Problems with Acrobat 7 MSI!

[Maladict]

Hi folks!

I've been lurking around the site for a few days and just *had* to join - tis brilliant!! (well done lads!!! not laughed so much in ages!)

errrm anyway, here's my situation:

* New job
* New to RM (*flinch* ARRG! KILL! KILL! KILL! - this I picked up after about a day of using it)
* New to creating/using MSI's (infact, before starting here I'd NEVER created one - knew what they were but that was about as far as I got)
* I'm currently working my way through creating MSI's of the mountains of software my beloved manager (*wave*) has set aside for me
* Have created an MSI of Acrobat 7, and it works.... but when you log on as a different user and try to access a PDF, or (worse yet!) the shortcut to acrobat it displays the 'Windows is installing Adobe Acrobat 7.0' dialog and proceeds to take about a minute to install it before executing the program

any idea what I'm doing wrong?

cheers!!

Mal

PS I appologise for the general 'newness' motif, but we've all gotto learn at some point

[kevinmcaleer]

See AppDeploy.com (mentioned in this weeks podcast) for details on how to deploy Acrobat reader 7:

http://www.appdeploy.com/packages/detail.asp?id=404

-Kev

[Dos_Box]

It's working correctly (as far as it does for me). It's just setting up the user settings I think (please feel free to correct me anyone), but alot of my .MSI's do this the first time a user runs them.

[kevinmcaleer]

That ususally indicates that its setting up things that are missing from the profile. If you use mandatory roamin profiles, Maybe its time to rebuild it.

I find that checking the registry for changed entries and then exporting them with the REG command into a file, means they can be automatically set up by running import or load with the REG command from a file at logon. Stops annoying MSI messages when you first launch an application.

-Kev

[OverWorked]

You don't need to create an MSI for Acrobat 7. It comes with one. When you run the .exe downloaded from Adobe, it unzips the .msi to a temp folder. I can't remember where it is - I think it's in the 'local settings' folder in your profile.

Run the .exe, but don't go through the install wizard - just leave it. Search for *.msi files. I think it's called Adobe Reader 7.0.msi. Copy this and all the files in the folder with it somewhere else for deployment.

I've created a .mst transform file which removes the desktop shortcut. (I like to keep the desktops tidy). You can have a copy of the .mst if you like. When you add the .msi to the GPO, go to the modifications tab and add the .mst.

[OverWorked]

Dos_box is right. A lot of .msi's seem to do more installation when the user first runs them. All it's doing is setting up files in the user's profile. MS Office does it too.

[Maladict]

Thanks for the fast response folks!!

Appdeploy.com is handy, I've used it to download the tuner package and am currently having a play to see what tweeks can be made.

I also think that Dos_box is right in saying that it is just setting up the user settings each time a new user logs on, but the thing is that I don't remember this happening for the v5 or 6 msi's (which, incidently I didn't create). I was thinking more along the lines of it being some daft setting which needed to be added to the 'all users' folder in the 'documents and settings' directory.

*shrug*

I'll have a go at using the msi which came with the package next as Overworked suggested.

thanks again!

[indie]

AdbeRdr705_enu_full.EXE /v"/qb EULA_ACCEPT=YES"

That works for me!

[tarquel]

Guys - visit m' site and extract my AR705 dist - the tweaks one is just a reg import at the end of the install - if you are having trouble finding where the msi is extracted to hehe

I'm trying to work out how to get any msi's to work through GP at the moment.

Nath