InstallSite Blog : Web Resources

The effect of MSIFASTINSTALL

stefan — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:35:04 GMT

In MSI 5 there’s a new property MSIFASTINSTALL that can be set on the command line or in the Property table to speed up large install packages. It’s a combination of flags that will avoid creation of a system restore point, skip some costing tasks, reduce the frequency of progress messages, or any combination of these.

Alex Verboon has run some performance tests to see how much installation time is reduced by setting the MSIFASTINSTALL property. He doesn’t explicitly specify which build of Windows 7 he used for his test, but it probably was the RC build (since the beta version has expired and the RTM is not available yet).

Alex Verboon’s blog article:
Reduce software installation time

What Developers should know about Windows 7 without Internet Explorer

stefan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:12:28 GMT

As you've probably read before, in Europe Windows 7 will ship without Internet Explorer. This edition will be called "Windows 7 E" and Internet Explorer will not be included for legal reasons. Users will be able to install IE themselves, but it will not be installed by default. For the same reason, users in Europe won't be able to perform an in-place update from Windows Vista to Windows 7. Instead they need to do a clean install, essentially removing IE from their system.

This means that your application may run on a Windows system without any default web browser. This could cause problems if you try to open a web page from your application or from your setup program.

Note that the underlying "internet web platform component" is present even on Windows 7 E, so things like HTML help and embedded WebBrowser controls will work, but opening a web browser window will not.

The Windows Team has published some developer FAQs around Windows 7 E in their blog:
Windows 7 E Best Practices for ISVs

MSI Compatibility: Lying about VersionNT and ServicePackLevel

stefan — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:39:33 GMT

MSI 5 on Windows 7 introduces a new application compatibility setting, as Chris Jackson describes in his blog.

To work around too strict OS version checks in LaunchConditions, Windows Installer can automatically try several variations of values for the VersionNT and ServicePackLevel properties to circumvent the condition. For instance it will start with VersionNT=600 (Windows Vista) and ServicePackLevel=14, then count down the SP level (13, 12, …, 0), then repeat the same with VersionNT=502 (Windows Server 2003) and so on, until the LaunchCondition succeeds. This is a per-msi setting on the local machine, which can be turned on using this dialog:

According to the blog, Windows Installer also sets these properties which might be useful to detect that version lying is going on:

SHIMFLAGS
SHIMVERSIONNT
SHIMSERVICEPACKLEVEL

As far as I know these properties are currently not documented in MSDN.

Original article:
Unraveling the Mysteries of MSI Compatibility Modes in Windows 7

False Positives in Windows 7's Installer Detection

stefan — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:18:00 GMT

When User Account Control (UAC ) was introduced in Windows Vista it would have caused problems for many existing setups because they required full administrator permissions. Therefore Microsoft added heuristical detection for installers. For instance if it detects a keyword like “setup” or “installer” in the exe file name or in the resources it assumes that this is a setup program and displays the UAC prompt to elevate the program to the full administrator token. This can however cause problems if your program actually isn’t a setup but is falsely identified as one by the installer heuristic (“false positive”). To avoid this you could add a manifest to your application to tell Windows Vista that it’s not a setup.

Windows 7 has similar functionality, but it ignores the information you put in the manifest for Windows Vista – you have to add another piece of data especially for Windows 7. Chris Jackson, who is an Architect and the Technical Lead for the Windows Application Experience SWAT Team, blogged about this problem, and a possible fix.

PCA Changes for Windows 7: How To Tell Us You are Not an Installer, Take 2 (because we changed the rules on you)

(German:) Kostenloses Kompendium zur Anwendungsvirtualiserung

stefan — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:38:48 GMT

In der Reihe "Kompendium zur Virtualisierung" ist ein Heft mit Schwerpunkt Anwendungsvirtualisierung erschienen. Es behandelt unter anderem VMware ThinApp, Citrix XenApp, Microsoft App-V und InstallFree Bridge. Das 76-seitige Heft im DIN-A-5-Format erhält man kostenlos zugeschickt, wenn man sich auf SearchDataCenter.de registriert.

Why UAC isn’t a security boundary, and how auto-elevation works on Windows 7

stefan — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:44:10 GMT

Mark Russinovich (of SysInternals fame and now employed as a Technical Fellow at Microsoft) has published an interesting article about User Account Control (UAC) in the July issue of TechNet Magazine.

