.NET 3.0 spawned from "SetupCompleteSuccess" fails

[alphacz]

InstallShield users,

I'm wondering if someone might have some insight into an issue I'm seeing.

We have a requirement in our installs to install .NET Framework 3.0 at the end of the install sequence. We also allow the user to select and install it as a feature. (We do it this way not using the pre-requisites editor because of customer requirements (Arg! 🙂 ).

Explanation:
-I first detect if .NET 3.0 is installed via a system search into the registry.
-I then set the feature to be defaulted to install if it isn't detected. Else it is defaulted to not be installed.
-At the end of the install on the "SetupCompleteSuccess" dialog, I then have an event set to run when the user clicks "OK" that runs the dotnetfx.exe file if it was selected as a feature to be installed earlier in the install.
-Its return process is "Asynchronous" (No wait for completion) and it runs in immediate mode.

This worked perfectly for .NET 2.0. When we just moved to .NET 3.0, I followed the same process. (I did rename dotnetfx3.exe to dotnetfx.exe to reduce extra configuration). When the .NET 3.0 install kicks off, about halfway through, it fails and rolls back. When I look at the detailed .NET 3.0 install log, I notice this:
[11/26/07,13:36:27] Windows Presentation Foundation: ***ERRORLOG EVENT*** : Error: Installation failed for component Windows Presentation Foundation. MSI returned error code 2

Interestingly enough, if I run dotnetfx.exe manually (not from an action at the end of a MSI install sequence) I do not receive an error.

Anyone have any ideas or know if this is a known issue? If not, I'll probably push hard to just go with the prerequisites editor as that is really the way this should be done.

Thanks,
Chris

[alphacz]

Bump... just wondering if anyone out there has any ideas. I have a support ticket open with Macrovision support, but they must be having a hard time getting back to me (haven't really heard from them for the past week).:( Thanks everyone...
Chris

[girishtg]

Me too facing the same issue with Installshield12, when trying to launch it through a custom action. Did you get any solution for this.
if so it would be great if you could share the solution.

Thanks
Girish

[alphacz]

Unfortunately, I never figured out a good fix for this. IS and Microsoft didn't have any ideas (although I just have to say my experience with the IS engineer wasn't helpful at all. I've had better luck with them before so maybe I just got first level support or something...Normally I wouldn't post something like this, but it put me over the top when I said that this was consistently reproducible and I put together a temporary install to show him, and he sent it back to me saying he couldn't reproduce it and could I please try it again to see if the problem goes away. WHAT?! It happens all the time on every machine I tried (even on different OS's); of course it is going to happen again. He would also only reply to my requests about once per week even though I said it was urgent). 😞

ANYWAY, what I decided to do was just use the InstallShield pre-requisites editor and include .NET 3.0 as a pre-req in the setup bootstrap program. This was pretty simple, but unfortunately wasn't part of a feature/component in the msi, which had been working pretty well. I'd recommend going the route of the pre-requisites editor, or else you will be banging your head on this one for awhile. I just don't think including it as a feature/component and trying to run it via a CA works.

HTH
-Chris

[girishtg]

Thanks Chirs for your reply, as of now i have implemented using prerequisite only. One small question if you have tried it out. Is their any way to change the banner or icon of this dialog (prerequisite). Reason, in my project all my diaolg banner is changed as per the company logo. Any clue you have where this dialog comes from on or any other way to replace it.

Thanks
Girish