Repackager

[SonnyLee]

Hi,

A customer asked me the following: 

Lately, Anti-Virus software is blocking our installs.  He made a small project using the MSI packager and it worked fine.  He believes the Repackager can help him convert the two dozen or so large installs he has to an MSI based project.  He would go to IntallScript-> Basic MSI->Installscript MSI. 

Would the Repackager help solve this challenge?

[moconn · Accepted solution]

If you have several InstallScript-based packages that you want to move to MSI, the Repackager in AdminStudio would allow you to migrate them to this format.

You run each of your InstallScript EXE installers on a clean virtual machine and the Repackager captures the result of that installer (including the files and folders it put down, the registry keys and entries it created, shortcuts, and INI file changes). You can automate the spin up of VMs and copying files in and out of them through the use of the Automated Application Converter:

https://docs.flexera.com/adminstudio2019r2sp1/adminstudio.htm#helplibrary/Vam_RootTopic.htm

We don't typically recommend the use of InstallScript after this repackaging process, as an InstallScript MSI adds complexity back into the package MSI that we removed when Repackaging was done.

Our recommendation would be to keep it as a Basic MSI installer utilizing all of the MSI standard actions. Using the InstallShield Editor included with AdminStudio, you can augment these Standard actions with build-in Custom Actions to perform other takes not available with the MSI format (e.g. create and write to XML and Text files, connect to a SQL database, install a website to IIS, etc.). A list of these Custom Actions that InstallShield can optionally include are found here:

https://docs.flexera.com/installshield25helplib/installshield25helplib.htm#helplibrary/Ref-ISCustomActions.htm

If you also need to do pre/post-installation tasks outside of the MSI, I'd suggest you look at the wrapping functionality in AdminStudio Professional/Enterprise:

https://docs.flexera.com/adminstudio2019r2sp1/adminstudio.htm#helplibrary/Wrap_MSI_EXE_Packages_Using_the_Wrap_Package_Wizard.htm

Most users don't know InstallScript and while its very powerful, there is an upfront learning curve.  However, its ultimately up to you to decide what's best for your environment.

(These are the latest links at the time of this post; please check https://docs.flexera.com/ for the current product documentation)