Deploy MSI future changes multiple users

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sheldon
  • Start date Start date
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Sheldon

Hello -

I have a windows app that needs to be deployed via an MSI installer to 200+
users.

This app will require updating at various times. From what I've read, there
is no way to update something deployed via MSI short of uninstalling and
reinstalling. Is this really the case???????

(I can't use ClickOnce because the users change desks and thus, machines,
quite frequently.)

Any help will be greatly appreciated!
 
I have a windows app that needs to be deployed via an MSI installer to
200+
users.

This app will require updating at various times. From what I've read,
there
is no way to update something deployed via MSI short of uninstalling and
reinstalling. Is this really the case???????

(I can't use ClickOnce because the users change desks and thus, machines,
quite frequently.)

Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

MSIs have the ability to update older versions. A REinstall is of course
required, but an initial UNinstall is not, as the MSI uninstalls the older
version itself. I can't give the specifics of HOW to do this, but I believe
it has to do with setting some properties in the MSI and also making sure
that you increase the version number of the new MSI package.
 
Thanks for your response, Jeff.

Can you point me in the direction of where I can find out HOW to update the
older versions?

I've searched the Internet to no avail . . .
 
No it's not the case. The real issue is usually about what tool you use to
build MSI files. People that have only used Visual Studio setup&deployment
projects to generate MSI files get exposed to a very limited set of
capabilities. One of the features of Visual Studio setup projects is they
upgrade (in VS 2005) by effectively uninstalling the old version then
installing the new. In VS 2008 it's more of an overwrite, but in both cases
you generate a complete MSI file and use the RemovePreviousVersions option.

More advanced users of MSI setups (using tools like WiX, InstallShield,
Wise, Advanced Installer etc) have a few more choices, including generating
patches. If you think about updates to Office and Visual Studio, they are
updated using patches (msp files) and definitely not by uninstalling the
entire product first. So what you're hearing is just misinformation. People
with your deployment scenarion often use a group policy deployment object to
assign the MSI file to the machine, so it installs when a user logs on, and
this install can be done even if the actal user does not have administrative
privileges.
 
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