Major repackager error

[WalkingRandomly]

Hi

I am using Repackager via AdminStudio 10.0. While packaging Notepad++ 5.9.5 from http://notepad-plus-plus.org/ I noted that Repackager generated the following registry key

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SideBySide] "PublisherPolicyChangeTime"="hex(11):5D,38,A3,58,E0,F9,CB,01"

If I allow this key to get into my final .msi and install on a test machine then the following symptoms are observed:

• If you try to run ANY .exe file then it will fail with the error message "More Data is available"
  
• If you reboot the machine then it will attempt to auto-repair but will fail. My test machine never got back into windows and needed to be re-imaged.
  

This key is not installed when you use the installer so I have no idea where Repackager is getting it from. Furthermore, I currently don't understand why this registry key is so dangerous.

The packaging environment was a VMWare workstation VM running 64bit Windows 7 SP1.

Can anyone advise please?

Best Wishes,
Mike

[jaybee96]

hmm.. did you also tried to repackage the application again to see if the issue is repeatable?

I repackaged the application without the issue... (monitoring)
I do see that the installation is touching all kinds of locations (registry) but not your specific key..

[WalkingRandomly]

Thanks for trying it out jaybee96...I've reproduced it a couple of times now but always using Snapshot.

Cheers,
Mike

[Darwin1]

WalkingRandomly wrote:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SideBySide] "PublisherPolicyChangeTime"="hex(11):5D,38,A3,58,E0,F9,CB,01"

• If you try to run ANY .exe file then it will fail with the error message "More Data is available"
  
• If you reboot the machine then it will attempt to auto-repair but will fail. My test machine never got back into windows and needed to be re-imaged.
  

This key is not installed when you use the installer so I have no idea where Repackager is getting it from. Furthermore, I currently don't understand why this registry key is so dangerous.

This key is directly related to how Windows uses Manifest, thats why your EXE cease to function. This is not handled by the notepad installer, but by windows. Since you are using snapshot, you are capturing all info that's changing meanwhile. Probably, you executed a exe that's legacy, maybe the installer, that don't have a manifest, and somehow, is trying to use UAC virtualization. Try do disable UAC before this and see if it continues to happen. But I always prefer to avoid snapshot.