The Microsoft Installer Executive (MSIExec) utility
helps you install applications on a system. The application setup
package must appear in a form that MSIExec can understand, which is
normally a file with a Microsoft Installer (MSI) extension, although
you'll see these files with an EXE extension as well. Generally, the MSI
packages are robust enough that you can install them unattended after
you test the application setup on a test machine. In fact, if you have
many machines to set up, using this approach, coupled with automation,
can save you considerable time. Unattended installations of tested
application setups are an excellent choice for after hours scripting.
This utility uses the following syntax:
msiexec /Option <Required Parameter> [Optional Parameter]
You can categorize the
command line switches for MSIExec into several functional areas. Each
area performs a specific Microsoft Installer task. The following list
describes each of the command line installation options.
{/package | /i} {Product.MSI | ProductGUID}
Installs or
configures the specified application. You can specify the application as
an MSI package or as a GUID. When you use the GUID form, MSIExec looks
for the application information in the registry and performs a
configuration, rather than an installation. This installation option
relies on the credentials of the current user.
/a
Product.MSI
Performs
an administrative installation. An administrative installation unpacks
all of the files into a directory, normally on the network, and creates a
smaller MSI file. Clients can then perform a local installation by
accessing this directory on the network. Normally, you'll use this
command line switch to create a centralized location from which to
perform an installation for a number of machines. You'll specify the
installation location using the TARGETDIR parameter.
/j{u | m}
Product.MSI
[{/t
TransformList
| /g
LanguageID]
Advertises an application on a network. Use the /ju command line switch to advertise to the current user. The /jm command line switch advertises the application to all users on the network. Use the /jm command line switch when you need to install a package using elevated rights (privileges). The /t
command line switch specifies a transform list used to advertise the
product. A transform is a method of customizing the MSI database to meet
specific needs. It's a property that you can specify at the command
line using the TRANSFORMS parameter. For example, TRANSFORMS= ":1033"
might select a file of advertising information in United States English
based on a Locale Identifier (LCID) of 1033.You can also supply
transforms as part of a Microsoft Transform (MST) file. The /g
command line switch lets you specify a language identifier directly.
The language is normally an LCID. You can find a list of common LCIDs at
http://krafft.com/scripts/deluxe-calendar/lcid_chart.htm.
{/uninstall | /x} {Product.MSI | ProductCode}
Uninstalls
a previously installed application. You can uninstall the product based
either on the original installation package or on the product's GUID.
In addition to
installation options, the MSIExec utility supports a number of display
options. The following list describes each of these options.
/quiet
Installs the product
without any user interaction. The product installs using the default
arguments. However, you can override the arguments using parameters when
the developer sets up the installation program correctly. For example,
you can select an installation type, such as custom or typical, using
the INSTALLLEVEL parameter. Make sure
you check the product documentation for any custom parameters that the
developer might create to address specific installation needs.
/passive
Performs an
unattended installation. The setup program won't ask the user any
questions, but the user still sees a progress bar. The progress bar
gives the user some idea of how far the setup has progressed and
indicates continued activity. An activity indicator is essential when
the user knows about the installation. Otherwise, users may overwhelm
your help desk with questions about why the application setup didn't
complete (even though it would have if they'd simply given it time to
complete).
/q[{n | b | r | f}]
Defines the
user interface level. The interface level determines what the user sees
during the application installation. Each of these levels has a specific
meaning as described in the following list.
n
Conceals the user interface (no user interface).
b
Displays a basic user interface. Normally, this includes only the features required to install the application.
r
Displays a
reduced user interface. The package developer defines the user interface
setup, which is somewhere between the basic and the full display in
complexity.
f
Displays the full user interface.
Once the installation
has completed, you need to consider whether to restart the machine. The
only time you need to restart the machine is when you need to replace a
DLL or other system component that is in use. Here's the list of restart options.
/norestart
Performs the installation without a restart.
/promptrestart
Prompts the user for a restart when necessary.
/forcerestart
Forces the system to restart after the installation is complete.
An after hours installation
might not go as planned. Consequently, you'll want to log any
installation events so you can review the installation process later.
It's important that you review the log even when it appears the
installation occurred as predicted. A small error might not stop the
installation from completing, but could stop the application from
working as intended. The following list defines the command line
switches for logging an installation.
