Can I install only agent.exe instead of the entire Update Service package?

[Brad_Peterson]

I have some frustrating issues with the Update Service which have bothered me to the point of almost dropping the service altogether. The main issue is this:

When I include the Update Service package with my InstallShield installer, I am very unhappy and frustrated with what it decides to install. It installs 4 completely useless things I have no need for.

1) It places a shortcut to the Update Manager right inside the start menu. (For windows 98, it's on the top of the start menu. For XP, it's right inside All Programs). This is extra baggage we don't need, and it clutters the users start menu.

2) It auto loads the Update Manager into memory and as a tray icon. This is also useless extra baggage which clutters our customers experience.

3) It also loads issch.exe into memory. This program of course is a sheduler, but the update scenario we chose has no need for it.

4) There is also the problam with Update Manager popping up after updates are completed. Our program uses the code provided in the help files to see if any update is available and if so, our program auto lauches the download updates window. However, when this update is completed, the Update Manager window often loads after such an update is applied. As I explained in a previous thread, this is very annoying, since it prompts a user about updating their product, *right after* we just finished updating that user's computer.

What is most annoying, is that I precisely followed one of the documentations recommended scenarios of pushing updates to our user. We opted to have our program handle the updates as closely as possible, instead of relying on Update Manager or helper programs. However, it seems that the Update Service is insistent on obtrusively installing shortcuts, tray icons, and hijacking the update process...even though the documentation scenario I chose has no need for these obtrusive things.

So, I would like to selectively install my own Update Service files. I don't need Update Manager program, the background scheduler, the tray icon, the start menu shortcut, etc. I just need agent.exe to access some of the objects to use in our program. So that's all I want to install.

So my question is, can I safely get away with just installing the agent.exe file with our product? Or are all the files in the Update Service installer package so interconnected and dependent with each other that our customers are forced to live with the extras they dont need?

[Paul_M_]

I understand your pain with regards to the manager. We have however provided a version and instructions to install without this functionality. Please check http://support.installshield.com/kb/view.asp?articleid=Q111107

[Brad_Peterson]

Thanks for the reply. I searched through the documentation, but I didn't find that one.

I'll give it a shot. Hopefully it will do what I need.