Software Deployment

When do the dialog windows appear, is it during the installation process or when running the applications?
If it's during the installation process then; is it possible to add the /qb! command line switch to the Path values, so that everything installs silently?

The "Launch.exe" (That's the VB .exe I earlier wrote about) when launched brings up a display that allows the installer to select (by checking a box for each MSI they need) up to 8 differnet MSI's for install. I want to only select 4 of the 8 and set that as default. My thinking is that I could go to the setup.ini and under each MSI that I want to have defaulty checked enter in something like checkbox=True. I was able to edit the setup.ini : install=False to hide from the users those msi's that I don't want installed. I am stuck on now setting the msi's that I do want to be already checked. My next step after that would be to silently call the launch.exe.

You could try browsing the EXE in a text editor (not NotePad, I mean a proper text editor...) and search for control names. I'd very much doubt that such an EXE has a switch for silent install but, realistically, the only one able to answer your questions is the vendor.

If you have no luck there, I think you're going to have to snapshot each feature individually - in order to divine what file and registry changes it makes - and build an MSI that way :(

Thanks for the advice. I tried resource hacker to have a look and I can get into the EXE but it doesn't provide much data. I have 2 case tickets opened with JDA and they have not gotten back to me. *not surprising* Would you happen to know of a list of common "checkbox=checked" type commands for setup.ini's? I'll try anything at this stage.

On a simular note, maybe I should just try to create an answer file. Simular to an .iss file for install shield packages. In my first post, you can see the names of the .MSI packages. Can you instruct me on how to create and MSI answer file?

Again thanks for all the help everyone.

ORIGINAL: gonemental
Would you happen to know of a list of common "checkbox=checked" type commands for setup.ini's?SETUP.INI most commonly figures in legacy InstallShield set-ups and dialogs are, IIRC, referenced in sequence, like 'Dialog12=1', stuff like that. Your INI doesn't look like that and I suspect it's proprietary to the EXE you have.

As to controlling which of the MSIs you want to include, why not build either a wrapper MSI (nested MSIs are not recommended these days, though...) or a wrapper EXE?

ORIGINAL: gonemental
Can you instruct me on how to create and MSI answer file?MSIs don't have an answer file as such. Changes are made using a delta database called a transform. This isn't really an appropriate place for instructions in using them. Your MSI authoring tool should have an automated way of creating one for you. Wise has 'InstallTailor', InstallShield Admin Studio has 'Tuner'. You can also use the free tools Orca or InstEdit but these are really for hardened packages who know their way around the various database tables.