How to make package out of a .reg file?

[andre77]

I am a total newbie at .msi packaging and AdminStudio. So bear with me... At the moment I am working on a project where I need to deploy a registry file to 250 computers. I thought I might try to distribute a msi-file using Group Policy, instead of trying to make some script and deploy it that way.

So far I have not found a way in AdminStudio where I can simply make an msi package out of only the registry entries. The "project assistant" always makes a default feature with INSTALLDIR, and automatically creates folder on the target machine - even though they are empty.

Is it possible to make an msi-package in AdminStudio without any folders beeing created?

[Cary_R]

Hi Andre,

To avoid any folders being created, you can just clear out a table in Direct Editor:

1. In InstallShield, go to the Installation Designer -> Additional Tools -> Direct Editor
2. Find the CreateFolder table
3. Clear out all the records here.

This should allow you to install the MSI without having an empty directory created.

(Note: Creating the folder is behavior by design. We assume you want this here, so we drop the entry in CreateFolder to ensure it gets created.)

I might also suggest picking a registry key/value and setting it as the 'Keypath' under the registry view of the component. This will help avoid AutoRepair in the long run (since without one, the MSI package might look for the folder, and trigger autorepair).