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When you visit this page, I think you are interested in knowing about MSI

Installer. Something which i have learn't from my experience i am sharing with

you so that you can build your career in this. If you have any doubts you can

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I ask you all to take some time and send me a mail or comment to improve thecontent of this page.

www.appdeploy.com

This site has all the information regarding the Packaging and Deployment details.You can refer this site for any specific application related problems while

packaging. This site also has lots of tools available which can be used to simplifythe work.

www.msiblogger.com

http://msiworld.blogspot.com

These are the different blogs which you can go through for the packaging

information.



FAQ's of Re-Packaging

* What is Application Packaging?

Creation of an Installation Program for a piece of Software

* What is Application Repackaging? Repackaging (Customized Installation) is the process of capturing the changes

made by an Installation Program (Package) and it is designed to support companystandards and distribution methods.

* What are the steps of Repackaging?

o Review the packaging requirements with the projects sponsor

o Analyze the vendor package (Tech Review)

o Repackage the application (Scripting)

o Customize the package

o Test the package

o Release the package to end users

* Why it is required & what are the problems in Legacy Installation? o Customized Installation

o Reduce Support Costs

o Self Repair o Source Resiliency

o Unattended Installo High Support Costs

o Fragile Installs & Uninstallso Difficult &labor Intensive to deploy

* What Applications Should Not Be Repackaged & Why?

o Existing MSI packages should be deployed as they are.

o If you repackage an application and find that it references the MSI.DLL file, it

is better not to repackage the application.

o Microsoft Office 2000 and XP are good examples.

o Applications containing system files managed by the Windows File Protection

features of Windows 2000 and later are also to be avoided, such as InternetExplorer, Windows Service Packs and certian hotfixes.

All these applications are hard coded to use the Windows Installer service, and

may make calls back to certain locations within the original MSI package.

* What are the types of Packaging tools?o Wise for Windows Installer

o Install Shield

o SMS Installer

o Marimba

* What are the types of Deployment tools?o Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)



o Altiris Client Management Suite

o Altiris Notification Server Consoleo Radia

* What is Windows Installer?

It is a built-in Operating System service for Installing and Managing

Applications. It provides a standard method for developing, customizing,installing and updating applications.

* Benefits of the Windows Installer?o Advertising

o Installation on Demand

o Repair (Self-healing)

o Rollback (Transactional operations)

o Managed Shared Resources

o Installation in locked-down environments

* What are the types of Setup Captures in Wise / Install shield?

I n wise there are three typeso Virtual Capture : Creates a clean virtual OS on your computer, and the

installation is redirected in the clean virtual OS.

oSmartMonitor : Watches the installation and records the changes the installation performs.

o Snapshot : Scan the computer before and after the installation and record thedifferences between the first scan and the second.

I n I nstall Shield there are two types

o Installation Monitor :Repackager watches lower-level system activities andrecords related changes made to the system by the setup(s) programs

o Snapshot : Scan the computer before and after the installation and record thedifferences between the first scan and the second.

* MSI Installation Mechanism (Background Mechanism)?

o Acquisition The Installer first installs the feature and then progresses through the actions

specified in the sequence tables of the installation database. These actions query

the installation database and generate a script that gives a step-by-step procedure

for performing the installation.

o Execution

The installer passes the information to a process with elevated privileges and runs

the script.o Rollback

If an installation is unsuccessful, the installer restores the original state of thecomputer. When the installer processes the installation script, it simultaneously

generates a rollback script. In addition to the rollback script, the installer saves acopy of every file it deletes during the installation. These files are kept in a

hidden, system directory. Once the installation is complete, the rollback script andthe saved files are deleted.



* What is a MSI? MSI is ³Microsoft Windows Installer´. It is an installation, in the form of a singlefile. It is actually a database that contains several tables (80+). Each of these

tables contains instructions and set-up information. In wise there are 120 (87+33)tables.

* Structure of MSI?o Products (Collection of Features)o Features (Collection of Components)

o Components (Collection of files and Registries)

* What is Product?Product is an Application.

* What is Feature?Features are buckets for Components. Windows Installer configuration

commands operate only on Features (installing, advertising, Uninstalling). Self-

healing, install-on-demand and user profile fix-up operate at the Feature level.

* What is Component?Components are collections of resources that are always installed or removed as

a unit from a user's system. A resource can be a file, registry key, shortcut, or anything else that may be installed. Every component is assigned a unique

component code GUID.

