GUIDE: Promethean ACTIV software MSI conversion steps

[ZeroHour]

This is now in the Wiki @ http://www.edugeek.net/wiki/index.ph...essional_-_GPO

ACTIVstudio Professional 3.0.73 Guide:
STAGE 1:
Goto http://www.prometheanworld.com/uk/server/show/nav.2785 and put in your serial number from version 2. You will then you get a email with a limited download page. Download the EXE (and the shared resource files if needed - see stage 4 for info about install)

STAGE 2:
Extract the MSI from the EXE. To do this you have several options:
Use a extrator tool (free):
Go to Install Extractor (inc Installshield) - freeware once you have installed the program right-click the EXE and click "Uniextract". Then select the second option and follow the onscreen messages.

If you do not want to use this app you can manually obtain the MSI by doing one following:
1. Running the setup.exe with /a command line switch. It'll ask you where to put the files. It'll then extract the contents of the wrapped MSI where ever you told it to.

2. Run the setup.exe and stay at the first screen. With the installer still running in the background, check the content of C:\WINDOWS\Installer (in some environments it ends up in your %TEMP% folder instead) You should see the msi and related files unpacked there.

3. Run the exe and wait to the first "next" button dialogue appears. Then browse to YOUR temp folder under:
c:\documents and settings\{username}\local settings\temp

STAGE 3:
Run you MSI editor (orca for example) and create a transform with the following properties set in the "Properties" table (this list will be revised ad-hock):

COMPANYNAME = {your company name}
PIDKEY = {the serial for version 2 or 3 WITHOUT "-" or spaces}
RebootYesNo = No
ALLUSERS = 2 {this installs in per-machine mode not per-user}
ACTIVSTUDIO3 = {UNC OF SHARED RESOURCES DIRECTORY}

NOTE: The Shared Resources directory must be a unc as using a mapped drive causes a error (as the installing account SYSTEM does not have the mapped drive. You can change this though later or I can hack out the check if you need it.

STAGE 4: Shared resources setup - optional
NOTE: I have not finished testing this theory yet.
Once you have your activestudio MSI setup, install it on the client.
Now the resource files you downloaded should have association with a app. Double click each overriding any current files. Do not re-index any area until you are adding the last file in the series. You MUST re-index to get the resources to work (I believe) but I would wait till all the resources are added before doing it. Staff do not need write access for this area so far as I have tested but if you allow them then they can add there own resources.
More info will follow...

STAGE 5: Deploy
Deploy the MSI with the transform as per your usual methods.

Finished...

Known Issues:
None so far...

ACTIVprimary 3.0.57 Guide:
Coming soon, working on some issues it has. You can use the guide above except instead of:
ACTIVSTUDIO3 = {UNC OF SHARED RESOURCES DIRECTORY}
Use:
ACTIVPRIMARY3 = {UNC OF SHARED RESOURCES DIRECTORY}

IMPORTANT NOTE: Currently investigating a issue with using the same resources directory as ACTIVEstudio. ACTIVstudio so far in my testing can use ACTIVprimary resources but ACTIVstudio resources seem to break ACTIVprimary (when imported with studio).

Permission settings:
I will write some basic steps/info about permissions and/or link to knowledge base articles on Promethean in the future.

FYI: I will edit this post if changes are needed and post a "BUMP" message to indicate it has changed. PM or post feedback/issues to me. Also I am in the process of checking the other EXE/MSI's (including the driver MSI and the Junior edition) incase they need modifications. This post shall have those guides if needed in the future.
Also you can find these instructions on Appdeploy.com

Enjoy and good luck
Remember to vote your results!

[ZeroHour]

<----------- BUMP ------------>
Added ALLUSERS property to settings.
Added info on ACTIVprimary testing so far

[bishopsgarthstockton]

ZeroHour

im using orca so do i click on New transform in the transform menu. then make the changes and go to file and save transform as

im a liffle puzzled

[webman]

Hi, thanks ZeroHour. Will have a go at this soon.... do you build a package for the drivers as well?

[ZeroHour]

Originally Posted by bishopsgarthstockton

ZeroHour

im using orca so do i click on New transform in the transform menu. then make the changes and go to file and save transform as

im a liffle puzzled

Yeh thats the way
To deploy with GP make sure and select "Advanced" when adding the MSI as that will allow you to set the "modifications" tab and add the transform.
NOTE: you can NOT change the transform once its deployed.

Originally Posted by webman

Hi, thanks ZeroHour. Will have a go at this soon.... do you build a package for the drivers as well?

Working on that, not tested it at all yet so no idea even if it has issues but I am about to look at that so I will update the guide and post a changelog if anything happens.

[Zoom7000]

I've just tried to follow this guide using the latest version 3.0.93 and when I try to edit the MSI in Orca, I can't see any of the properties listed above in the properties table. Am I doing something wrong?

[webman]

Zoom7000: I think he means the 'Property' table - the one that has the RebootYesNo key in it.

[Zoom7000]

^ Yeah, that's the one that I am checking, however, albeit RebootYesNo is there, none of the others are appearing there:

COMPANYNAME
PIDKEY
ALLUSERS
ACTIVSTUDIO3

[webman]

Yes you will have to add them - it's somwhere in the menus. I've only used Orca once. ops:

[Zoom7000]

Ok, cool, thanks for that!

[bishopsgarthstockton]

AM i doing this right?

open the .msi file in Orca then click on New Transform in the transform menu.

I then go to 'property' which is located on the left side menu. Once i have clicked on propertie i then edit RebootYesNo which is already there with 'No'.

I've then manually added the following Properties PIDKEY, COMPANYNAME, ALLUSERES, and there values.

Is this correct?

Di then go to File, Save Transform as?

should that bit it?

[plexer]

Thats the main idea behind using orca to create a transform yes.

So you should now have a .mst file.

You can open the msi in orca and apply your .mst file to it and it will highlight the changes.

You then deploy the msi through gpo making sure to select advanced deployment and in there you can give the name of your transform file.

Ben

[bishopsgarthstockton]

Is the transformation file the .mst

Im new to this ops:

[Richie_OLSJ]

I'm having a problem pushing this out via GPO.
If I run the MSI as an admin it works, if I run it via GPO it reports that it can't create the resources folder (I used a UNC path). The folder (and resources) already exist and the SYSTEM account already has FULL CONTROL.
Is there a way of editing out this check in the MSI?

[Big-Jon]

Hi ZeroHour,

Many thanks for this...I have just followed your instructions and succesfully created a tansform for Avtiv Primary 3.

The only thing I can see so far to improve would be to change the path for Shared Flipcharts as this is defaulting to "ALL users\shared Documents"

If you no I can alter this in the transform that would be great...

Thanks again.