How do I run an exe that is included with my installed program?

[AFPDesignerBBL]

I have a main program, called Main.exe, that I am installing and along with it I have another "Abc.exe" file that I want to run once after all the files are loaded into the [INSTALLDIR] folder. The Abc.exe has one command line option also.


My install is a Basic MSI install. I have tried using the Custom Action Wizard selecting exe file as the type. After that I was not really sure of how to set all the options. I have tried Imediated execution, defered execution and committed execution. It seems every time I run my install on a target machine, my Abc.exe file and all my other files copy to the [INSTALLDIR], my Main.exe is installed and runs fine, but the Abc.exe has not done what it needed to do. Then if I manually run my Abc.exe on the Target PC at the Command line with the one parameter it works fine.

I am very new at custom actions and Install Shield in general. So any insight would be appreciated.

[CHANDINATHREDDY]

create an custom action which calls exe and if you are installing the abc .exe with your product then select that installed with product then leave ui level and at execution level select after install finalize and dont forget to set condition NOTINSTALLED other wise it will run during uninstall and and as it cant find the file to execute(because it is being marked as deleted) it fails and it is an serious problem..

[AFPDesignerBBL]

Thanks for your input. I will give it try. Much appreciation.

[AFPDesignerBBL]

The exe is suppose to put records into an Acess configuration database for another program. So that my program program will be a Menu option in this third party program. I also am registering a dll that calls my program when this Menu option is clicked.

If I manually run my Abc.exe at the command line afer my program is installed. The records will be inserted into the Acess cofiguration database for the third party program. But I still can not seem to get my install to run the Abc.exe to do it.

Also, I do not think the registering of the dll is quite working either. If I manually do it using regsvr32.exe it works fine, but in the install not so well.

[CHANDINATHREDDY]

Hi if you want to add an dll then registor it self then you have to check extract com information immediately and then how you have scheduled your custom action it should be like execute sequence after install finalise and is this exe is installed with product or is it only needed for run only once during install if exe is to be run only once then store them in support dir and call from there. and more over try to read the msi log file it provides you all the information regarding the files have got installed or not registries added or not and each single information that in which you are not sure it is working as of your intention.