Software Deployment

Try to find the exact reason for the problem, copy the cached MSI to a Wise box , check don't update or recompress files when saving option. Correct the MSI , compile and place the MSI into C:\windows\installer folder and try un-installing through add/remove programs......

MSIRam

I am not necessarily a package developer. I am charged with repackaging for deployment, so I have a more high-level view than your typical nitty-gritty package developer techno-squid. (I am a mere techno-shrimp, as it were...) Anyway... Do all msi installers require access to the original source and/or transform to be uninstalled from the system? How can I ensure that my package will be removable manually, via add/remove software, even if the networked installation source is not available?

The specific package I am working with at present is Adobe Reader v7.0.5. I am using the new Adobe 7.0.5 msi and Installshield Tuner for Adobe Acrobat 7.x. I didn't realize this behavior until after we had deployed the package.

If anyone has some tips for a relative noob, I'd sure appreciate it. Basically, I want all of our packages to be installable from anywhere and removable from the local machine without needing to reference the source files in an alt location.

Thanks!
Adam

You do not need to access the original source to uninstall an MSI as it always uses the locally cached version to uninstall. Just make sure that if you are using a command line to uninstall that you specify the product code rather than the package name i.e.

msiexec /x {product-code} /qb

This is the command line that is used by the control panel to uninstall MSI installed apps.

Alan

This does not work for me on some packages. Adobe Acrobat Reader v7.0.5 is one of them. When I enter the remove command:

MsiExec.exe /X{AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-A70500000002} /qb

It will always prompt me for the msi during uninstall. In the source drop-down box is listed our old server location. I have tried to manually override this behavior by using the following properties:

MsiExec.exe /X{AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-A70500000002} SOURCELIST=\\NEW-UNC-PATH-TO-THE-MSI /qb

MsiExec.exe /X{AC76BA86-7AD7-1033-7B44-A70500000002} SourceDir=\\NEW-UNC-PATH-TO-THE-MSI /qb

...but none of these seems to change the behavior. Removal will ALWAYS prompt me for the location of the MSI, quoting the old location in the source drop-down.

Another package that prompts for the original MSI during removal is Flash Player v8.0.22. Though I have not yet investigated this one fully.

Any ideas? (Includign whether i should be posting this message in another topic/group/thread?) =)

Thanks!
Adam

The source will only be required if any custom action access SourceDir or if the ResolveSource action is executed during uninstall.

Ah- Okay, so I see now why the package is prompting for the source msi. I may have custom actions which explicitly reference SourceDir. Is my deduction correct?

If so, is there any way to override this SourceDir setting or otherwise silently specify the new source from the command line when performing a remove? As I mentioned earlier, I tried setting each of SourceDir and SOURCELIST properties with the remove command but had no success. Is this not the correct approach? Is there a way to accomplish this? I am able to manually type in the new path when the prompt comes up and successfully complete the remove but, so far, cannot find a way to have the new source passed to the remove operation silently.

Thanks very much for all the support offered by you folks! =)
Adam