Software Deployment

As ever, use ProcMon or your favourite process/file/registry monitor to see what file and/or registry keys VB is trying to open with write access.

Already done it, but there is a big problem, it creates GUIDs under HKCR\TypeLib\ and HKCR\Interface\ hives, but when you do fresh installation, it creates registry keys under different GUIDs. And program generates new GUID every time after new installation.

Is this an MSI?

that doesnt seem to make sense.

the guids are coded into the DLL's they shouldn't change at all ? exactly which guids are you saying are changing ? perhaps they are not changing but your getting more detail each time you run under different accounts ?

can you dump the registry for the guids your referring to here.

Yes, this is MSI. These are some reg keys:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{01BADEC3-2722-4391-89A1-62BFDCE4872C}]
@="IMapiMessages"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{01BADEC3-2722-4391-89A1-62BFDCE4872C}\TypeLib]
"Version"="1.1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{01BADEC3-2722-4391-89A1-62BFDCE4872C}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{01BADEC3-2722-4391-89A1-62BFDCE4872C}\ProxyStubClsid]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{029B205F-7380-4E19-A485-D1ADC8689141}]
@="_
PBrowse7"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{029B205F-7380-4E19-A485-D1ADC8689141}\TypeLib]
"Version"="1.0"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{029B205F-7380-4E19-A485-D1ADC8689141}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{029B205F-7380-4E19-A485-D1ADC8689141}\ProxyStubClsid]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{031D5154-4933-443D-B327-6719CA77A44C}]
@="IMSComm"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{031D5154-4933-443D-B327-6719CA77A44C}\TypeLib]
"Version"="1.1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{031D5154-4933-443D-B327-6719CA77A44C}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{031D5154-4933-443D-B327-6719CA77A44C}\ProxyStubClsid]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{04BE6C90-8C72-44DA-A3AA-57C454758A4B}]
@="_CoolBar"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{04BE6C90-8C72-44DA-A3AA-57C454758A4B}\TypeLib]
"Version"="1.1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{04BE6C90-8C72-44DA-A3AA-57C454758A4B}\ProxyStubClsid32]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{04BE6C90-8C72-44DA-A3AA-57C454758A4B}\ProxyStubClsid]
@="{00020420-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

and here are reg keys, under which vb was trying to create something, and after they has been added to registry and given permissions to users, application starts normal (I did it few times, and I get different GUIDs):
1.
HKCR\TypeLib\{4CDFB9D3-B499-46A0-B315-5600F374BEAD}

HKCR\TypeLib\{B5460E48-7127-42B3-A4D7-5598634E4840}

HKCR\TypeLib\{325E1942-EF6B-44E0-AC89-B98711F5BF5F}

HKCR\TypeLib\{9876BB06-D17B-46E7-9285-48AB2076D6C9}

HKCR\TypeLib\{83ADCC83-08DA-4BB7-A921-B979588401B0}
2.
HKCR\TypeLib\{43FDA63A-4B7B-4A7D-BA1F-E6D8B7D48BC3}

HKCR\TypeLib\{3B48A1FF-C8E2-4D49-8C90-2A25355A1FEF}

HKCR\TypeLib\{CF94F01D-68D8-48DD-950B-D7AA0A9738D7}

HKCR\TypeLib\{6FBE8AD6-1B39-4D17-A3F5-C7A5E3944E8F}

HKCR\TypeLib\{995F5F35-EC27-4361-9135-6BD0A46E4B47}
3.
HKCR\TypeLib\{73529F08-5104-4650-86E4-14DAFE794E71}

HKCR\TypeLib\{369099BF-257E-41BC-A405-02DA97C45820}

HKCR\TypeLib\{D3541097-29F5-4C72-A9C4-4CEF2F39D5C9}

HKCR\TypeLib\{48390EBF-7C10-4EA0-98B9-1F4B2E50570C}

HKCR\TypeLib\{775777B6-AAD5-4607-B62F-C83E137450EE}
Talking about DLL's, there are 50 Merge Modules inside MSI, maybe some of them didn't register correctly.

As John said, CLSID, Interface and TypeLib entries won't change. They're set in stone by dint of their being hard-coded in their respective DLLs/OCXs/EXEs. I'd say that the MSI you're using for the installation is incomplete: VB is trying to fix some of the errors by creating the relevant registry entries and failing due to permissioning issues.

If this was me, I'd start again with the MSI. Install it on a *clean* machine then start a capture. Run VB and use a few of its features. Then examine the contents of your capture, remove any obvious application-specific stuff (e.g. window sizes and so on) then merge the changes into the MSI. Re-test.

I have tried to export captured files (reg keys, ini files) to my MSI, but when I try to install this version of msi, it exits with this error: Error 1911. Could not register type library for file C:\Windows\system32\comct332.oca.

Almost certainly, you have entries in the SelfReg table. Note down or print the names of the files then delete all rows in the table or delete the table. Then you need to get the COM information out of those files. Depending on the authoring tool you're using, the method will differ. In WPS, there's a command-line utility called WiseComCapture which will produce a .REG file for a DLL or OCX passed to it. You can then import that .REG into WPS, electing to have WPS add the advertising entries. For InstallShield (haven't used it for AGES), I believe you change the file's properties from 'Self register' to 'Extract COM data'. Perhaps a more experienced IS user can assist here. If you don't have a full-blown authoring tool and are relying on, say, Orca, best of luck!

My advice? Ditch the MSI you're using and start again.

You can also get a similar WiseComCapture.exe tool called RegSpy.exe created by Phil Wilson and a modified version by Justin Buist at http://www.installsite.org/pages/en/tt_analyze.htm

Are you sure they create the same Interface and TypeLib versions for these every time different GUIDs?