He discusses the goal of UAC, why it could be circumvented by malware, and how auto-elevation on Windows 7 avoids elevation prompts from system tasks.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.07.uac.aspx

Sample package from DesktopEngineer.com helps you becoming familiar with new MSI 4 and MSI 5 features

stefan — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:50:33 GMT

Darwin Sanoy of DesktopEngineer.com has published a MSI sample package with a step-by-step self learning guide that leads you through testing new features in Windows Installer versions 4 and 5. Topics covered include:

signed and unsigned UAC prompts, signing MSI packages
elevation scenarios and custom actions permissions
per-user installations
full msi file caching
and more

Download: Test Package and 30 Page Lab Manual for Testing MSI 4.0 (Vista) and MSI 5.0 (Win7) Features

Windows 7 Logo Requirements

stefan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:45:28 GMT

Microsoft has published a preview of the “Technical Requirements for the Windows 7 Software Logo Program for Client Operating Systems”. The list of requirements is significantly shorter than in previous versions of Windows. The use of Windows Installer (MSI) or ClickOnce is no longer listed as an explicit requirement.

Software developers can now self-test their application for compatibility, external test centers are no longer involved in the process. Instead they have to give a copy (and license) of their application to Microsoft for testing purposes.

Microsoft will hold the ISVs responsible for their products: ISVs must to agree to a 30-90 day resolution policy for all issues identified in market with logo’d products.

Chaining MSI Packages with MSI 4.5 White Paper

stefan — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:19:26 GMT

David Cole, Senior Software Engineer and Install Architect at IBM, has written a white paper called “Using Chained .MSI Packages to Componentize Your Windows Installer Setup”. The white paper is available from Acresso Software, the makers of InstallShield, but most of the content is independent of the tool used to create the setup.

David doesn’t simply reiterate the documentation from Microsoft or Acresso regarding the chaining features that were introduced with Windows Installer 4.5. Instead he collected information about best practices, pitfalls and limitations from sources such as blogs, web sites, community discussions etc. The result is a very useful document that anyone who considers building chained MSI packages should read.

Download the white paper from Acresso (registration required)

WARNING: Anyone who knows your e-mail address can retrieve the information you entered during registration, so be careful what you enter as address, phone number, company revenue, etc.

Deploying VSTO Office Add-Ins with Windows Installer

stefan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:38:05 GMT

If you are creating Office add-ins you may find this two-part MSDN article useful. It describes how to install add-ins created with Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) using Windows Installer. The article uses Visual Studio to create the MSI.

LINQ to MSI

stefan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:51:00 GMT

LINQ stands for Language-Integrated Query and enables you to directly query databases in .NET programming languages. In a series of blog posts Bart De Smet is writing a query provider to use LINQ for MSI databases. He emphasizes that it's a sample only, and I must admit that I don't understand all of it. But if you are a .NET programmer working with Windows Installer you may find this interesting.

The blog posts so far:

Basic Introduction to InstallShield and Windows Installer

stefan — Wed, 07 May 2008 07:56:40 GMT

Found a nice blog article by Susan Gorman that introduces Windows Installer and InstallShield's role:

Basic Introduction to InstallShield and Windows Installer

Video: Windows Installer and Application Compatibility

stefan — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:57:04 GMT

Microsoft's Channel 9 posted a video interview with Robert Flaming, program manager on the Windows Installer team. Robert talks about topics like User Account Control (UAC), chainers, restart manager, nested install custom actions, digitally signing setups and patches.

Watch the video or download as video or audio podcast:

Application Compatibility - MSI Installer Issues

New Security Vulnerability in FLEXnet Connect

stefan — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:23:00 GMT

New reports about security vulnerabilities in Macrovision's FLEXnet Connect (formerly called InstallShield Update Service) have been published on January 15, ~~2007~~ 2008. The vulnerability would enable an attacker to remotely run malicious code on a users machine. The following files are affected:

isusweb.dll version 6.1.100.61372
ISDM.exe version 6.1.100.61372

Other versions may also be affected.

Sample exploit code is available on the web.

Macrovision has not yet replied to my request for a confirmation of these reports. As a workaround you should set the kill bit for the affected ActiveX controls (see below articles for details).

Setups created with Macrovision's InstallShield often ship the FLEXnet Connect/Update Service client by default, even if the author isn't actually using it. I recommend that you review your setup packages and inform your customers, if your setup installed the vulnerable files on their machines.

[edit 2008-02-25: corrected the date]

InstallShield Support for Visual Studio 2008, .NET Framework 3.5 and VC++ 9

stefan — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:16:06 GMT

Macrovision released updates for InstallShield 2008 to support integration with Visual Studio 2008 and redistribution of the .NET Framework 3.5 and VC++ 9 runtime files:

These updates are only available for InstallShield 2008, but not for previous versions (although the .NET 3.5 prerequisite and the VC++ merge modules may work with other InstallShield versions)

Developer Webcast: Application Deployment on Windows (December 4, 2007)

stefan — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:57:10 GMT

In part 5 of their "Ignite our Coding" webcast series, the MSDN team at Microsoft Canada talks about application deployment on Windows:

Now that your code is written and tested, how do you plan to deploy the working bits? There are a lot of different ways to deploy applications on the Windows –based platform, and you’ll learn all about them in this helpful session.

