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Tim_Mayert
Level 9

Performing a Minor Update from CD issue

Okay this issue is still around where if you have a previous version installed on the machine and you then install the next version from a physical CD , where the next version is a full install that performs a minor update.

Now the install files on the CD are in a sub-folder on the Cd and when the install runs you get this message "Pleases insert disk1...".

Now I know that if I have the files placed onto the root of the CD then we are fine, or if we place the self-extracting copy of the install in the sub-folder it will work. But we now need to have the files in files placed into sub-folders and have to be in CD image format so that the setup .exe and .msi files are accessiable for admins.

So have there been any work arounds or fixes that will allow minor updates to work correctly from sub-folders on a physical CD image????

Any help would be appreciated as we are planning to release all our installs - minor/major and patches on CD/DVD and therefore we need it to work correctly for all media types built.

Thanks for any help,
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joshstechnij
Level 10 Flexeran
Level 10 Flexeran

Windows Installer provides the MEDIAPACKAGEPATH property to specify what relative path an MSI file is located on removable media. However, in order for this property to have an effect, it would need to have been specified in the base install. Therefore, it is not possible (without changing the product code) with removable media installation sources to change the location of the MSI file after first time install. A new source path would need to be added for this to work correctly (the MsiSourceListAddSource API could be used).
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Tim_Mayert
Level 9

So there is nothing that can be done to run this minor update from the CD?

Also for this MEDIAPACKAGEPATH property can it set during the install through a custom action. Bacially specifying where the msi is being ran from and setting that into this property before it gets to the location where it seems to need it. Or does it have to be placed onto the command line when the install is ran?

This should be something that is built into the installer/msi so that it is extra properties or command line that need to be entered to get it to work correctly.

Anyways if there is any other information that you can give me to help work around this issue I would appreciate it.
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joshstechnij
Level 10 Flexeran
Level 10 Flexeran

It is possible to run a minor upgrade from removable media, however, the MSI package needs to remain in the same location that it was originally located in for the base install. This is a requirement of the Windows Installer engine. Again, you may be able to work around this behavior by using the MsiSourceListAddSource API to add the new location of your MSI package to Windows Installer's source list for your product.

As far as I am aware, the MEDIAPACKAGEPATH property needs to be passed on the command line and cannot be set during an installation. If you are always launching from setup.exe, you can set MEDIAPACKAGEPATH in the MSI Command Line Parameters in the release you are building.
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Tim_Mayert
Level 9

We normally try to keep the same folder structure, but this will still not always be the case. Plus with our testing we installed the original version from the web self-extracting exe file and then the update from the CD. So in this case they would not have been the same anyways.

I just need a reliable method to perform minor upgrades from physical CD no matter where the original install was ran from or the new install is located on the CD.

So I just need to know what are the best ways to handle these issues.

Do you have an example or instructions on how to call the MsiSourceListAddSource function using a basic MSI project?
Would this work even if the previous version did not use this?

Any more help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
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joshstechnij
Level 10 Flexeran
Level 10 Flexeran

Reference for MsiSourceListAddSource can be found here. A Google search also turned up the following pages on using the Installer object version of MsiSourceListAddSource:
MSI Sources Management Utility
Source Resiliency

Note that because the MSI APIs are not owned or maintained by InstallShield, we cannot offer any direct support for them. You may wish to contact Microsoft if any assistance is needed specifically for these functions (if you are trying to call these through InstallScript and need assistance with prototyping the functions, please let us know).
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