Silent installshield
So I'm trying to make an application install without any user input but I can't get it to work.
I've created the setup.iss using setup.exe /r and had no problem with it.
However when I deploy it with setup /s /v/qn it does not install silently, instead it shows a couple of dialog windows (but some are hidden so it uses the iss-file) where I have to click next, next, install. Everything is correctly filled in but it refuses to install silently.
I've checked the %Temp% directory when I launch the setup.exe and there is a directory with ISScript11, Application.msi, Application.mst and a bunch of ini-files. I can't install the msi directly because if I try to run it it shows no dialog windows so it seems like this msi is dependant on setup.exe.
Any ideas?
Answers (9)
I decided to repackage the application and it worked just fine. I would have preferred to use the original setup.exe but I suspect that the application developer missed some stuff when he made the installshield setup.
Try to figure out what details are entered through Setup.exe and try to embed them in MSI through properties or resources.
Are you sure you're using the correct commandline for the setup?
afaik the correct parameters for passing an iss file are
-f1 <path to iss file> -f2 <path to log file>
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According to http://kb.flexerasoftware.com/doc/Helpnet/installshield12helplib/IHelpSetup_EXECmdLine.htm#wp1021755 setup.exe /s works if the anwser file is named Setup.iss and is located in the same folder as setup.exe - hewwra 12 years ago
Open the iss file and see if you can pass/write something like
[dialog 5]=N or something like this..
Sometime you can't make a install/uninstall full silent..
I have seen the dialog box comes up and go by their own ..
I can't install the msi directly because if I try to run it it shows no dialog windows so it seems like this msi is dependant on setup.exe.
You can generate the log while installation of msi and see what exactly it is looking for , if it is looking some property then you can pass it to msi through command line or embed the property and make it run ..
I have uploaded the setup.exe here if anyone has some spare time:
https://rapidshare.com/files/561210521/Setup.exe
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Had a look but it says download is not available - oreillyr 12 years ago
Had a look, but it says download no available
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I don't think there is anything wrong with the link, I downloaded it from 3 different computers and it worked on all 3. Have you tried another web browser? - hewwra 12 years ago
Do you know if the dialogues are coming from the MSI or the setup? If they are coming from the MSI, I ran into a similar scenario recently - if the embedded msi ran with anything other than an installlevel 5 (full interface) a custom action prevented it from populating all of the default values in the MSI, making it prompt for data that running it manually, was passed through from values entered into the setup.exe.
I would follow Rock_Stars suggestions.-
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The msi did not contain any dialogs so they must come from setup.exe - hewwra 12 years ago
You may have to do something like
setup.exe -s -v"application.msi /qn"
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I don't think that's correct, generally the -v parameter only passes the EXTRA msiexec parameters. - pjgeutjens 12 years ago
What about setting/adding the property ISSETUPDRIVEN=1 to the MSI (MST)? I know it doesn't always work, but worth a shot.
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It is already added but sadly not the problem here. - hewwra 12 years ago
I decided to repackage the application and it worked just fine.
I would have preferred to use the original setup.exe but I suspect that the application developer missed some stuff when he made the installshield setup.
If I run setup.exe /r I can see that the setup.iss is created in the windows folder and when I click Next it adds some additional info in setup.iss. However on some of the dialogs nothing is added to setup.iss when I click on the Next button. I suspect that these dialogs are custom made and are not configured for silent install.
Addional information about installshield and silent install can be found here:
http://kb.flexerasoftware.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalID=Q101901