does not help much....

Hi Alan,
go to the 'InstallExecuteSequence' table and order it after the sequence.
Scroll down to the end. There you should have an action called 'ScheduleReboot'.
This is the one, you need to put in the extra condition to.
Regards, Nick

It worked fine !
Thank you very much Nick