10 replies to this topic

[kimpipes]

I have an installation that runs great except for one machine that is running Win2K .  The installation does not install correctly (files are not replaced ect.), and no entry is added to the add/remove programs list.  I checked under the uninstall key and no entry has been made there either.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks, Kim

[AndrewWalker]

It would sound like the install is being aborted for some reason.  What does the last ("Finish") dialog say?

[SteveP]

Kim,

What other platforms *do* work with your install?  When you say that files are not being replaced, do you mean *all* files, or are some being installed and others not?  Do you have Custom Actions in your MSI file that can potentially cause the process to fail without a standard WI error message?  Are you running a per-user or per-machine installation?  Are you logging in on the Win 2K machine as a local administrator?

All things being equal, except that the one machine is running Win 2k, I would suspect that you may be attempting to replace 'protected' files in the System32 folder.  This *can* cause a rollback of the installation, and would support the other symptoms you mentioned.  However, that is only one possibility.

If that seems to be your problem, try installing all your components into your application folder and register them there ... Win 2K will allow side-by-side installation and registration.  If that works, then you could potentially disable the file protection feature in Win 2K (if that seems adviseable) and run your install as originally written.

Please feel free to drop me an email if you would like to discuss this in additional detail.

[kimpipes]

Thanks for your response.

I found out from our tech support that the installation is not going through at all.  The first two windows installer progress bars come up and go through then that's it..nothing further takes place.   so no files get installed ect.  I'm going to have them try to log the installation but they can not do this unitl after hours.  If you know what might be causing this, I would be greatly appreciative.

Thanks, Kim

[AndrewWalker]

Unfortunately, there's many things that could be going wrong there.  The most immediate possibility is an infinite loop of some sort.  Here's a test:  When the progress bars come up and nothing happens, can they hit F3 and get the Cancel confirmation dialog?  If so, then the setup has somehow gone into a loop for which there is no end.  If the setup is completely frozen and can't be killed except by End Task, then the problem is more serious and may be a little more difficult to track down.

[kimpipes]

The setup never gets to the point of the progress dialog.  It only goes through the windows insaller flood bars and then quits, with no errors or dialogs.  It never reaches any of the dialogs.

Thanks,
Kim

[Stefan Krueger]

When you right click on the msi file and examine its properties: what's the Page Count value? 100, 110 or 120?

[kimpipes]

I can't click on the msi file, it's been compressed into a single executable setup.exe file.

[SteveP]

Kim,

To make any progress in the troubleshooting process, I think you will need to work with the MSI file before it is compressed and 'married' to the wrapper application.  Can you get to a copy of the MSI?

If so, I have often traced the execution of a package by inserting a Type 38 CA into the CustomAction Table with the following Target:  msgbox "<your message>".

Insert the CA into the InstallExecuteSequence and customize the target field so it makes sense to you.  Then save and run the MSI package.  The message should pop up if  you get that far in the sequence, and you have to click "OK" to continue.  In some of my diagnostics, I have placed a number of these little guys in the sequence, each with a custom message so that I can figure out which one displayed last.

If you use this method, remember that all CA's between InstallInitialize and InstallFinalize should have 1024 added to the type to make them execute at the correct time.  Otherwise, they will all execute when the script is being built.

If you can get to the MSI file and have additional questions, please feel free to send me an email to discuss additional details.

[Stefan Krueger]

Quote

I can't click on the msi file, it's been compressed into a single executable setup.exe file.

Either build some other media type (CD-ROM or uncompressed) so you can access the msi file, or launch the setup.exe and look for the extracted msi file in the temp directory. The latter may not be possible on the failing machine, but you could do it on a machine where the setup works.