SmartDraw 2008 install
I'm new to my current position. I'm looking to try and create an install package for SmartDraw 2008. Our users have an older version installed (which is a download version with separate installs for each of the collections) and I don't have access to the install package that was used for that install. So I want to uninstall the old version and uninstall all the collections, and then install the new version (which is a CD install that has all the collections already integrated). I went to the SmartDraw website (http://www.smartdraw.com/), but can't find anything on any switches or anything that can be used to uninstall the previous version and do a silent install of the new version. Also, SmartDraw has this annoying thing that after an install, it needs to go out to the SmartDraw website to authorize the install, something that I'd like to be transparent to the user (because it goes to the webpage and then asks the end user to do a survey). Again, can't find anything on the SmartDraw website and calling them didn't help much since the help desk guy didn't know either. Anyone that can help it would be appreciated.
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Posted by:
anonymous_9363
16 years ago
The uninstall part should be pretty straightforward. If there are entries for the applications in Add/Remove Programs, there ought to be an entry in the registry value 'UninstallString' in the key HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\[ProductCode]. I'm afraid finding 'ProductCode' will be a matter of trawling through all those present until you find the one for the product.
The after-install registration stuff is trickier. Sometimes vendors create file or registry entries hashed with the installing computername or similar. In that instance, you'll need to find out from the vendor how that's done in order to emulate it in a Custom Action when the install completes. If you get stalled at the Helpdesk, just escalate it, to the developers if need be. Sometimes, however, it can involve a very much simpler file or registry entry which you can capture with a lighweight snapshot tool e.g. Ziff-Davis's In Control. You would then simoply add the file data or registry entry to your package.
Good luck.
The after-install registration stuff is trickier. Sometimes vendors create file or registry entries hashed with the installing computername or similar. In that instance, you'll need to find out from the vendor how that's done in order to emulate it in a Custom Action when the install completes. If you get stalled at the Helpdesk, just escalate it, to the developers if need be. Sometimes, however, it can involve a very much simpler file or registry entry which you can capture with a lighweight snapshot tool e.g. Ziff-Davis's In Control. You would then simoply add the file data or registry entry to your package.
Good luck.
Posted by:
Firewalker96
16 years ago
Thanks for the reply. I've contacted the support group and will hopefully hear something soon.
Posted by:
ALS_App_Deploy
16 years ago
Hi, I too am running into the same Smart Draw Product Validation issue when executing the install package. Did you find any way to resolve this?
Posted by:
Firewalker96
16 years ago
After talking to SmartDraw support this is what they said. For SmartDraw 2008, there is a new CD that includes and MSI package that can be modified using Orca. There is a Network Install guide that explains how to do it. The MSI is only on the newer disks for SmartDraw 2008 and if you have one of the disks from last year, it won't have the MSI on the disk and you can't do it from the software download either. The link to the install guide is:
http://www.smartdraw.com/support/network-installation-guide.htm
http://www.smartdraw.com/support/network-installation-guide.htm
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