GUIDE: Promethean ACTIV software MSI conversion steps

[ZeroHour]

This is now in the Wiki @ http://www.edugeek.net/wiki/index.php/ACTIVstudio_Professional_-_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 http://www.edugeek.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7136 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!

Edited January 24, 2008 by ZeroHour

[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]

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.

 

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. :oops:

[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 :oops:

[Richie1972]

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?

[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.

[ZeroHour]

I will have a look and post if I find the change.

Thanks for the tip Big-Jon

[PEO]

Hi ZeroHour

 

just created the msi package with the new info. cheers for the little tutorial. I have a quick question how did you know to add COMPANYNAME, PIDKEY etc and not COMPANY or PRODUCTKEY. just i'm sure some point I will come across a smiliar task and would like to know how you found out the correct information to add to the msi file.

 

cheers bud

[PEO]

*bump*

[ZeroHour]

Hi

Sorry for the belated reply.

Basically I just sniffed around the msi using orca to see what was checking what.

For this I viewed the dialogues and then had a look in the "Control" table after I got the invalid serial dialogue to appear. Look at the keys titled "CustomerInformation" and you will notice a property of one of them is PIDKEY which was a big clue. Its been a while since I made the guide but basically trial and error and reading the msi logic gives you clues. Anything thats a property can be set in the properties table so I just tried adding it in there.

You will also notice that the property "COMPANYNAME" is used in that "Control" table as well so I tried that.

Its not guaranteed to work for all but I hope it gives you some idea how it works.

 

Cheers

[FatBoy]

Hi People,

 

Just wanted to say thanks for all the help in creating this mst file I have just finished it and it works great. Many thanks Zerohour and all others that contributed

[hit]

FYI,

 

It appears that the shared resources for ActivPrimary 3.5.27 should be...

 

ACTIVPRIMARY31 = {UNC OF SHARED RESOURCES DIRECTORY}

instead of

ACTIVPRIMARY3 = {UNC OF SHARED RESOURCES DIRECTORY}

 

Took me a day or so to notice! DOHHHH!

[cromertech]

Just thought i'd drag this thread up again as I'm having issues with this.

 

I can't get the shared resources to work. We have just got a load of new promethean boards and I really don't want to fork out the network install when i've just paid loads of money for a site licence. Version 3.7 was shipped with the boards we have and the rest of the procedure above works fine.

 

I've set the property for the shared resources but it does not pick it up. I get no error from the group policy deployment but when i open the settings of activstudio the shared resources are pointing to the All Users document folder not the UNC path I specified.

 

Do you know of any other fix I can use maybe copying the settings file post install to set some global settings

[cromertech]

Ok got it working problem was with me not reading carefully enough

 

[walkerr6]

Thanks for the write up on how to do a network installation. I'm trying to Deploy the software now through Altiris and not having a good time. I don't see an exe file to use so I'm using the MSI but the MSI won't find the MST and do a unattended installation. The script that I'm using is: msiexec /i "\\eaums04\Activstudio v3.7\Distribution Point\ActivstudioPE3\ActivstudioPE3.msi" /quiet What else could I be doing wrong and how do I get it to install the software. If I remove the /quiet it does allow me to install it but I need to prompt it on the workstation.

 

Thank you for your help

Bob Walker

[hit]

I don't know Altiris, but can you not just set up a group policy object (GPO) on the server?

 

Create a GPO in Group Policy Management, then edit it

Computer Configuration -> Software Settings -> Software Installation

Action -> New -> Package

Point to the MSI

In the deploy software box, check Advanced then OK

On the Modifications tab add the MST

Thats about it, OK out then close the policy