3 replies to this topic

[HermioneJJ]

In my Installer I made two release: one is msi; the other is exe.
When I use msi to install, and I found in the registry there is a key: for example, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\5A**************************75\SourceList\Net which records the location of my msi.
if I delete it, and use "repair" in add/remove programs entry. it will pop up a browse dialog and ask user to find the missing msi.

When I use exe to install, the value of the key changes to a temp directory: e.g.C:\DOCUME~1\xqcai\LOCALS~1\Temp\_isFE\
However I can not find out the folder... even I 'show hidden files and folders', and un-check the 'Hide protected operating system files'.
And when I use "repair" in add/remove programs entry. it will also pop up a browse dialog and ask user to find the missing msi.

But I found some software products do very well in that, such as VMware Workstation(of which exe is also made by IS), even change the value of that registry key, it can also process repair successfully.So I thought maybe its repair do not need the original msi.How do they do that?

If anybody know about this problem please tell me.

Thanks
Hermione

[HermioneJJ]

I did many tests about it ...and I found if a merge module contains 'Dynamic Linking File', then the repair will need the original msi...if no merge module contains 'Dynamic Linking File', then even user delete the original msi, it can also repair successfully from ARP entry.
I don't know if it is the key. But I thought 'Dynamic File Linking' is a very good function. Without it I need to do much work to update my merge modules when the source files changed.

[HermioneJJ]

Sorry, I made a mistake... it is no business of 'Dynamic File Linking'...
And my description about VMware Workstation is not correct...it seems repair successfully because I didn't broken it.
Sorry for my careless!
But could anybody confirms that we can not repair without the original msi? or is there any suggestion about repair?

Thanks

[KathyMorey]

There is an option to cache the .msi file that may solve your problem for an .msi that's is compressed into an .exe.