Windows Installer Introduction

Outline
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What is the Windows Installer?

Windows Installer Packages

Installation Database

MSI Viewers

Msiexec and Logging

Windows Installer Codes

Properties
Features and Components

Installation Types and Phases

Sequences
Standard Actions

Custom Actions
Conditions
Formatted Text

Core installation technology there in all windows versions.
It runs in the background as a syntem service.

Features of it:
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Transactional installation with rollback: this maintains system stability when there is a failure.
Self Repair/Self Heal:windows installer can restore the files if deleted accidentally
Custom Actions: along with custom actions we can create these
Upgrades and Patching
Installation Logging using log files

windows installer packages:
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.msi
(implemented using COM strucutred storage. so single file can has many files embedded in it) File system within a file.
Also contains,Summary info stream and DB and many other as data streams.
As it is a db which is relational database.Many tables are there.

Declarative Approach:
Provide what needs to be installed and let windows installer do the work.


 MSI Viewers:
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orca(from wndows sdk)
insted(http://bit.ly/Inst-Ed)

the app that read and installs the msi files is msiexec.
HKCR\Msi.Package\shell\Open\command - %SystemRoot%\System32\msiexec.exe /i "%1" %*

Logging
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msiexec.exe /L<other options>