Hi, I want my setup to install a component in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC), however, I noticed that when installing for multiple users the ref count of the shared assembly in the GAC is not taken care of and it is removed from the GAC as soon as a user uninstalls the application, breaking the installations for other users. This does not seem to be normal as the whole purpose of GACing is to share assemblies. How can I get around this issue?
I got a comment from Heath Stewart that this is not a supported case. From Heath:
Wait, so you’re installing a product per-user and writing to the GAC? The shared components are only tracked within the same context, so the component ref counting is going to a per-user SID key in the Windows Installer registry hive while you’re writing a file to a global location. That’s not a supported case. Consider applocal scenarios for your assemblies instead, or install your product per-machine.
