Useful MSI Parameters
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MSI, an engine that facilitates the installation, maintenance and removal of software on late model Microsoft Windows systems, can be customized by changing the package.ini with the MSI parameters and rebuilding the application package to your specifications. The many varied actions of MSI files are dictated by the parameters, so by amending the MSI parameters you can achieve the specific desired function.
Listed here are several examples of different MSI parameters that might be used to achieve different desired results.
The MSIInstallDirectory is an MSI parameter that sets the installation directory for the setup. By putting the command MSIInstallDirectory=C: ProgramFiles/ in the Package.ini file, the installation directory is then set up in the package.
The MSIFilename parameter simply names the package. For example, by inserting MSIFilename=Firefox30.msi into the Package.ini file, then the package will be named appropriately. This is a basic MSI parameter yet it is essential for organization.
The MSIProductCode is an MSI parameter that makes it more user-friendly to set up an up-to-date version of the application. When updating this MSI parameter, you will see that an MSI database has both a product code and an upgrade code included. Keep the original value of the MSI upgrade code parameter.
The MSIDefaultInstallAllUsers parameter sets up installation of the package for various individual users. ThinApp then installs the packages into the %App Data% user directory for use. Specifically, including MSIDefaultInstallAllUsers=0 in the Package.ini file will achieve this.
The MSI Windows installer can install several different products at once all combined into a single package for deployment. Microsoft likes for third parties to use this Windows Installer and its Msi parameters as the base for the installation framework, for by doing so, everything synchronizes well with other installers therefore allowing for consistency and smooth running databases. This is where the MSI parameters come into play.
No matter what the MSI parameter values are in the initial building of the package, you can adeptly override the MSI parameter settings by changing those parameters to dictate the action desired upon deployment of the package. MSI parameters can often make or break the success of a package deployment.
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More references about creating mst files, try packagingsoftware.net.
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