Combine two MSIs
Hello everyone!
I am working on packaging a program for our environment. It is an exe v3.6 file which contains a vendor packaged msi with a bunch of crystal stuff and custom actions, plus it registers multiple dll files. I captured the exe changes into an msi by installing the vendor msi before I ran setup capture on the exe which works fine. Since the msi was already installed setupcapture did not capture any msi settings from the vendor msi. So I extracted the vendor msi and now I have two msi files. The one I repacked and the vendor msi containing all the crystal information. I just install them in sequence and the program works.
Now the problem I am having is dealing with an upgrade to the program, which is an upgrade packaged from the vendor. A vendor msi embedded in an exe wrapper. I captured the .exe settings and repacked them into an msi. So now the new version 3.7 is in two msi packages, similar to v3.6 but just an upgrade.
I have 4 msi packages now, and I am lost as to how to upgrade all of this information. I have run MSIDiff and found that all 4 msi's are very different from each other. My original idea is to combine the v3.6 msi's into one msi. Then combine the v3.7 msi's into another msi leaving me with two total msi files, which I can then upgrade through a product code, or through the creation of upgrade sync, and patch creation if necessary. I don't know how to combine the two MSI's though. I remember there is a tool somewhere that does this. What would you guys recommend in this situation?
Please guide me anyway you can, it will be so much appreciated. I use Wise Package studio 7, I also have install shield admin studio 11.5.
I am working on packaging a program for our environment. It is an exe v3.6 file which contains a vendor packaged msi with a bunch of crystal stuff and custom actions, plus it registers multiple dll files. I captured the exe changes into an msi by installing the vendor msi before I ran setup capture on the exe which works fine. Since the msi was already installed setupcapture did not capture any msi settings from the vendor msi. So I extracted the vendor msi and now I have two msi files. The one I repacked and the vendor msi containing all the crystal information. I just install them in sequence and the program works.
Now the problem I am having is dealing with an upgrade to the program, which is an upgrade packaged from the vendor. A vendor msi embedded in an exe wrapper. I captured the .exe settings and repacked them into an msi. So now the new version 3.7 is in two msi packages, similar to v3.6 but just an upgrade.
I have 4 msi packages now, and I am lost as to how to upgrade all of this information. I have run MSIDiff and found that all 4 msi's are very different from each other. My original idea is to combine the v3.6 msi's into one msi. Then combine the v3.7 msi's into another msi leaving me with two total msi files, which I can then upgrade through a product code, or through the creation of upgrade sync, and patch creation if necessary. I don't know how to combine the two MSI's though. I remember there is a tool somewhere that does this. What would you guys recommend in this situation?
Please guide me anyway you can, it will be so much appreciated. I use Wise Package studio 7, I also have install shield admin studio 11.5.
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Posted by:
AngelD
16 years ago
First off, why didn't you use a transform instead of capturing a vendor MSI?
Wouldn't the application work if you installed the vendor MSI?
Creating/capturing your own MSI fromout an already MSI will make it verfy hard to create your own upgrade from a vendor MSI upgrade but not impossible.
Wouldn't the application work if you installed the vendor MSI?
Creating/capturing your own MSI fromout an already MSI will make it verfy hard to create your own upgrade from a vendor MSI upgrade but not impossible.
Posted by:
kjk3407
16 years ago
I knew this post might cause some confusion, I tried my best to explain it.
I didn't capture the vendor msi. I caputed the installer exe then added the vendor msi. Leaving me with two msi's.
The vendor msi is only a portion of the install. It installs cyrstal objects for the database I assume, but it does not install any core program files. Those core program files and registry entries needed to be captured into an msi because they are installed through the executable before the vendor msi is called.
I didn't capture the vendor msi. I caputed the installer exe then added the vendor msi. Leaving me with two msi's.
The vendor msi is only a portion of the install. It installs cyrstal objects for the database I assume, but it does not install any core program files. Those core program files and registry entries needed to be captured into an msi because they are installed through the executable before the vendor msi is called.
Posted by:
AngelD
16 years ago
Okey, so then add those files to the transform instead.
Does the version 3.7 EXE work the same?
If it does then you would need to do the same for this version.
This is what I normally do when the EXE "wrapper" install something outside of the MSI.
How is the upgrade being planned?
Major / Minor?
Does the version 3.7 EXE work the same?
If it does then you would need to do the same for this version.
This is what I normally do when the EXE "wrapper" install something outside of the MSI.
How is the upgrade being planned?
Major / Minor?
Posted by:
kjk3407
16 years ago
Yes the 3.7 does the same function.
I believe I can add those files and registry entries through an mst. I have taken a screen shot of the custom actions, do I need to copy any of those over through the transform?
The upgrade is said to be major, because the file version are different. That is at least what patch creation recommend.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/kjk3407/customactions.jpg
I believe I can add those files and registry entries through an mst. I have taken a screen shot of the custom actions, do I need to copy any of those over through the transform?
The upgrade is said to be major, because the file version are different. That is at least what patch creation recommend.
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/kjk3407/customactions.jpg
Posted by:
Regen
16 years ago
I recently was capturing a vendor Setup.EXE installation into an MSI. The vendor setup.exe contained features, and I thought it would be good to duplicate the division of the files etc into seperate MSI features with the same names, thereby duplicating the vendor installer as much as possible. I am using Wise Package Studio 5.6. To do this, I launched SetupCapture and used it to capture the installation of only one feature. I then launched Windows Installer Editor and created a new Feature with the same name as the second feature from the vendor installer I was about to capture. I then relaunched SetupCapture and on the second screen ticked the box "Add/Update Resources in Existing Installation". Then at some later screen, it asked me what Feature I wanted to capture the install into, and I chose the second Feature I had just created. I then went on to capture the second Feature of the vendor setup.exe into the second MSI Feature. In my case, I ended up capturing 6 or 7 seperate features, then went back and cleaned up some duplicate files etc.
Maybe you could do a similar thing to make it easy to capture your setup.exe into a MST? I think you could go through the same steps, starting with the vendor MSI, choose "Add/Update Resources in Existing Installation", and at the last moment, instead of saving it as a MSI, save it as a MST based on the vendor's MSI.
I am not sure if this will work, but it would be worth giving it a go.
Maybe you could do a similar thing to make it easy to capture your setup.exe into a MST? I think you could go through the same steps, starting with the vendor MSI, choose "Add/Update Resources in Existing Installation", and at the last moment, instead of saving it as a MSI, save it as a MST based on the vendor's MSI.
I am not sure if this will work, but it would be worth giving it a go.
Posted by:
kjk3407
16 years ago
Ok, I am going to give that a try. I am Working on it now. I will let you guys know how it turns out. Thanks!
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