* What is Registry, Tell the Structure & types of Registry?The Registry is a single place for storing information about the Windows OS

(Hardware & Software).

Structure

+ Root Keys / Subtrees+ Subkeys

+ Hives

+ Entries

Types

+ Machine-Specific (HKCR, HKLM, HKCC, HKU)

+ User-Specific (HKCU, HKU)

Root Keys

+ HKEY_CLASS_ROOT (HKCR)+ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM)

+ HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC)+ HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU)

+ HKEY_USERS (HKU)

* What are Shortcuts & Types?Shortcuts are the entry points to the applications installed on the system which

is normally points to a file.



o Advertised (File should be Installed by the Application)o Non Advertised (File that is not part of Installation. It is also called Command

Line shortcuts)

* What are INI File & its format?

INI files are plain-text files that contain configuration information. "INI" standsfor initialization.

[Section]

Keyname=value

* What are Services & its types?A windows service is a background process which is loaded by the Service

Control Manager of the OS.

o Win32 Service (Win32 services are the services which is running by the

executable file installed by the Application).

o System or Kernel Services (Kernel services are the services which are used by

the OS to communicate to the hardware devices).

* Where is Service information stored?

Most of the Service information is stored in the windows registry³HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Name of the Service´

* In the MSI, which tables contain information about the service details?

oServiceInstall (Service Details)o ServiceControl (Controlling the service during Installation &UnInstallation)

* What is ODBC & DSN and its types?

ODBC means Open Database Connectivity. The purpose of ODBC is to allowthe user to access data from any application.

The layer between the application and the DBMS called DSN.

o System DSN (DSN will be available for all users)

o User DSN (DSN will be available for that particular user)

* What is File Association?

The Windows operating system recognizes file types and associates them with

programs based on their file extension.

A file that carries no extension or no associated program is called Orphaned.

* What is Environment Variable & its types?

Environment Variables are the variables that are set by the Operating System &Application.

o System Variable (Available for all users)o User Variable (Available for that particular user)

* What is Property & types of Properties, give some Examples?

Properties are global variables that the Microsoft Windows Installer uses duringan installation.



o Private The installer can be use only internally (values can¶t be changed during the runtime).

# Manufacture, ProductCode, ProductID, ProductName, ProductVersion ««

o Public

The installer can be uses both internally & externally (values can be changedduring the run time also).# INSTALLLEVEL, «.

o Restricted PublicThe user can¶t change the value both internally & externally due to security

purposes.

# ALLUSERS, REBOOT, REINSTALLMODE «

* What is the Use of the following Properties?+ ALLUSERS (Null, 1, 2)

User - Per-user, Not valid, Per-user

Admin - Per-user, Per-machine, Per-machine

+ REBOOT (Force, Suppress, ReallySuppress)

Always prompt for a reboot at the end of the installation.Suppress prompts for a reboot at the end of the installation. But the user can still

prompt by using ForceReboot action.Suppress all prompts for reboots during the installation.

+ REINSTALLMODE (to specify the type of reinstallation of the Application)

p - If file is missingo - If file is missing or if an older version is installed.

e - If file is missing or an equal or older version is installed.d - If file is missing or a different version is installed.

c - If file is missing or the stored checksum doesn't match the calculated value.

a - Force all files to be reinstalled.

u - Rewrite all required user specific registry entries.

m - Rewrite all required computer-specific registry entries.

s - Overwrite all existing shortcuts.

v - Run from source and re-cache the local package. Do not uses the v reinstall

option for the first installation of an application or feature.

+ REINSTALL (List of features to be Installed)

+ RebootRequired (Prompts for Reboot)Yes - Prompt for Reboot

No - Won¶t Prompt for Reboot

+ ADDLOCAL (Features to be Installed locally during Run Time)

+ ADDSOURCE (Features to be run from source)

+ INSTALLLEVEL (Which features to be Installed)



* What is Merge Module?

Merge modules are a mechanism in Windows Installer that allows companies to prepackage and share standard component definitions. Merge modules are used to

deliver shared code, files, resources, registry entries and setup logic to

applications as a single compound file.

* What are all Merge Module tables?

ModuleSignature, ModuleComponents, ModuleDependency,

ModuleExclusion, ModuleAdminUISequence, ModuleAdminExecuteSequence,

ModuleAdvtUISequence, ModuleAdvtExecuteSequence, ModuleIgnore,

ModuleInstallUISequence, ModuleInstallExecuteSequence, ModuleSubstitution,

ModuleConfiguration

* How the Merge Module is working (Background mechanism)?Merge Module is working by checking the version, size & date of the file. If

the file is Dll or OCX, it will check the version, other files like text it will check

the Size & Date. It works by the Mechanism of Shared Dlls Count concept which

is stored in the Registry information

³HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDlls\´

* You can create Merge Module for text file, how?Yes you can create Merge Module for the text file also. It will works by the

mechanism of checking the file Size & Date.

