quiet network/mass installation to Vista client

  • Thread starter Thread starter Roberto Baggio
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Roberto Baggio

I have an application that installs via an MSI. Customers currently use it
by either specifying the MSI to run in the user's login script, or by
creating an image with the MSI set to run via the RunOnce key, and then
using that image on multiple machines.

I have a proper and valid certificate for signing the MSI.

With WinXP, the installation occurs silently.

With Vista, the user is prompted if they would like to allow the MSI to run.
When the MSI completes running, the compatibility wizard runs.

A majority of the installations are to a small number of machines - in the
100 to 500 range, but there are some accounts where the number of machines
is in the thousands.

Does anyone know how to have this run without user intervention? Or does
anyone know of resources that describe how to deploy to Vista via MSIs in a
silent manner?
 
Roberto Baggio said:
I have an application that installs via an MSI. Customers currently use it
by either specifying the MSI to run in the user's login script, or by
creating an image with the MSI set to run via the RunOnce key, and then
using that image on multiple machines.

I have a proper and valid certificate for signing the MSI.

With WinXP, the installation occurs silently.

With Vista, the user is prompted if they would like to allow the MSI to
run. When the MSI completes running, the compatibility wizard runs.

A majority of the installations are to a small number of machines - in the
100 to 500 range, but there are some accounts where the number of machines
is in the thousands.

Does anyone know how to have this run without user intervention? Or does
anyone know of resources that describe how to deploy to Vista via MSIs in
a silent manner?
Click to expand...
To eliminate the prompt completely you have a few choices
a) author the MSI to support per-user least privilege installation
b) advertise your MSI in elevated process (will prompt) and then launch the
MSI as the user (no prompt)
c) install the MSI through a privileged service (SMS etc)

Robert Flaming has an excellent blog on MSI and UAC interaction. The link
below discusses the standard user installation - option a) above:
http://blogs.msdn.com/rflaming/archive/2006/09/30/778690.aspx

Post more MSI questions to microsoft.public.platformsdk.msi -- lots of
people reading that for all MSI issues.

Sincerely,
Adrian Accinelli
 
That is a lot of useful information.

Thank you very much - you've saved me a lot of effort. I hope it will be of
use to others too.
 
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