What software is a pain to package.

[russdev]

We are looking into an idea but would like to know what software do you find getting packaged into msi's a pain.

 

Russell

[meastaugh1]

I usually find that repackaging legacy setups is quite easy. It's deploying/customising the badly authored MSIs that are the problem, such as Quicktime 7, or Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.

[Optics]

I find pretty much anything by Adobe is a pain to package.

[webman]

Browser plugins and ones that need the CD to run.

[contink]

Had no end of problems with Granada Learning and BlackCat packages... in fact most primary school level eduware.

 

The worst of the bunch are those that require additional plugins or libraries (eg: text to voice) that cannot be stopped from running with an empty replacement installer (courtesy of AutoIT)

[Guest kerrymoralee9280]

Found that Encarta was impossible to package (2006) on a CC3 network. Since moving to Vanilla we had no problems. Funny thing is we bought the software from RM! How can they sell something that they don't support?

[wesleyw]

Shouldn't they have an MSI cd you can buy I know they have for lots of other software.

 

 

Wes

[alonebfg]

quick time is a pain as adobe seems to have sorted there msi out now also a peice of software i use called dance ejay and there is no way to package it.

[Guest kerrymoralee9280]

RM do sell a lot of MSI's for a small price of £20, but they don't do ALL MSI's and Encarta was on that list. We bought it from them, found it impossible to package, rang up for assistance, and was told 'RM don't support Encarta 2006 on a CC3 network. here's a copy of 2003 which we do support, but it is 3 years out of date!'

[ajbritton]

We are looking into an idea but would like to know what software do you find getting packaged into msi's a pain.

 

Russell

 

Are you asking for individual titles or categories?

 

I repackage mostly primary school software and TBH the biggest problems are those that use InstallShield installers. Where authors have gone down the ISScript route, there is the well known issue of the various ISScriptX MSIs using the same internal product code thus making deployment difficult. Recent InstallShield installs appear to register zillions of components in the registry which are very time consuming to remove. I also try to make sure I pick out any references to third party components (eg Flash), which is also tedious.

 

Can you tell us more about the idea that you are looking into? I have mentioned to various people in the past the idea of a pressure group which promotes some sort of standard for software installation along the lines of

 

- MSI based installers tested in AD software installation

- All configuration to be done using public properties to enable simple transforms

- License codes to be entered as part of an 'admin' install in the same way as Office

 

Software which meets the requirements could be awarded the 'EduGeek Mark' or some such thing.

 

We could also try to persuade authors to stick to Microsoft's guidelines for applications like not writing to 'Program Files' and HKLM etc.

[russdev]

 

lol

 

Not thought about award side an idea through...

 

Will go into detail in next few days but as for op think specific titles would be good but generic stuff as well.

 

Russ

[TimJing]

Adobe Products

Autodesk Products

Anything that uses SQL clients

Office 2007 - Cant get uninstall to work right

Printer Automation Packages - It's a configuration, but still a pain,

[User3204]

Avantis CDServe ver 2.4.

 

It comes with an MSI, to install the client, but it will not allow you to pre-specify the drive letters.

 

I have created (copied off the internet) a script that adds the required letters in the registry, but it doesn't always work properly, sometimes I get them duplicated, not moved. I think it comes down to the script has to run BEFORE the install... !

 

 

 

I realise that people will now point me towards Daemon Tools, but we have a CDserver.... I'm not gonna scrap it yet, maybe when it's full up, I will invalidate the warranty and open the case.

[Gatt]

I've stopped using MSI & GPO Deployment in favour of putting everything into the image.

 

Mainly due to the fact that a lot of our stuff is not in MSI format or its a PITA to get into MSI format.

 

Most stuff I tend to try and create AutoIT files for and use psexec to get it onto a users PC..

 

Need to get to grips with SMS i think...

[srochford]

quick time is a pain as adobe seems to have sorted there msi out now also a peice of software i use called dance ejay and there is no way to package it.

 

Quicktime used to be a problem but now it's a nice MSI - just start the .exe running after download and it puts the MSI in your temp folder. You can then create a transform (I use Orca) to set key properties and off you go.

[User3204]

I haven't managed to create an MSI from new ever.

 

I did use the Winstl that came with Windows 2000 CD, but this was a while back, and I'm pretty sure that it doesn't work on WinXP.

 

I haven't ever produced any MSTs ever, not quite sure how to (I probably should read the manual). I do use Orca to tidy up some supplied MSIs, the thing I always do is remove the shortcuts, as they nver go where I want them to, I have arranged the Start Menu and Desktops, to be organised by subjects, and I cut out a lot of the shortcuts for stuff that installs, but never needs to be run independently (like Java, Shockwave, Plugins, Xvid, etc).

 

I have installed the plugins for Office, to enable Office 2007/Open Office docs to open, but one of them is an .exe (or when opened it is an MST, but I haven't deployed Office 2003 this way).

 

This usually means I end up renaming each MSI to My%app%.msi.

[srochford]

The Winstle stuff that comes with Windows 2000 server works fine with Windows XP. There was a newer version available (Wininstall 2003) but I now can't find it (it came from On Demand but they now seem to be Attachmate and don't seem to have the free version available)

 

It's worth persevering with it because it does make life much easier.

 

If you can use Orca to tidy up MSIs then you can use it to make a transform - it's easy :-) Basically, just create a new transform and add properties, for example. You then generate the transform and you get an MST file. When you install, you specify this MST to go with the MSI and the changes you made get applied to the MSI. The effect is the same as adding properties to the MSI but you don't change the MSI. This also gives you flexibility if you want it - you can have different MSTs for different situations.

[netadmin]

I found a link to Wininstall LE.

 

 

http://www.winsite.com/bin/Info?16500000037147

 

Although you do have to select a mirror

[roland]

Most stuff I tend to try and create AutoIT files for and use psexec to get it onto a users PC..

 

I wish someone would document how to do this.

[Ravening_Wolf]

Sims.NET

Adobe products

Apple products

Exambase and Exampro

[AnnDroyd]

Net Support

PTC Pro Desktop

[Dos_Box]

Net Support

PTC Pro Desktop

 

NetSupport has its own nifty deployment utils though.

[AnnDroyd]

It does, but we have a system whereby staff can download packages from the Intranet onto their laptops (this saves them bringing it to us everytime they want something installing).

 

It would have been handy to be able to package the tutor part of the software but it links with the graphics drivers, so it only works reliably on the same type of computer as what you use to build the package.

[K.C.Leblanc]

Raise Achievment in Religious studies.

 

Does anyone know a good how to for Orca?

 

At the moment I'm looking at Wise Install Tailor to make transforms, doesn't work with most MSIs, which is a shame becuase it's very easy to use.

 

Oh, Autograph 3.20 gets my seal of approval. MSI and a custom MST tool, only thing you can't change is the start menu location.

[rdhawkins]

It does, but we have a system whereby staff can download packages from the Intranet onto their laptops (this saves them bringing it to us everytime they want something installing).

 

It would have been handy to be able to package the tutor part of the software but it links with the graphics drivers, so it only works reliably on the same type of computer as what you use to build the package.

 

Currently the Tutor has to install the mirror driver part of the product to provide the Show functionality.

 

However, I'm unaware that this would cause a problem on machines different from the one the package is built on. Mirror drivers, by design, are driver and display independant.

 

What symptoms were you getting?

 

Rob