* What are the types of Installation modes?All Windows Installer package should be Installed by the following command

line

Msiexec /Option <Required Parameter> [Optional Parameter]

o I nstall Options

+ /I - Installs a product

+ /j - Advertise a product

u - Advertises to the current user

m - Advertises to all users of machine

g - Language identifier

t - Applies transform to advertised package

+ /a - Administrative Installation

+ /x - UnInstalls a product

o Display Options (during I nstallation &Un I nstallation)+ /quiet - no user interaction

+ /passive - unattended mode+ /q - sets user interface level

n - No UIn+ - No UI except for a modal dialog at the end

r - Reduced UI with no modal dialog at the end



b - Basic UI

b! - Basic UI with hide cancel button b+ - Basic UI with a modal dialog at the end

b+! ± Basic UI with a modal dialog at the end & hide cancel button b- - Basic UI with no modal dialog at the end

b-! - Basic UI with no modal dialog at the end & hide cancel button

f - Full UI+ /help - help information

o Restart Options

+ /norestart - Do not restart after the Installation

+ /promptrestart - Prompts the user for restart if necessary

+ /forcerestart - Always restart the computer after Installation

o Logging Options (Writes logging information into a logfile at the specified

existing path. Default is 'iwearmo') + /l - I - Status messages

w - Nonfatal warnings

e - All error messages

a - Start up of actions

r - Action-specific records

u - User requestsc - Initial UI parameters

m - Out-of-memory or fatal exit informationo - Out-of-disk-space messages

p - Terminal propertiesv - Verbose output

x - Extra debugging information+ - Append to existing log file

! - Flush each line to the log* - Log all information, except for v and x options

+ / log <LogFile> Equivalent of /l* <LogFile>

o Update Options

+ /update

+ /uninstall

+ /p - Applies a Patch

o Repair Options (Repairs a product)+ /f p - only if file is missing

o - If file is missing or an older version is installed (default)

e - If file is missing or an equal or older version is installedd - If file is missing or a different version is installed

c - If file is missing or checksum does not match the calculated valuea - forces all files to be reinstalled

u - All required user-specific registry entries (default)m - All required computer-specific registry entries (default)

s - All existing shortcuts (default)v - Runs from source and reaches local package



o Others + /m <file name> Generates an SMS status .mif file+ /? Or /h Displays the copy rights for

Windows I nstaller

+ /y <module> Calls the system function DllRegisterServer to self-register

modules passed in on the command line.+ /z <module> Calls the system function DllUnRegisterServer to Unregister modules passed in on the command line.

+ /c Advertises a new instance of the product

+ /n <ProductCode> Specifies the particular instance of the product

* What is the difference between /qb, /qb-, /qb! ? See the above answer.

* How to give Permission for files, folders & Registry keys in MSI?In the MSI, we can give permissions through Lock Permission table.

* How to give Permission for files, folders & Registry keys through VB

Script & what is the syntax?We can give permission for files & folders through VB Script by using the

CACLS & XCACLS commands. CACLs should only run on NTFS partitions.

CACLS ± Changes Access Control ListS

³Cacls<file name> [/T] [/E] [/C] [/G user: perm] [/R user [...]] [/P user: perm [...]][/D user [...]] ³

o /T Changes ACLs of specified files in the current directory and subdirectories

o /E Edit ACL instead of replacing ito /C Continue (ignore) access denied errors

o /G user : perm where access rights granted can be: R

C F (read, change, full control)

o /R user Revoke specified user's access rights (only valid with /E)

o /P user: perm Replace specified user's access rights. Permission can be: N R C F

(none, read, change, full control)

o /D user Deny specified user access

E.g. ³cacls c:\myfile.txt /E /G <user name>: F´

In VB Script the syntax as

On Error Resume next

Set Wshell = CreateObject (³Wscript.Shell´)Wshell.Run ³cacls c:\myfile.txt /E /G <user name>: F´

* What is VB Script?

VB Script is a Microsoft Scripting language that means it is a lightweight



programming language. It is a light version of Microsoft's programming language

Visual Basic. It is used to add interaction for the web page projects.

