How to make better use of MSI files

Question

As you might know, msiexec is a command line application that you can use to install an MSI file. As you might know, you can run it in silent or invisible mode.

If t

Answer 1

How to configure silent MSI setup

An MSI installation can be configured on the command line by setting the properties that the installer uses. There are pre-defined Windows Installer properties such as the ALLUSERS property. This property defines whether an installation will be done in the context of the current user or the machine.

Information on the available properties can e.g. be obtained from an install log which can be created using msiexec's /l option

msiexec /I mysetup.msi /l*vx log.txt

How to create MSI files

There are many ways to create MSI files. An MSI file is basically a database consisting of various tables containing all necessary setup information and installation dialogs.

Microsoft offers a simple tool call Orca which enables you to edit existing MSI files and allows you to find out which properties can be set to configure an installation. Theoretically it is also possible to create new MSI files using this tool but it is a very cumbersome way to go.

If you are looking for a free and open source solution I would recommend you to have a look at the WiX toolset available on SourceForge or the Nullsoft . All setup information is done via XML files which are then converted into an MSI installer. WiX is stable (although still tagged beta) and can be used in production. Actually it will be integrated in the upcoming version of Visual Studio 2010.

Of course there are also commercial solutions available, InstallShield being the market leader (also being the price leader) and Visual Studio probably being the most wide-spread tool.