This is the scenario. I install the package on a target computer. Works fine. Then, I delete files on the target computer which are no longer required. Here's the problem: as soon as I start the main application on the target computer, Windows starts restoring the deleted files.
How can I avoid this Windows restoration behavior?
This article explains the behavior and how to diagnose using tools like Sleuth which are not available in IS Express. Basically, I would like to know if there is any way to qualify some files which are included in my setup project to indicated that they are not essential and can be deleted without Windows installer trying to restore them afterwards. Thanks!
Sorry for the confusion. I referred to the article because it says this about the behavior that you encountered when you deleted files:
The general Windows® installer feature is called self-repair or resiliency, and it's part of Windows Installer's core functionality. There's no real way to disable this functionality, either globally or for a particular product, without disabling the Windows Installer service.
So, no, there's no supported way to avoid the auto-repair functionality.
Depending on your requirements, you may want to consider creating and deploying an upgrade or a patch that removes the files that are no longer required.