* What is Wise Script? I never worked on.

* Tell some objects in the VB Script & when & why it is used in theApplication?

o Class Object

Provides access to the events of a created class

o Dictionary Object

Object that stores data key, item pairs

o Err Object

Contains information about run-time errors

o FileSystemObject Object

Provides access to a computer's file system

o Match Object Provides access to the read-only properties of a regular expression match

o Matches Collection

Collection of regular expression Match objects

o RegExp Object Provides simple regular expression support

* How to install only one particular feature during the Installation through

Command line?msiexec /i <msi> ADDLOCAL=<Feature Name>

* How to disable ARP Details during the Installation through Command

line, tell some ARP properties?msiexec /i <msi> ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT=1

o ARPAUTHORIZEDCDFPREFIX

o ARPCOMMENTS

o ARPCONTACT

o ARPINSTALLLOCATION

o ARPNOMODIFY

o ARPNOREMOVE

o ARPNOREPAIR

o ARPPRODUCTICON

o ARPREADME

o ARPSIZEo ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT

o ARPURLINFOABOUTo ARPURLUPDATEINFO

* During Installation how to take a back up copy of the Application through

Command line? I never tried check it out.



* What is Dll Cache folder? During the process of SFC (System File Checker) or WFP (Windows File

Protection), it will scan all the protected files (.SYS, .DLL, .EXE, .TTF, .FON,

and .OCX extensions) to verify their versions. If the versions are not correct, itwill replace the particular files from the back up folder called DLL Cache folder.

* What is SFC?SFC means "System File Checker." It is a command-line utility that scans theoperating system's files to ensure that they are the correct ones (original Microsoft

files). But it can be run or scheduled manually only.

During the process, it will scan all the protected files (.SYS, .DLL, .EXE, .TTF,

.FON, and .OCX) to verify their versions. If the versions are not correct, it will

replace the particular files from the back up folder called DLL Cache folder

* What is Windows File Protection (WFP)? WFP is also one Utility tool which will do automatically.

Some applications will replace the system files (SYS, .DLL, .EXE, .TTF,

.FON, and .OCX) with different files of the same name or with same file with

different versions. If the files are in a protected folder, then Windows File

Protection automatically determines which file was affected, and looks up the file

signature in a catalogue file to see if the file is the correct Microsoft version, and

if it is digitally signed. If it is not, then the correct file will be copied over it fromeither the winnt\system32\dllcache folder, or from the Windows CD.

* How Do I Control Windows File Protection (WFP)?

All registry settings for WFP/System File Checker are located in³HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows NT\

CurrentVersion\ Winlogon´.

By default, only Administrators and System will be able to modify these settings.

SFCDisable (REG_DWORD)

0 = enabled (default).

1 = disabled, prompt at boot to re-enable (debugger required).

2 = disabled at next boot only, no prompt to re-enable (debugger required).

SFCScan (REG_DWORD)

0 = do not scan protected files at boot (default).

1 = scan protected files at every boot.

2 = scan protected files once.

SFCQuota (REG_DWORD)n = size (in megabytes) of dllcache quota.

FFFFFFFF = cache-protected system files on the local hard drive.

SFCShowProgress (REG_DWORD)0 = System File Checker progress meter is not displayed.

1 = System File Checker progress meter is displayed (default).

SFCDllCacheDir (REG_EXPAND_SZ)



Path = local location of dllcache directory (default is

%Systemroot%\system32\dllcache).

* What is Advertisement?

It means that, the Availability of an application to users or others with out

actually the full Installation. There are two types of Advertisingo Assigning An Application appears (shortcuts, files & registries) to a user or others, when an

Application is ³assigned´. When the user tries to open, it is installed upon

demand.

o Publishing No Entry points appear to a user or others, when an Application ³published´ to

the group. It is activated only if the group Application activates the published

Application i.e. Installation on Demand.

* What is Advertised Feature & Component?If a Feature or Component is advertised, only the interfaces required for loading

and launching the application are installed to the user or others. If a user activates

an advertised interface the installer then proceeds to install the necessary

Components & Features.

* What is Installation on Demand?

When a user or application activates an advertised feature or product, theinstaller proceeds with installation of the needed components.

* What is Transform?

A transform is a windows installer file with the extension (.MST). It should beused along with a MSI to customize or change the installation package without

modifying the MSI. The installer can only apply transforms during an installation.

