M100399: ManageSoft Installation of Wrapped MSI Packages

When deploying wrapped Windows Installer (MSI) packages the behavior of the ManageSoft launcher depends on the product code that has been set in the MSI.

ManageSoft Installation of Wrapped MSI Packages When deploying wrapped Windows Installer (MSI) packages the behavior of the ManageSoft launcher depends on the product code that has been set in the MSI. Typically, a major release of an MSI is packaged with a new product code, whereas a minor release is packaged with the same product code as the preceding major release.

When ManageSoft launches a package that is an MSI wrapped package, the following occurs:

ManageSoft reads the new MSI package and looks to find the product code of the MSI.

If the MSI product code is the same as the last MSI that was installed for that particular ManageSoft package, ManageSoft performs a REINSTALL with the new MSI.

If the product code is different from the last MSI that was installed for that particular ManageSoft package, ManageSoft performs an uninstall of the previous MSI, and a fresh install of the new. Windows installer itself also follows this behavior (uninstall and reinstall for new product codes). This is implemented through a table in the MSI that records the product codes of previous releases.

If a previous release is found when the MSI is installing then the previous release is uninstalled first. Issues with Adoption of MSI Packages When performing an adoption of an MSI package, ensure that the MSI package is authored correctly, such that the table containing the record of previous product codes for the application is correctly populated.

When performing the initial adoption of the application install ManageSoft is not aware of the previous MSI that may have been installed for this application. Windows Installer must be relied upon to identify a previous version and remove it before including the new one. Important Point Regarding Transforms When adding transforms to an MSI install it is important to realize that the transforms only get applied on the initial install of the MSI. Performing a minor upgrade of the MSI, which performs a REINSTALL of the MSI will not allow you to add new transforms (in fact Windows Installer allows you to pass them on the command line, however they have no effect). The only way to apply transforms is to uninstall and perform a fresh install of an MSI which applies those transforms. For example, when performing a major upgrade.