32bit and 64 bit components in a single MSI package

[axu_69]

Hello:

Is there really no way to build a single basic MSI installer that contains both 32bit and 64bit components?

We would like to have a single MSI installer sent to the customer. The installer includes both 32bit and 64bit components (drivers and dlls).

When the customer runs the installer on 32bit OS, we want to show only 32bit components. The same goes for 64bit OS.

We really do not want to distribute two MSI installers, one for 32bit and one for 64bit.

My investigation so far suggests that this is almost impossible to do in basic MSI.

I was able to do this fairly easily in Installscript project. However, we would like to use basic MSI for certain reasons.

Thank you in advance.

Cheers,

[DLee65]

Microsoft seems to indicate that you need both a 32bit MSI and a 64bit MSI.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cd7a85k9(VS.80).aspx

However, you could still send a single setup to a customer if you desired, depending on the size of your deployment of course. I would explore creating a InstallScript Setup.exe that detects the current platform x86 or x64 and then launches the correct MSI package based on the results.

I know it is not ideal and I am not sure why MSI is restrictive, but this is the only thought that I have.

[Qingsong]

I thought InstallShield 2011 can do this.

[axu_69]

Qingsong wrote:
I thought InstallShield 2011 can do this.

Could you please elaborate on InstallShield 2011's support of mixing 32bit and 64bit components in a single MSI installter?

I just downloaded a trial version of the InstallShield 2011 and could not see anything new that allows me to do this.

I have 64bit driver and application components that need to be mixed with 32bit driver and application components into a single MSI installer.

I have pretty much decided that I need installscript to detect the OS and then launch the correct MSIs, just like Dan suggested.

However, in that case, I do not see why I need MSI anymore. I can just do everything with Installscript project.

Thank you very much,

Cheers,

[axu_69]

In particular, when I use the Device Driver Wizard to create Driver component, The Device Driver Machine Architecture is a setting that applies to all the device drivers in the project and it can only be set to either 32 or 64 but not both.