Software repackaging on Win 7

[TheCrust]

As title - we tried to repackage our first application for Windows 7 yesterday: simply the customisation of our logon screen.

 

Downloaded and installed the latest build of Wininstall LE from Scalable Software, installed it onto our WDS / SCCM / Applications server and followed the tried-and-tested route of repackaging: clean build workstation, snapshot, make changes, snapshot again.

 

The MSI appears correct - there are just three actions in it: create [system]\oobe\info\backgrounds, copy defaultBackground.jpg into that folder, add a registry entry to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background - but it refuses to install, claims there is an error.

 

OK, it's been a while since I repackaged anything so I could always have stuffed the process up somewhere along the line, but I'm not so sure.

 

Has anyone else been repackaging applications for deployment onto a Windows 7 platform yet? How did you get on?

 

Ta in advance.

[Michael]

If you want to customise your Windows 7 background, there's a nice utility that can do it for you. You can download it here.

 

As a recommendation, changing your background image before taking an image for deployment should save you a lot of time and effort.

[DrPerceptron]

I think something I packed using the Symantec expensive MSI stuff worked... but that was back when Windows 7 was a beta release...

 

If your MSI is that simple, any reason this can't be achieved using a startup script? we use a startup script to do this successfully in XP... I never looked into doing it on Windows 7 (I like the background personally)

[TheCrust]

All the previous packages I created for Vista work fine - it's just this first one for 7 that seems reluctant to play.

 

In relation to the logon screen change itself, although I could do it as part of a startup script and even included it in the images I just created by hand, I'm trying to capture it in a MSI package so that it can be used as part of the automatic SCCM deployment and capture task sequence in future image builds - so I don't have to remember after I sysprepped that I forgot to do it.....

 

Can anyone provide any feedback on their experiences of repackaging for Win 7 yet?

Edited August 28, 2009 by TheCrust

[TheCrust]

As an update this this, I just spent an hour looking at the MSI I had been creating for the logon screen change - and decided to throw it away and start again.

 

It seems that repackaging is the same - just some moron was a bit over-enthusiastic when he trimmed down the raw capture MSI to give him his final MSI.....

 

How stoopid do I feel right now?

[mbedford]

What setup are you using for your base machine?

 

I am trying to do something similar using AppV.

 

On Vista\XP we had a VM Workstation with a non persistent HDD for the install and snapshot (I have used Wininstall so I am using the same terminology so not to confuse things)

 

Our Win7 VM doesn't want to work reliably though, hangs at bootup on the Win7 splash screen.

 

Any advice?

[gshaw]

Wasn't logon screen customisation meant to be something that can be set by GPO with Windows 7 or did they remove that feature in the end?

[localzuk]

Wasn't logon screen customisation meant to be something that can be set by GPO with Windows 7 or did they remove that feature in the end?

 

Windows 7 Lets you Change the Logon Background Image - The Winhelponline Blog

[TheCrust]

I didn't realise it could be done via Group Policy too - once I worked out a solution I stopped looking.

 

The advantage of our MSI-based approach is that we can easily change the backgroundDefault image as we see fit - perhaps to promote in-school activities, events or simply to keep the kids interested. All the GPO approach seems to be able to do is turn it on or off - it's useful nonetheless!

[localzuk]

I didn't realise it could be done via Group Policy too - once I worked out a solution I stopped looking.

 

The advantage of our MSI-based approach is that we can easily change the backgroundDefault image as we see fit - perhaps to promote in-school activities, events or simply to keep the kids interested. All the GPO approach seems to be able to do is turn it on or off - it's useful nonetheless!

 

All you need to do is swap the image with the GPO option too... just rename it each time you want to change it. That'd be my method anyway.

[TheCrust]

Horses for courses really - either option works.