Understanding MSI files

[gmail2]

Hi all. Hope I've posted this in the right place, coudln't find any forum for Windows Installer.

Up until recently, I'd always thought that MSI files were escentially "compressed" files which contained all the executible files, registry entries etc, necessary to install an application. However, now I've just discovered that they are escentially database files. But I have a few questions on them:

1. If I use WinInstall LE to create an MSI package, all I end up with is an MSI, no additional files, like .cab files etc. So where is the executible stored within that?

2. Some MSI files require additional files for them to work, eg Acrobat Reader also needs a cab files which contains the executible etc. But the updates for it are generally just MSI files on their own (eg the Japanse fonts update). Surely this update has to install some additional .dll files, but where do they come from?

3. Is it possible to "merge" msi files using Orca? I installed the Windows Installed SDK recently and tried to use the msimerg utility to merge two msi's together into one. But it gave an error saying error 1627, check the _MergeErrors table for conflicts. How do I go about using the info in the _MergeErrors table to find out what went wrong?

Sorry, I know there's a vast array of questions there, but I'd really appreciate some help with this.

Irish Poetry - Karen O'Connor
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[Glenn9999]

I'm not talking from an expert position, so take what I say in light of that as just "what my understanding is" more than anything authoritative.

1) an MSI (and MSU in Vista?) file is indeed an OLE database file.

2) To install an MSI file, the client machine would need to have Windows Installer installed upon their system (893803 I believe). The MSI would be uninstallable without Windows Installer.

3) I guess an install can be done in any way they would like. As you mention, Adobe uses a mixture of CAB and MSI. I see others use an EXE to install with MSI files accompanying it, and I see simply MSI files.

But the main idea of Windows Installer is to have an uniform interface for all installs made using it (and yes, this is Microsoft's attempt to further monopoly at the expense of companies like Installshield, etc that make installer products).

 

[linney]

Have you seen these on your travels?

Overview of the Windows Installer Technology

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310598&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

Windows Installer, The .NET Framework, The Bootstrapper, and You

http://blogs.msdn.com/chrsmith/archive/2005/07/01/Darwin_the_FX_the_Bootstrapper_and_you.aspx

Speeding up msi -- how?

http://groups.google.com/group/micr...about+7+times+as+long&rnum=6#881197dc2983e4c0

How To Use the Orca Database Editor to Edit Windows Installer Files

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255905/EN-US/#appliesto

314881 - The Command-Line Options for the Microsoft Windows Installer Tool Msiexec.exe

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314881&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH

Windows Installer How To...

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/library/708db7ad-6e8a-4171-a5ef-57e3344d2aea1033.mspx

How to Enable Windows Installer Logging in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314852&FR=1&PA=1&SD=HSCH