5 replies to this topic

[offsider]

Hi,

I've run into a situation lately that I need some assistance with.  We have several apps and use InstallShield 6.12 to deploy them.

Periodically when we send updates to customers, they cannot repair or remove the previous version of the application.  If they remove it through Add / Remove programs, the status window pops up for a second and then closes.  There are no errors, but the application is still installed.  The same thing happens with a repair, it takes a second but nothing gets updated.

This issue isn't limited to any one application or OS platform at least as far as I can see.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

[Taco Bell]

How are you distributing these "updates"?

Are they raw, patched files or complete setups?  If they're setups, do they the projects have new GUIDs, components, and/or file groups?

[offsider]

Thanks for your response.

To answer your questions, the updates are complete setups.  

The InstallShield project itself rarely changes, and if so never by changing File Groups or Components.  Periodically, different files are placed into the file groups, but the groups themselves never change.  This is the same situation with Components.

I spoke with a friend about this and he suggested that InstallShield placed a file on the target computer that it uses to determine what files were installed.  If so, this file may be corrupt.  

Does anyone know about this file, and if so, what it's called?

[Taco Bell]

Yes, that's a part of the supporting data files under:
C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information\<ProjectGUID>\setup.ilg.

[offsider]

Thanks!  That did it!

I was able to find the uninstall folder on a machine that didn't have the problem, and copy those files to the machine that did.  At that point, I was able to unisntall the app and reinstall it.

Should I even ask how these files got corrupt in the first place?

Thanks Again.

[Taco Bell]

You can certainly ask, but for that I cannot give you an answer.

It may be a bug in v6.12 of IS.  Since picking up the installs a year and a half ago, I've always used v6.31 and never experienced this problem.  However, I don't make use of the Maintenance mode functionality, so that may be the real reason.

You may want to check what InstallShield reports as being fixed between these two versions though to see if that may shed any light on the subject.

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.