* What are the types of Transform?

o Embedded transform

Embedded transforms are stored inside the .msi file of the package.

o Secured transform Secured transforms are stored locally on the user's computer in a location where,

on a secure file system, the user does not have write access. Such transforms are

cached in this location during the installation or advertisement of the package.

During subsequent installation-on-demand or maintenance installations of the

package, the installer uses the cached transforms.

o Unsecured transform

Transforms that have not been secured are called unsecured transforms. To applyan unsecured transform, pass the transform file names in the TRANSFORMS

property or command line string during the installation.

* How to Create Transform in Wise / Install Shield?In Wise Package Studio, by using Install Tailor or New Project -à other templates

-à Transform



In Install Shield Admin Studio, by using the New Project -à Transform

* How many Transform can be created for one Vendor MSI?

Any Number

* How many Transforms can be supplied in the Command line?

Any Number

* What is Custom Action?

The Microsoft Windows Installer provides many built-in actions for performing

the installation process. For some cases the developer writes an action to execute

his own installation is called custom action

* What are the types of Custom Actions?o DLL file stored in a Binary table stream

o DLL file that is installed with a product

o EXE file stored in a Binary table stream

o EXE file that is installed with a product

o Displays a specified error message and returns failure, terminating the

installation

o EXE file having a path specified by a property value

o EXE file having a path referencing a directoryoJScript file stored in a Binary table stream

o JScript file that is installed with a productoJScript text specified by a property value

o JScript text stored in this sequence tableo VBScript file stored in a Binary table stream

o VBScript file that is installed with a producto VBScript text specified by a property value

o VBScript text stored in this sequence tableo Property set with formatted text

o Directory set with formatted text

o Installation of a package nested inside of the first package. See Nested

Installation Actions

o Installation of a package that resides in the first application¶s source tree. See

Nested Installation Actions

o Installation of an application that is advertised or already installed. See Nested

Installation Actions

* What are the types of Sequences in the Custom Actions?o Normal User Interface

o Normal Execute Immediate / Deferredo Administrative User Interface

o Administrative Execute Immediate / Deferredo Advertisement Execute Immediate / Deferred

* What are the types of Conditions in the Custom Actions and what is the

use?o Not Installed - During Installation only

o REMOVE - During UnInstallation only



o NOT REMOVE - During both Install &UnInstall

* What are the types of In Script options in the Custom Actions?

o I mmediate ExecutionImmediate custom actions, can be sequenced anywhere within any of the

sequence tables. It has access to the installation database (read & set installation

properties, modify feature & component states, add temporary columns, rows,and tables).

o Deferred Execution ± User Context

Deferred custom actions can only be sequenced between the InstallInitialize

and InstallFinalize actions in execute sequence tables. It doesn¶t have access to

the installation database. Deferred custom actions are not executed immediately.

Instead they are scheduled to run later during the execution script. The execution

script isn't processed until the InstallExecute, InstallExecuteAgain, or

InstallFinalize action is run.

If the Current User doesn¶t have the elevated privileges (Custom actions make

changes in the system directly), the custom actions should run in Deferred

Execution in User Context only.

o Rollback only

This Action should be executed during the Installation of the Rollback scriptor if the Installation is Unsuccessful

o Commit only

This Action should be executed during the Installation of the Commit script.

o Deferred Execution ± System Context Deferred custom actions can only be sequenced between the InstallInitialize

and InstallFinalize actions in execute sequence tables. It doesn¶t have access tothe installation database. Deferred custom actions are not executed immediately.

Instead they are scheduled to run later during the execution script. The execution

script isn't processed until the InstallExecute, InstallExecuteAgain, or

InstallFinalize action is run.

If the Current User have the elevated privileges (Custom actions make changes in

the system directly), then it should run in Deferred Execution in System Context

only.

* What is the difference between ³Immediate Execute / Deferred Execute´ in

the Custom Actions?

o I mmediate custom actions, can be sequenced anywhere within any of thesequence tables

Deferred custom actions can only be sequenced between the InstallInitializeand InstallFinalize actions in execute sequence tables

o I mmediate custom actions have access to the I nstallation database

Deferred custom actions doesn¶t have access to the Installation database

o I mmediate custom actions can only run in the User Context



Deferred custom actions can run both in the context of the user and elevated

using the system context.

* What is the difference between ³Deferred in System Context / Deferred inUser Context´ in the Custom Actions?