/l[I] [w] [e] [a] [r] [u] [c] [m] [o] [p] [v] [x] [+] [!] [*]
LogFile
Performs only the
specified level of logging. You can combine multiple logging levels to
obtain specific logging results. For example, using the /lia
command line switch records all status messages and startup actions.
The following list identifies the various logging levels that you can
use.
i
Status messages
w
Nonfatal warnings
e
All error messages
a
Startup of actions
r
Action-specific records
u
User requests
c
Initial user interface parameters
m
Out-of-memory or fatal exit information
o
Out-of-disk-space messages
p
Terminal properties
v
Verbose output (you can only use this command line switch when you specify that you want all output by using the \l*v command line switch)
x
Extra debugging information
+
Append to existing log file
!
Flush each line to the log
*
Log all information, except for v and x options
/log
LogFile
Performs a level of logging equivalent to the /l* command line switch.
The MSIExec utility can
do more than simply install or remove applications. You can also use it
to perform an update of the application. The following command line
switches tell about the update options.
/update
Update1.MSP[;Update2.MSP]
Performs an update
based on the content of one or more Microsoft Patch (MSP) files.
Separate the individual MSP entries with a semicolon (;).
NOTE
Some versions of MSIExec support a /p
command line switch file updates where you supply the update package as
the input argument. This form doesn't support multiple update packages
and it doesn't provide a means of removing the patch. Use the /update command line switch if your version of MSIExec supports it. (The utility displays an error message when you attempt to use the /update
command line switch with a version that doesn't support it.) The best
way to determine the MSIExec version number isn't to use the MSIExec /? command. Check the MSI.DLL version number instead. When Microsoft performs an update, it usually updates MSI.DLL instead of MSIExec.EXE.
/uninstall
PatchCodeGuid[;Update2.MSP] /package
{Product.MSI | ProductCode}
Removes an update based on the patch's GUID. You can remove additional, supplementary updates by supplying the MSP file.
If you've ever had an
application act oddly and found that some small change in the system
caused the error, you've wanted a repair option. Interestingly enough,
the MSIExec option allows this action, even in cases where the product's
installation interface doesn't supply the required functionality.
Because it's easier to repair an application than to reinstall and
configure it, you might try this option with any application that
performs strangely. The following list describes the command line switch
for repairing a faulty installation.
/f[p] [e] [c] [m] [s] [o] [d] [a] [u] [v]
{Product.MSI | ProductCode}
Repairs the
product based on the original installation file or the product code. Use
the original installation file for greater reliability in fixing an
application. The following list describes the levels of repair that you
can perform. You can combine multiple repair levels to achieve specific
effects.
p
Replaces a file only when the file is missing.
o
Replaces a file when
the setup program detects the file is missing or it finds another
application has installed an older version of the file. This is the
default action.
e
Replaces a file
when the setup program detects the file is missing or it finds another
application has installed an equal or older version of the file.
d
Replaces a file
when the setup program detects the file is missing or it finds another
application has installed a different version. This action replaces the
file even when the file is newer than the one used by the application.
c
Replaces a file when
the setup program detects the file is missing or the file's checksum
does not match the calculated value. This option often helps you locate
and replace files tainted by viruses.
a
Forces the setup program to reinstall all files.
u
Updates all required user-specific registry entries.
m
Updates all required computer-specific registry entries.
s
Updates all existing shortcuts.
v
Runs the setup program
from a source media and caches the local package to the hard drive.
This command line switch replaces the local package when it already
exists.
You may have noticed
more than a few references to properties in this section. Adding
properties to the command line changes the way in which the MSI package
unpacks. The properties that are available depend in part on the person
who crafted the package, in part on the version of the Microsoft
Installer used to create the package, and in part on your own personal
requirements. The Windows Installer Property Reference at http://helpnet.installshield.com/robo/projects/helplibdevstudio9/IHelpPropReference.htm
provides one of the most complete listings of properties you can use
with Microsoft Installer. Of all these parameters, you'll use the
special folder parameters, such as TARGETDIR, most often. To use a parameter at the command line, simply include the parameter name, followed by an equals sign (=), followed by the parameter value, such as TARGETDIR="C:\Program Files\My Application". Always enclose parameters with spaces in quotes.
