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Snapshots - Icons corrupting

Hi there folks

I have an issue with snapshotting an application. This is driving me nuts. I have tried this with both AdminStudio 10 and 11 and the end result is the same.

I start a snapshot and then I install my application. As part of the standard installation procudedure it will create a shortcut on the desktop.

When I then come to Build the application it will then install OK but when we come to run the application Windows will cause a repair of the application. If after installation we create a .LNK file and point it to the .EXE then it works just fine.

Looking at the shortcut properties the link created they are different from the shortcut which we have supplied in that things like Target Directory are blanked out.

Even if we create a .LNK file in the folder structure that we then capture it seems that the build process goes through and corrupts this file too.

I am surprised that something as simple as installing an application is such a pain. Hopefully someone will be able to point me to where I am going wrong.
(1) Reply
You are talking the difference between advertised shortcuts and non-advertised shortcuts. When you run an application through the repackager and a shortcut is created to an executable that is installed with the application, then the MSI creates an advertised shortcut. If you manually create a shortcut on your dekstop to an app or exe, it is non-advertised.

In short, when an advertised shortcut is clicked on it engages the Windows Installer engine to do a quick check of several key elements of the installation to ensure everything is installed. If something is found to be missing, then Windows Installer initiates a self-repair. This is what you are seeing.

To resolve the issue, you can either edit the resulting package that the repackager creates to make those shortcuts non-advertised, or determine what is causing the self-repair and fix that. Items in the HKCU registry hive or under a user's profile are what typically cause MSI's to initiate a self repair.