Install, then Uninstall, leaves files behind on some machines.

[mmcgregor]

This is a fairly basic install; files in one component (linked files plus one added file (the COM module)) and one .net COM DLL registration.

41 files in the root of the component directory
scripts folder
8 script files in the scipts folder

The installer works fine. On some/most machines (developer and non-developer, XP SP3 & Server 2003), the install and uninstall works falwlessly removing all the files and all created folders (root installpath as well as the scripts folder).

On other developer machines, the install is flawless, but the uninstall, no matter how you start it (Add/Remove remove or starting the installer .exe again and selecting the remove option in maintenance), always leaves behind the 41 root files. The scripts directory and files contained within it are removed, but not the 41 root files.

A similar installer for a different product also built with IS 2010 does work on these machines. This installer is built in exactly the same manor but uses multiple components (client, server, and common), contains services that are installed and removed by IS, and contains no .net registration but does have a normal DLL registration.

I've tried removing the .net registration from the component, but that did not help in the uninstall on the troubled machines.

Good and bad machines have similar windows patching and some differences between installed applications, but none that appear to possibly affect the install process (big assumption on my part).

I tried capturing the logs from a good and failed uninstall, but the major differences are related to the number of files found to uninstall. The good stated 49 to remove and the failed shows no errors but states only 8 files to remove (see attached files). None of the files are readonly; I purposefully remove all attributes from the files in another applicaiton before installshield builds the installer. None should be in use, since the program is never run; just installed and uninstalled on a machine that never ran any installer for this product previously. The coponent is not marked as shared or permanent.

Attached are the three "failed" files; the successful install (MSIc904f.txt), the two failed uninstall files (MSId21f0.txt and MSId37da.txt).
Also attacherd are two "good" files (limit of 5 sorry); successful install MSI70654.txt and "failed" with no errors uninstall MSI78c9b.txt.

Any suggestions, thoughts, or direction would be appreciated.
Is there a list somewhere of known products or OS patches that can cause issues?

Thanks in advance for any info.

[mmcgregor]

Within the dynamicly linked 41 root component files, there was one that was excluded in the dynamic link, add manaully to the component files, and marked as a key file. This was the COM wrapper that was a key field for the purpose of automatic component registration. This key file declaration, even with the .net registration for the component set to No, for this file alone appears to cause the remove problems. If I leave the file excluded from the dynamic link, add it manually to the file list, and DO NOT make it a key file, the uninstall problem disappears. I have heard of linked file issues, but I have not experienced this odd behavior.

The other install package mentioned does not use key files except when ONLY manually added files are present; two service components with only one file each and each is the key for its component service.

Is this a bug? Has anyone heard of a fix? Is this just a natural behavior, and I'm missing the reason for this behavior? Must you make a manually added key file ONLY in absence of dynamic linked files?

If anyone has some explanation for this behavior, I would greatly appreciate hearing about it.


Thanks again ...

[mmcgregor]

Put the .Net (AnyCPU version) COM wrapper into its own new component, made it the key file, activated .Net registration, and now only that file will not remove on an uninstall.

HELP! 😞

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!