Unable to get post-installation configuration steps to apply to all users

[CChong]

I’m tuning Adobe Reader 6.0.1 and am unable to force my post-installalation configuration steps (a few preferences changes) to apply to all users. (These changes are 6 registry edits and I have them all contained in a single component.)
Some of the different things I’ve tried (unsuccessfully) include; switching them from HKCU to HKLM, switching them to HKUS, leaving them all in HKCU but setting a Key Path on one of them, setting ALLUSERS to 1 and setting ALLUSERS to 2.
Any tried and true methods out there?

tks

[DavidLock]

If you want them to apply to all users they should go under HKLM or if they can only go under HKCU then you should set one as the key path and make sure the app launches with an advertised shortcut. This means the reg key will repair for each user.

If that doesn't work perhaps post up exactly which keys are causing the issue.

[CChong]

For these two keys, the best results (i.e. “best results” are that they work at all) are when I install them to HKCU, (but that, of course, doesn’t work for all users).

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\6.0\AdsInReader]
"sAdsLastUpdate"=hex:32,30,30,34,30,33,31,35,31,34,31,37,33,37,5A,00
"bShowAds"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\6.0\Originals]
"bAllowOpenFile"=dword:00000000
"iDefaultZoomScale"=dword:00000000
"bDisplayAboutDialog"=dword:00000000
"sProofingSpace"=hex:55,2E,53,2E,20,57,65,62,20,43,6F,61,74,65,64,20,28,53,\57,4F,50,29,20,76,32,00


I’ll try the advertised shortcut option as that sounds quite promising. Actually, that brings another question to mind…
I’ve been using the following command line to launch the install (with a minimum interface):

MsiExec.exe /qb /i “\Adobe Reader 6.0.1.msi” TRANSFORMS=”Adobe Reader 6.0.1.msi”

I thought about using advertisement but I was unable to add the “/jm” switch into the above command line. I tried numerous combinations (before the /qb, between the /qb and the /I and after the /i) but they all produced the “Incorrect command line parameters” error message.

What’s the best way to modify or replace that command line so that I can advertise the installation?


Additional info:
These first 4 work (for all users) when installed to HKLM:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\6.0\AdobeViewer]
"EULA"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\6.0\JSPrefs]
"bEnableJS"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\6.0\Search\cOptions]
"iCacheSize"=dword:00000014
"bEnableBGIndexing"=dword:00000000
"bIgnoreFH"=dword:00000000
"iMaxDocs"=dword:00000064

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\6.0\Updater]
"bShowAutoUpdateConfDialog"=dword:00000000
"bShowNotifDialog"=dword:00000000
"iUpdateFrequency"=dword:00000000

One thing I need to confirm, is whether or not installing them to HKLM causes a situation where one user changes their preferences and that changes the same preference for all the other users. I’m going to test that next…

[DavidLock]

To advertise on the command line replace the /i with with /jm, but you don't really need to do that just make sure that the shortcuts are advertised shortcuts which will check the presence of those keys under HKCU.

It seems that you need those HKCU keys to be installed for every user on the machine. Just place them in the HKCU as normal, specify them as key paths. Then every time a user launches the app with an advertised shortcut the Windows Installer service will check the health of all key paths. If they are missing they will be reinstalled. So those keys will be re-installed for each user.

[CChong]

Progress!

I'm placing them all in HKCU but I'm now including these two crucial steps:
1. I'm creating my Component within the same feature as the advertised shortcut and,
2. I'm setting that feature (and its parent) to Favor Advertise.

At this point I have all of my post installation Preferences edits working for all users (including user accounts that already existed on that PC).

But (I'm starting to think there's always a "but" with packaging/tuning :rolleyes: ) here's the small problem I've got. As I go forward with my testing (specifically the first Acceptance Test...) I have found that the menu item 'Edit/Search' produces the error message "A plug-in used to perform Search is missing. Please reinstall Acrobat."
Following that I spent some time setting numerous features to 'Favor Advertise' and checking each one. No go. I then used the command line option ADVERTISE=ALL. Still no go... :confused:

[DavidLock]

You don't need to set your feature to favor advertisement but you do, as you say, need the component to which the registry keys belong to be in the same feature as the advertised shortcut.

For the plug-in problem I'd use filemon and regmon (www.sysinternals.com) to monitor what exactly is not found.