Windows Installer

Windows Installer is an installation and configuration service that helps reduce ownership costs by providing a component-based application installation architecture. Installation is consistent across all applications packaged for Windows Installer. Packages are easily customizable, installations are protected from errors, and a rollback mechanism provides for recovery in case of failure. Windows Installer supports application and feature advertising. Windows Installer provides many other benefits, and most Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) are now using it to package their applications. Windows 7 includes Windows Installer 5.0. For more information about its new features, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372796.aspx.

Windows Installer 5.0 is compatible with User Account Control (UAC) in Windows 7. By using elevated installation, an administrator can authorize Windows Installer to install applications or security updates on behalf of users who aren't members of the Administrators group. Windows Installer packages provide the following to enable flexible application deployment:

• Command-line options You use command-line options to specify options, file names, and path names, as well as control the action of the installation at run time.
• Properties (variables) on the command line Properties are variables that Windows Installer uses during an installation. You can set a subset of these, called public properties, on the command line.
• Transforms A transform is a collection of changes you can apply to a base Windows Installer package (.msi) file. You can customize applications by using Windows Installer transform (.mst) files. You configure transforms to modify a Windows Installer package to dynamically affect installation behavior according to your requirements. You associate transforms with a Windows Installer package at deployment time. Transforms for Windows Installer package files are similar to answer files that you might have used to automate the installation of an operating system such as Windows Vista.

The number of applications packaged as Windows Installer databases is multiplying rapidly. Nearly all software vendors are packaging their applications using this technology. And what often looks like a self-contained, self-extracting setup program with a file name such as Setup. exe is often a file that decompresses to a Windows Installer database. You can usually extract the database by using a tool such as WinZip (from WinZip Computing at http://www.winzip.com) or by running the setup program and looking in %UserProfile%\Local Settings\Temp for the package file. Windows Installer databases have the .msi file extension.

To install Windows Installer databases unattended using Msiexec.exe, use the /qb commandline option for a basic user interface or the /qn command-line option for no user interface. Also, to ensure that the package installs for all users, add the ALLUSERS=2 property. For example, the command

installs the package file Program.msi with no user interaction and for use by all users who share the computer.

Note You can learn more about Windows Installer at
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa372866.aspx
For a list of command-line options, see
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/library/9361d377-9011-4e21-8011-db371fa220ba1033.mspx?mfr=true