If the Custom action which installs or modify a file under the INSTALLDIR

or Installation should be run in ³Deferred in User Context´

If the Custom action which installs or modify the system file directly should be

run in ³Deferred Execution in System Context´

* What are the types of Processing Options in the Custom Actions and what

is the use?

o Synchronous

Windows Installer runs the custom action synchronously to the main

installation. It waits for the custom action to complete successfully before

continuing the main installation.

o Synchronous, ignore exit codeWindows Installer runs the custom action synchronously to the main

installation. It waits for the custom action to complete before continuing the main

installation; the action can be either success or fail.

oAsynch, wait at end of sequenceWindows Installer runs the custom action simultaneously with the main

installation. At the end it waits for the exit code from the custom action beforecontinuing.

oAsynch, no wait

Windows Installer runs the custom action simultaneously with the maininstallation. It doesn¶t wait for completion of the custom action and doesn¶t check

the exit code also.

* What are the types of Scheduling Options in the Custom Actions and what

is the use?

o Always Execute

This action execute in all sequences

o Run first time

This action execute only the first time Windows Installer encounters it.

o Run once per process

This action execute only one time either Execute sequence that should not run if

the installation is running in silent mode.o Run only if U I sequence was run

This action execute only if either Execute sequence is run following User Interface sequence.

* What is Launch Condition?

Launch Condition is used to check system requirements on the destinationcomputer



* What is App Search?App Search action is used to search for existing versions of products (Files,

Registry, INI, Directory& Component)

* What is Isolated Component, why we are using and its types?

It means that to prevent overwriting of previous versions of shared

components, and ensures that other applications do not overwrite your version of shared components.o Manifest file concept

o Local file concept

* What is the MSI Assembly tables & its use?MSI Assembly tables specify Windows Installer settings for Microsoft ®.NET

Framework assemblies and Win32 assemblies. It is used for the registration of

.Net Assembly files.

When installing assemblies to the global assembly cache, the installer cannot use

the same directory structure. Assemblies can exist only once in the assembly

cache. Assemblies are added and removed from the assembly cache atomically

* What is the latest version of Windows Installer?

The latest version of Windows Installer is 4.0

* What is the difference between Wise Package Studio & Install Shield

Admin Studio?

Both tools are more or less same, but as per my knowledge for capturing partInstall Shield is good, it won¶t capture unnecessary files & registry keys and for

editing the MSI or .wsi or .ism, Wise is better because Wise GUI is good.

I found lot of bug in

I nstall Shield onlyo GUI part

o Shortcut Icon (other than executable files)

o Directory table (INSTALLDIR)

o Create unnecessary entries while editing the MST

o Product language property won¶t change in the MSI after the compilation,

default 1033

o Create unwanted component & create folder entry while editing any component

o Component names

o It won¶t validate the MSI if that MSI is installed in the local system

* What is Conflict Management?

When two or more applications install the same system files (DLLs, .VBXs,and .OCXs), Windows registry, and other items. To detect, Conflict Management

should be use and for resolve the software conflicts, Application Isolation conceptshould be use

* What are the types of Deployment (Software Distribution)?

o Group policy (Active Directory)o Software Update Services (SUS)

o Windows Update Web site



o Systems Management service (SMS)

* What is Software Distribution?

One of the more critical aspects to managing a Windows environment is theability to deploy new applications, updates, upgrades & patches. Distributing new

or updated software is called as Software Distribution.

* What is Group Policy (GPO) & how to set it?Administrators use Group Policy to define options for managing, configuration

of servers, desktops, and groups of users. It is used to set policies across a given

site, domain, or range of organizational units.

Use ³gpedit.msc´ in the run command to set the policy.

* What is Elevated User & how to create it?If the user having the privileges of MSI features (Windows Installer) is called as

Elevated User You can create through ³gpedit.msc´ in the run Command or

registry keys

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer

Type : DWORD Key: AlwaysInstallElevated Value : 1

* What is Wrapper MSI?

It means that the Application (MSI) is packaged by calling the Exe (Executablefile) inside the MSI (Internally calling the source or exe).

* What is Lock down environment?

Software restriction policies provide administrators with a Policy-drivenmechanism to identify software running on computers in a domain, and control its

ability to execute.This policy can be used to block malicious scripts, help lockdown a computer, or

prevent unwanted applications from running.

