Software Deployment

I have a vendor provided application...for one reason or another i HAVE to launch the installation using the setup.exe with switches instead of just utilizing the msi directly. Actually, you probably don't. Invariably, stubs like this just pass parameters to MSIExec which, if you do an initial setup and add the verbose log file switch, you'll the command line used in the log. Having said THAT, I just did SQL Server 2005 Express, whose stub does a bunch of stuff which the MSI needs. To get around that (we use GP to deploy and it's MSIs or nothing - ignoring ZAPs - with GP!) I captured the stub's activity and created an MSI for that which we'll call as a pre-requisite before we start the main MSI.

Anyway, moving on to your question, use the exclamation mark to not display the Cancel button:

MSIEXEC [MSI_name] [other switches] /QB-!

or, if you persist with Setup.EXE

Setup [other switches] /QB-!

I guess you are referring to an InstallShield Setup/MSI.
There has been several disussions regarding how to prevent the requirement of launching the installation through the setup and instead just use the MSI.

InstallShield packages does not often use the internal MSI dialogs (Dialog table) but have handles the dialogs through a DLL that listen on different Windows Installer events or just injects into the installation session through a DLL executed by the Setup.exe.
This DLL is often stored in the Binary table and may be called something like ISSetup.DLL, Kernel.DLL or similar.
A verbose log would tell more.

From the SDK
If the LIMITUI property is set, the user interface (UI) level used when installing the package is restricted to Basic. This property is required in packages that have no authored UI but still contain UI tables such as the Dialog table.
So if the installation dialogs doesn't come from the Dialog table my guess would be that it's not usable in your scenario.

You could always try to Hiding the Cancel Button:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa368791.aspx

Thanks for both of the suggestions...

see, i'm not a an expert packager at all...i did go to a introduction to installshield admin studio class like two years ago...and the rest is i've been just trying to muddle my way through...:)

i saw the verbose log...i have NO idea what they were talking about...hahaha...

The thing about this application is this. It has a Setup.exe, installaion.msi, and an ISScript.msi. I can launch the installation.msi without any issues...but it blows up...i don't know why. It always fails to install...so i thought that it might be that i needed the Script first, so i installed the script using this command: msiexec /i ISScript.msi /qn! after this is installed, i do the installation: msiexec /i install.msi /qn! and it blows up. Gives me an error message. But when i launch the installation using this: Setup /S/v/qn. (yes, the period belongs there after the n) it installs fine. Just gives me that dialog box so i added the LIMITUI=1 onto the install.msi, and well, you know the rest...

i am just frustrated with this dang app...lol.

Thanks again...i'm just a noob at this...lol

Please have a look at http://www.appdeploy.com/messageboards/fb.asp?m=19850 on how to modify the MSI (use a transform) to prevent the Setup.exe from being required.

With Installshield apps with MSI I usually jsut use the:

setup.exe /s /v"qb"

This usally always works, place any MSI switches witihn the quotations.

I deployed one like this the otehr day and was confused becuase it was clearly an installshield/w MSI app but the /v switch didn't work. I soon realized that I didn't need the /v switch at all and that jsut putting MSI switches after the setup.exe worked, that was a first time I have seent hat.

Hi Coriolus,

It's not always possible to install the application through the Setup.exe file depending on the deployment solution.
Using Active Directory (without ZAP) you would be forced to install the application using an MSI.

ORIGINAL: AngelD

Hi Coriolus,

It's not always possible to install the application through the Setup.exe file depending on the deployment solution.
Using Active Directory (without ZAP) you would be forced to install the application using an MSI.


I see, well we don't use Active Directory here and are using the open source WPKG deployment mechanism to push the packages/silent installs.

WPKG, now that is a cool open source project!
What do you think about it?
Any problems on the way?

Cheers!

omg, this application will be the bane of my existance! lol...

Thanks for all your help...i think i got somewhere in the progression...

now, stupid thing, after reboot, the Program Group in All users directory just disappears...lol, but the shortcuts in the all users directory is just dandy! lol...i want to shoot this developer...