Programs always setting up for new users

[prostetnic]

Everytime a new user logs into a machine the Software installed using MSI has to setup the program again. This is really causing problems for me as out of 3000 computers in out company more than half are mobile users. if they are not connected to the Network the msi just pops up a cannot find source files box. I can remove the program without the network so the database is there, if i look in the installer directory the msi is copied in as wierd name.

I really cannot have this happening!!

Is there a way to specify that a: this shouldnt happen or b: the files required are copied locally to the machine. Any help ist really appreciated

[RajeshTammana]

This Setup dialog for a new user may come up, if the setup was originally installed for one user instead of ALLUSERS. There may be some components which are not installed for all users.

Make sure that the setup is installed for ALLUSERS.

To find out which components are not installed for everyone, use MSI's Logging System policy to log the components which are dynamically getting installed for NEW Users. You can find more information on how to set this system policy in MSI's Help.

Windows Installer engine caches the msi package with a temporary name in the directory.

Regards

Rajesh
InstallShield Software Corporation

[prostetnic]

but according the the msi help file ALLUSERS only works when Admin privelages exist otherwise it defaults to per user anyway??

Not sure about you but i have never come across an envinroment where users have the admin rights? or at least not one that survived longer than a working day 🙂

I have a kinda complicated question now.

I deploy all of my software via SMS (god knows why but my bosses wont let me use ADS) Now the SMS installer installs software using the user details but under the sms envinroment. This has admin rights. Does this mean that the User then gets per machine install if i set the ALLUSERS=1 property at runtime? if so what happens when he a: logs in tomorrow without admin rights b: another user logs in without admin rights?

simply put:
None of my users have admin rights (because that kinda nullifies the point in win2k or?) I do not want this software setting itself up everytime a new user goes to the machine (there are no roaming profiles) What do i have to set allusers to?

[stankjones]

The only way that I've been able to stop this is to remove the advertisement, from the shortcuts.

I've also been forced to remove key files from certain components in other cases. This obviously can cause some problems though.

[nicholas_ong]

The self healing feature is built to allow users to repair the application without having to place a support call. You will need to do two things:

1. Set the ALLUSERS=1 to install to the allusers profile
2. Set the Cache Web Download property value to "Yes". This will cache the entire MSI on the local drive to allow the repair to be performed from the local drive.

Caching the MSi is more applicable for mobile users as they are rarely connected to the network. You may want to have two different MSIs, one that repairs from the network and one that caches to the local drive. Unless harddrive space is not an issue.

Also for the shortcut and registry entries, you can set the
UseHKCUProxy in the options.ini file to copy the registry entries in HKCU to the default users key. This will only work for locally created users, not roaming users.

[prostetnic]

hmm. Some of my installation programs are500mb+ (about 17 of them) Do I have to cache the entire thing or just the msi itself. the only things that are getting setup again are registry entries and shortcuts and these are all in a table..

The problem is that each laptop has a 40 gb drive and I am already using over 36Gb of it for software, databases and of course XP. There is definately not enough space to do this. Also it only seems to be certain (adobe mostly) programs that do it. if i right click anywhere it runs the setup (i assume for the right click menu shortcuts) and also the first time i double click My Computer icon.

Is there a way to find out exactly what it is resetting and then simply copy the changes from one profile into all of them? (bad solution to a bad problem)

Oh and i never leave the advertised shortcuts for a laptop anyway, just don't see the point in that feature to be honest..when I install software I want it installed..

[CChong]

Howdy-

I'm in a similar situation here with repackaged MSIs that are trying to phone home to the network share or original source whenever a new/non-admin user launches the app for the first time. Were you ever able to find a decent solution to your problem?

Danke
B

[stankjones]

Advertised shortcuts off, then you will want to look at the component Key files.
Removing the key file in a component will stop self healing.
(ie Adobe Acrobat products that attempt reinstallation when My Computer is clicked, this might be the internet explorer plug in, nppdf32.dll)
In some cases I've had some undesirable side effects to removing the key file, like IE not seeing pdf files after the key is removed from that component.

(To see which components are calling out, you can cancel your re-install, and then check the Application log in Event Viewer)

As far as reinstalls for every first time user...
I've had some success eliminating this by placing components from the [AppDataFolder] in the[CommonAppDataFolder] instead.

Hopefully this helps.

[prostetnic]

ok after a couple of months playing i have found the following:

1: self healing and per user installs are a REALLY CRAP IDEA, sorry but seriously what idiot came up with that plan???? stupid Licence and money hungry idiots. Oh, Microsoft.

2: Make your msi as seperate pack (i.e MSI, data and setup files.) then tell the realease wizard to cache the program in wherever. this will copy the msi ONLY to the drive and in most cases of self healing this will fix the problem.

3: Go through the app and set ALL components that are in the user specific folders to common folders, this will remove the need for the self healing use of cab files (most applications can survive this proccess and if they can't then don't install them on XP)

4: Install the package a: via SMS? with ALLUSERS=2 or by hand with Admin rights with the same way.

5: Quick tip. if the program is not supposed to be available for all users, then go into the registry under CV\Run and delete the entry that starts the program and create a new one (then it wont self heal on every start.) this goes also for the startup folder.

Hope this helps. Sorry for the rant at the beginning but no System Admin in the world can honestly think this is a good idea for Business (read shared) computers.