The live webcast will take place on December 4, 2007, at 12p.m. EST, which is equivalent to 17:00 UTC and 18:00 CET. Click here for other time zones.

Registration:
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032355795

Serious issue with the .NET 3.5 installer on Windows Vista

stefan — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:20:41 GMT

Aaron Stebner reports an issue (some commenters call it a "nightmare") in the .NET Framework 3.5 installer that can cause a premature reboot request on Windows Vista. If the user accepts the reboot request while the framework installer or your own setup isn't completed yet, the system can end up in an unknown state.

The problem was identified in the beta of .NET 3.5, but will not be fixed in the release version. Aaron describes some workarounds to prevent this premature reboot request, and I highly recommend you add this to your prerequisite installer.

How to avoid OS reboot prompt when installing the .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows Vista

Free e-books about Virtualization

stefan — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:51:35 GMT

There are two e-books about virtualization available from Realtime Publishers as free download. Both books are not completed yet, new chapters being published regularly.

The Definitive Guide to Virtual Platform Management by Anil Desai covers various virtualization technologies, including OS virtualization and application virtualization. The following chapters are already available:

Chapter 1: The Business Value of Virtualization
Chapter 2: Virtualization Scenarios and Applications
Chapter 3: Comparing Virtualization Approaches
Chapter 4: Virtualization Management Challenges
Chapter 5: Managing Heterogeneous Virtual Environments
Chapter 6: Monitoring Virtualization Performance
Chapter 7: Optimizing Virtualization Performance
Chapter 8: Virtualization Management: Policies and Processes

The following chapters are still in the making:

Chapter 9: Virtualization Management: Datacenter Automation
Chapter 10: Evaluating Virtualization Management Solutions

This e-book is sponsored by ca.

The Shortcut Guide to Selecting the Right Virtualization Solution by Greg Shields appears to focus on operating system virtualization - from what I can see so far. Only the first chapter is available yet:

Chapter 1: The Virtualization Assessment

The following additional chapters are planned:

Chapter 2: Virtualization Software Options
Chapter 3: Best Practices in Implementing Virtualization
Chapter 4: Managing Virtualization Environments

This e-book is sponsored by SWsoft, makers of server virtualization product Virtuozzo, who also announced its acquisition of Parallels, Inc. earlier this year.

More on the security patch for FLEXnet Connect

stefan — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:18:00 GMT

Some additional information about the recently reported security vulnerability in FLEXnet Connect:

According to Secunia the vulnerability is reported in versions 5.01.100.47363 and 6.0.100.60146 of the Update Service ActiveX control (isusweb.dll), but other versions may also be affected. It is recommended that you update all machines which have versions prior to 6.0.100.65101 installed, or set the kill bit for the affected control. For more information see the advisory from VeriSign iDefense Security Intelligence Service.

A stand-alone installer to update the FLEXnet Connect Client on your end users' machines is available (Download). Unfortunately the installer isn't digitally signed, so it will display a UAC dialog with yellow title bar on Windows Vista, warning about an unidentified program. Note that this stand-alone installer will not update the redistributables on your development machine. You need to install the latest Connect SDK to do this.

To update the files in the InstallShield Redist folders on your development machine, download and install the latest version of the FLEXnet Connect SDK. I did this on a machine which has both InstallShield 12 and InstallShield 2008 installed. This updated the files in the Macrovision\IS12\Redist\Update Service folder, but not in its IS2008 counterpart. So after installing the SDK you should verify the version numbers and update the files manually as needed.

Security patch for FLEXnet Connect

stefan — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:00:00 GMT

Today, Macrovision Corp. notified customers of FLEXnet Connect® (formerly called InstallShield Update Service) of a security vulnerability in the FLEXnet Connect client version 6.0. Customers using the FLEXnet Connect functionality that is bundled with some editions of InstallShield and AdminStudio are also affected. The problem only exists in the Windows client, not the Universal client. Also, version 6.1 is not affected.

Macrovision has released a patch to fix the vulnerability. If you are using FLEXnet connect and distributed the client to your customers, you need to take action as soon as possible. After updating the Connect SDK on your development machine you have to create an update for your application setup and ship it to your customers in order to update the Connect client on their machines.

Macrovision knowledge base articles:

Side note: End users can't update the client dircetly from Macrovision because it was installed by your setup as a merge module. This servicing limitation is making merge modules less popular these days, see Rule 43 in the Tao of the Windows Installer.