* How do deploy the Package?

o Group policy (Active Directory)

o Software Update Services (SUS)

o Windows Update Web site

o Systems Management service (SMS)

* What is IntelliMirror?IntelliMirror management technologies is a set of powerful features for change

and configuration management. It ensures that users¶ data, software, and personalsettings are available when they move from one computer to another, and persist

when their computers are connected to the network.Microsoft divides IntelliMirror's features into the following four categories:

o User Data Management :. IntelliMirror supports the mirroring of user data to

the network and local copies of selected network data.o Software Installation and Maintenance : IntelliMirror allows you to centrally

manage software installation, repairs, updates, and removal.



o User Settings Management : IntelliMirror allows you to centrally define

computing environment settings for both users and workstations.o Remote Installation Services : IntelliMirror allows you to image workstations

with the Windows 2000 Professional operating system

* What is Active Directory?

Deploying applications through the Active Directory is done through the use of group policies, and therefore applications are deployed either on a per user basisor on a per computer basis.

* What are the other tools which are used during the testing & solving the

Issues in the Application?o Picture Taker

o Windows Install Master

o Install rite

o RegMon

o FileMon

o CsDiff

o Icon Extractor & Icon Builder

o RegExtractor

o WiLogUtl

o WiseComRego ResourceW2K

* What is Orca tool & what is the purpose and Advantages?

This tool is a Microsoft product. It is used for edit the MSI Databases (tables).o No limitation for the table entries

o Easy to edit the Databaseso If you edit any tables and give save, only those tables will be modified, but in

Wise or Install Shield all the tables will change

* Why multiple MSIExec is running during the Installation?

Windows Installer uses a client-server model for performing installations.

Additionally for security reasons, Windows Installer hosts DLL and script custom

actions in a "sandbox" process. Depending on how the install was initiated, one of

the MSIExec processes can be the client process (Current User). Another

MSIExec process is Windows Installer service (System).

* Which drive your Application will Install, C drive has less space and D

drive has more space? Why & how to solve?It will install ³D´ drive only due to Windows Installer features.

We can solve by adding ³WindowsVolume´ entry in the directory table as parentof ³TARGETDIR´

* What is a Patch?

Patching is a streamlined process for updating earlier versions of a WindowsInstaller setup package i.e. when you update only files that already exist in your

installation package. Only the package code is changed.

* What is Upgrade?



Upgrade is a process of updating the earlier versions of a Windows Installer

setup package i.e. Adding, changing & deleting new Files & Registries. But here product code, product version & package code should be changed.

* What are the types of Upgrades and what is the difference?

o Small Update

A small update is a product update that changes a few files or possibly addssome new content. But there is a limitation for the changes that can be made tothe feature-component structure for the package. Only the package code is

changed. It is also called as a "Hotfix" or ³Quick Fix Engineering (QFE)´.

o Minor Upgrade A minor update is a product update that makes enough changes. But there is a

limitation for the changes that can be made to the feature-component structure for

the package. The package code & product version is changed for the product. It is

also called as a ³Service Pack´.

o Major Upgrade

A major update is a product update with a large number of changes. There is no

limitation for the changes that can be made to the feature-component structure for

the package. The package code, product code & product version is changed for

the product. It is also called as a "Product Upgrade´.

* How you validate the MSI? In Wise Package Studio, by using ³Package Validation´ option by selecting the

MSI with the default Cub file or Browse your own Cub file.In Install Shield, by Build -à Validate-à Default Cub file or Browse your own

Cub file.

* What is ICE?It means ³Internal Consistency Evaluation´. ICEs are used to validate installation

packages.

* Give some ICE Error number and tell how to solve the ICE Errors?

There are totally 96 ICE Errors and 14 ICEM Errors in the Windows Installer.

Some examples are as follows

o ICE03 - Basic data and foreign key validation

o ICE18 - Validates the KeyPath column of the Component table when it is

NULL.

o ICE21 - Validates that all components in the Component table map to a feature

in the FeatureComponents table.

o ICE33 - Checks for entries in the registry table that belong in other tables.o ICE38 - Validates that components installed under the user's profile use a

registry key under HKCU as their key path.o ICE64 - Checks that new directories in the user profile are removed in roaming

scenarios.o ICE57 - Validates that individual components do not mix per-machine and per-

user data.o ICE59 - Checks that advertised shortcuts belong to components that are

installed by the target feature of the shortcut.



* What are the File types of Application Packaging? o WSI - Microsoft Windows Installer Project file

o ISM - Install Shield Project fileo MSI - Microsoft Windows Installer

o MST - Microsoft Transform

o PCP - Windows Installer Patch Project fileo MSP - Microsoft Windows Installer Patcho WSM - Microsoft Windows Installer Merge Module

Project file

o MSM - Microsoft Windows Installer Merge Module

o EXE - Executable file

* How to install the .Exe file through silent mode? Normally all the .Exe file can be Installed silently by ³/ s´. But it depends up

on the .EXE file behavior.

