This can be done. First add the exe to the Support Files. Then go to the Custom Actions view and create a new custom action to run the exe. Then go to Sequences > User Interface and remove all of the dialogs. When you run the msi, it will just run the exe, and the msi will not be installed as long as you don't add any components to the project. ... View more

Use conditions on your custom action. To run the action during a full uninstall use: REMOVE="ALL" To run the action when a specific feature is being removed use: &featureName=2 ... View more

Changing the INSTALLDIR value shouldn't matter. Please explain what the 4 scenarios are. Is it Major Upgrade, Minor Upgrade, New install, and Patch? Which 2 are the ones not working? In your log snippet, you are running a Major Upgrade. Are the files getting successfully Un-registered during the removal of the old build? If not, maybe that is preventing the installation of the new build from registering the same files? During installation of the new build, do you get an error message when the self-registration fails? ... View more

prototype BOOL isPortAvailable(STRING); function BOOL isPortAvailable(szPortNumber) STRING svCommand, svParams; STRING svLine; BOOL isAvailable; NUMBER nvFileHandle; begin isAvailable = TRUE; svCommand = SystemFolder ^ "netstat.exe"; svParams = " -an | find \"" + szPortNumber + "\" > \"" + FOLDER_TEMP ^ "stdout.txt\""; LaunchAppAndWait( svCommand, svParams, LAAW_OPTION_HIDDEN | WAIT); OpenFileMode (FILE_MODE_NORMAL); if(OpenFile (nvFileHandle, FOLDER_TEMP, "stdout.txt") < 0) then MessageBox ("OpenFile failed to open " + FOLDER_TEMP ^ "stdout.txt", SEVERE); abort; endif; while GetLine (nvFileHandle, svLine) = 0 if(svLine != "") then isAvailable = FALSE; endif; endwhile; CloseFile (nvFileHandle); return isAvailable; end; ... View more

ipconfig won't work. Most devices connect through a router so testing for network connectivity is not the same as checking for access to the internet. You need to make a call outside of the network and receive an expected response to determine access to the internet. Microsoft uses NCSI (Network Connectivity Status Indicator) There are 2 ways. 1) Have the installer download http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt and check that you receive it. This is a plain text file containing the text "Microsoft NCSI" OR 2) Perform a DNS lookup on dns.msftncsi.com and verify the IP is 131.107.255.255. If not, assume there is no internet access. ... View more

What are the conditions on the custom actions or components that are sometimes not installing properly, and which upgrade mode are they not working in? ... View more

Sorry, I saw that you are using an InstallScript project as soon as I submitted my reply. My reply is obviously for MSI projects and I haven't touched an Installscript project in a couple years so it's not fresh in memory how to do this. ... View more

Go to the dialog MaintenanceWelcome and change the text from this The InstallShield(R) Wizard will allow you to modify, repair, or remove [ProductName]. To continue, click Next. to this The InstallShield(R) Wizard will allow you to remove [ProductName]. To continue, click Next. Then change the behavior for the Next button. In the NewDialog event change the argument to ReadyToRemove Then change the behavior of the Back button for the ReadyToRemove dialog. Set the NewDialog argument to MaintenanceWelcome If you just want the unintsall to start right away when the installer is run, you can just remove all of the Maintenance mode dialogs from the sequence and instead just create a new Set Property custom action and set REMOVE="ALL". Sequence the action right after ISSetupFilesExtract (In both the Exec and UI sequences) with the conditions set to"Installed" without the quotes. ... View more

It's just the way it is. There is a delay between seeing the extraction windows and the InstallWelcome dialog because they come from running 2 different applications. The first application being run is the setup.exe, which extracts the msi and setup prerequisites to the temp folder. After the setup.exe has done it's job, it triggers a different program to run called msiexec and gives it your msi file location as a parameter. The time with no GUI is the time between setup.exe extraction and msiexec loading your msi, which contains InstallWelcome. There are 2 things you can do to speed things up, although they may not be desirable. 1) Change Compression to Uncompressed. 2) Change Installshield Prerequisites Location to "Copy from Source Media". These changes will make it so your CAB files and prereqs are staged alongside your setup.exe instead of embedded within it, therefor it doesn't need to extract it all when you run it. It's nice to be able to just distribute a single file though so you might not want to do this. ... View more

In the direct editor, go to the File table. Ctrl + F, type the name, then search If you are using dynamic file linking though they wont be in there. You will need to search the file system via windows explorer or another tool and try to determine which component has a dynamic link for the file's folder or one of it's parent folders. ... View more

Merge modules don't have their own install sequence, they are merged in to the main installer at build time and files from the merge module are deployed at the same time as files from the main installer and other merge modules, based on their sequence value in the File table. The obvious solution is just don't install the same file names to the same location. Pick the one you want and remove the other or add conditions to their components if you want to sometimes deploy one and sometimes the other. If you you are set on deploying the unwanted one and having the wanted one install 2nd and overwrite the unwanted one, you need to find the files in the File table of the one you want to deploy 2nd, and set the "Sequence" value for those files to be higher than the ones you want to go first. I am guessing this doesn't work with dynamic file linking though. ... View more

Go to Components, select your registry component, set Permanent to Yes. ... View more

http://helpnet.installshield.com/installshield21helplib/helplibrary/IHelpSetPrereqCustom.htm#definingprerequisites_3951505599_1035052 ... View more

.NET 4.5 is newer than Installshield 2012 so it doesn't come with a PRQ file already for it. You need to create a new setup prerequisite for it. Tools > Prerequisite Editor Under Conditions click Add Select "A registry entry has a specified version value" Look for this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full And this value name: Release For the value to check, it will depend on your version of .NET framework. For example, version 4.5.2 will be 379893. Check the above registry value for yours. Run this prereq if: Data on target system is less than specified data In the Files to Include tab, point it to your .NET installer In the Application to Run tab, select your .NET installer from the drop down. In the next 2 boxes, enter "/q /norestart" without the quotes And then for return codes "1641,3010" without the quotes. ... View more

If you are talking about the image just click it and replace the file name with your own or just clear it out. If you are talking about the greyed out "Installshield" on the bottom left of each dialog, look for IDS_INSTALLSHIELD in the String Editor and clear it out or replace the value. My understanding is that this is allowed, but frowned upon. You may want to check the EULA yourself to be sure. ... View more