* How to register the DLL manually?By using the command line option ³regsvr32´. For example

1. regsvr32 Dll name For Register the Dll2. regsvr32 /u For Unregistered the Dll

3. regsvr32 /s For Silent register

* What is COM Component?The Component which is having the COM information entries is called as

COM Component. If the component is COM Component, it should have entriesin the Class, ProgID, Registry&Typelib tables in the MSI.

For example most of the merge module components are called as COMComponent (MSCOMCTL.ocx, COMCTL.ocx «)

* How the COM Component is working (Mechanism)?COM Component is working by the mechanism of ³Windows Installer

Tokens´. It is nothing but ³Advertising´.

This token triggers the Windows Installer to check for the key files of the

relevant feature and parent features of an MSI. If these tokens are deleted the self

healing mechanism is not invoked. Windows installer tokens should never be part

of the registry table of an MSI. They are created at install time by the msiexec

service due to the way the MSI has been authored using advertising.

These tokens exist in 3 forms.

o Tokens within .lnk files that indicate to the OS that they are Windows Installer advertised shortcuts.

o Tokens for advertised file extensions.o Tokens for advertised COM Dll information.

They have the following structure.

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* What are the default Windows Installer properties?o [AdminToolsFolder]

C:\Document and Settings\Current User\Start Menu\Programs\AdministrativeTools\

o [AppDataFolder]

C:\Document and Settings\Current User\Application Data\o [CommonAppDataFolder] C:\Document and Settings\All Users\Application Data\

o [CommonFilesFolder]

C:\Program Files\Common Files\

o [DesktopFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Desktop\

o [FavoritesFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Favorites\\

o [FontsFolder]

C:\Windows\Fonts\

o [LocalAppDataFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Local Settings\Application Data\

o [MyPicturesFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\My Documents\My Pictures\

o [Net H oodFolder] C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\NetHood\

o [PersonalFolder] C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\My Documents\

o [Print H oodFolder] C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\PrintHood\

o [ProfilesFolder] C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\

o [ProgramFilesFolder] C:\Program Files\

o [ProgramMenuFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Start Menu\Programs\

o [RecentFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Recent\

o [SendToFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\SendTo\

o [StartMenuFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Start Menu\

o [StartupFolder]

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\

o [System16Folder] C:\Windows\System\

o [SystemFolder] C:\Windows\System32\

o [TempFolder] C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Local Settings\Temp\

o [TemplateFolder] C:\Documents and Settings\Current User\Templates\

o [WindowsFolder]



C:\Windows\

o [WindowsV olume] C:\

* What are the default Environment settings in XP?

o ALLUSERSPROF I LE

C:\Documents and Settings\All Userso APPDATAC:\Documents and Settings\current User\Application Data

o CommonProgramFiles

C:\Program Files\Common Files

o COMPUTERNAME

System Name

o ComSpec

C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe

o H OMEDR I V E

C:

o H OMEPAT H

C:\Documents and Settings\Current User

o ProgramFiles

C:\Program Files

o SystemDriveC:

o SystemRoot C:\Windows

o TEMP C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Temp

o USERNAME Current User

o USERPROF I LE C:\Documents and Settings\Current User

o Windir

C:\Windows

* What is Package Code?The Package Code is a GUID identifying a particular Microsoft Windows

Installer package. It associates an .MSI file.

* What is Product Code?The Product Code is a GUID identifying a particular Application or product.

* What is the difference between Static & Dynamic scanning?o Static Scanner : This scanner looks at all the files included in the project and

checks for any dependencies. It then recommends all the possible dependenciesand allows you to add them to the project.

o Dynamic Scanner : The Dynamic Scanner monitors the system for dynamicallyloaded files in memory while running the application file. Use the dynamic

scanner to launch your application and test the controls in the application. Someof these controls load files in the memory that are picked by the dynamic scanner.

This scanner then recommends all these files in the form of a list from which you



select or deselect files. All the selected files are added to the project by this

scanner. The dynamic scanner is more robust than the static scanner and certainly picks more dependencies.

* What is the Event Viewer, how to open & what is it use?

It is a Windows utility tool in the OS. You can open by giving ³eventvwr´ in

the run command also.It is used to view all exceptional events occur in the OS and also for the System

administrator to track the performance of the OS.

Contact : [email protected]

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