For instance on a particular Windows 7 system, there is an Audio & Video item within All Programs. I want to add a shortcut for the GSpot Codec Information Appliance, which has an executable program named gspot.exe, which I am installing in C:\Program Files\Audio and Video\GSpot. To add the shortcut when I install the program, I can put the following in the gspot.xml package file I use for its installation. The value for name is the name I want to use for the menu item. The target value is the location where the executable file, in this case, gspot.exe, is located.

<!-- Create the shortcut pointing to gspot.exe. By default, this will get created in %PUBLIC%\Desktop, which is usually C:\Users\Public\Desktop, so it will need to be moved under the start menu. -->
<install cmd='cmd /c %WPKG_ROOT%\tools\CreateShortcut.js /target:"%ProgramFiles%\Audio and Video\GSpot\gspot.exe" /name:"GSpot"' />
<install cmd='cmd /c move "%Public%\Desktop\GSpot.lnk" "%PROGRAMDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Audio &amp; Video\."' />

Note: I have to use & in place of the & in "Audio & Video", because otherwise WPKG will complain about white space not being allowed whenever I try to install the package, since the ampersand has a special meaning in HTML/XML code.

I also have to use the move command to move the shortcut to the appropriate location for a Start Menu item, since it will be placed at %PUBLIC%\Desktop by default. You can determine the value of %PUBLIC% on a particular system by getting a command prompt and issuing the command echo %PUBLIC%. It usually equates to C:\Users\Public.

The complete gspot.xml file.

References:

1. Create Desktop Icon
   WPKG | Open Source Software Deployment and Distribution
2. Using GSpot to Identify Missing Codecs
   Date: August 23, 2008
   MoonPoint Support

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

After installation, you will see an "Java(TM) 6 Update 18" entry under "Uninstall or change a program", corresponding to the registry entry for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{26A24AE4-039D-4CA4-87B4-2F83216018FF}\DisplayName. The uninstall string is MsiExec.exe /X{26A24AE4-039D-4CA4-87B4-2F83216018FF}, corresponding to the registry entry for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{26A24AE4-039D-4CA4-87B4-2F83216018FF}\UninstallString. For a quiet uninstall, you can use MsiExec.exe /X{26A24AE4-039D-4CA4-87B4-2F83216018FF} /q.

The WPKG package I used is shown below:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<packages>

<!-- Version 6 Update 18 - offline (32-bit) version -->	

<package
   id="JRE"
   name="Java Runtime Environment (JRE)"
   revision="618"
   priority="3"
   reboot="false">
 
<check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="Java(TM) 6 Update 18" />
 
<install cmd='%SOFTWARE%\java\jre-6u18-windows-i586-s.exe /quiet /norestart' />

<remove cmd='MsiExec.exe /X{26A24AE4-039D-4CA4-87B4-2F83216018FF} /q'/>

</package>

</packages>

If you use 32-bit and 64-bit browsers interchangeably, you will need to install both 32-bit and 64-bit Java in order to have the Java plug-in for both browsers.

The software will be installed to C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\ by default. After installing Java, restart your browser and verify Java has been installed correctly (note: it may work even without restarting your browser). You can also go to How do I test whether Java is working on my computer? to test the Java installation.

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

Direct Connect allows you to share files over the Internet without restrictions or limits. The client is completely free of advertisements and has a nice, easy to use interface. Firewall and router support is integrated and it is easy and convenient to use functionality like multi-hub connections, auto-connections and resuming of downloads.

The software is licensed under GNU GPL 2.

DCPlusPlus 0.75 uses the Nullsoft Install System (NSIS) v2.31. Since it uses NSIS, you can perform a silent installation by using the /S option. It will install in C:\Program Files\DC++ by default, but you can perform a silent install and still select the destination location by using the /D=directory option. E.g., to install the software in C:\Program Files\P2P\DC++, you could use the following:

DCPlusPlus-0.75.exe /S /D=%PROGRAMFILES%\P2P\DC++

Note: you have to use a capital "S" for the silent installation and the /D must appear at the end of the line. Also, don't use quotes even if the directory path has spaces in it, e.g., if you aren't using the variable %PROGRAMFILES%, which equates to C:\Program Files on most systems (you can see its value by issuing the command echo %PROGRAMFILES% at a command line). And, if you don't use %PROGRAMFILES%, you need to use the drive location also, e.g., C:\Program Files. Any interventing directories that don't exist will be created.

When you first run DC++ after the installation, you may be prompted to allow DC++ network communications.

You can uninstall the software by running uninstall.exe from the directory where you installed the software, e.g. %PROGRAMFILES%\P2P\DC++\uninstall.exe /S. You can use the /S for a silent uninstall, but you will still see a window asking "Also remove queue and settings?"

A package file for a silent install using WPKG, is shown below:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<packages>
      
<package
   id="DC++"
   name="DC++"
   revision="0750"
   priority="1"
   reboot="false">
 
   <check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="DC++ 0.750"/>
 
   <install cmd='%SOFTWARE%\P2P\DCPlusPlus-0.75.exe /S /D=%PROGRAMFILES%\P2P\DC++"'/>
 
   <remove cmd='"%PROGRAMFILES%\P2P\DC++\uninstall.exe" /S'/>
 
</package>

</packages>

References:

1. DC++
2. Direct Connect (file sharing)
   Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3. Advanced Direct Connect network
   Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
4. Nullsoft Scriptable Install System
   Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
5. WPKG | Open Source Software Deployment and Distribution

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

The Help for this program was created in Windows Help format, which depends on a feature that isn't included in this version of Windows. However, you can download a program that will allow you to view Help created in the Windows Help format.

On computers that are running Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2008 R2, you may be unable to open Help files that require the Windows Help (WinHlp32.exe) program. This article contains information about a download that helps you fix this problem.

Microsoft stopped including the 32-bit Help file viewer in Windows releases beginning with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. To support customers who still rely on legacy .hlp files, the Microsoft Download Center provides WinHlp32.exe downloads for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2.

The version of the program for Windows 7 can be downloaded from Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) for Windows 7. That page provides the following overview statement:

Windows Help (WinHlp32.exe) is a Help program that has been included with Microsoft Windows versions starting with the Microsoft Windows 3.1 operating system. However, the Windows Help program has not had a major update for many releases and no longer meets Microsoft's standards. Therefore, starting with the release of Windows Vista and continuing in Windows 7, the Windows Help program will not ship as a feature of Windows. If you want to view 32-bit .hlp files, you must download and install the program (WinHlp32.exe) from the Microsoft Download Center.

There are two versions of the software available, one for 64-bit systems and one for 32-bit systems. The download files are .msu files. You can install the software by just double-clicking on the downloaded file from the Windows Explorer, which will open a Windows Update Standalone Installer window, where you would see the propmpt "Do you want to install the following Windows software update? Update for WIndows (KB917607)". During the installation, winhlp32.exe is placed in %systemroot, e.g. C:\Windows.

For a silent installation, you can use the Windows Update Standalone Installer, wusa.exe, with the /quiet option (quiet mode, no user interaction, reboot as needed). It isn't necessary to reboot after installing Windows Help. You can specify /norestart (when combined with /quiet, installer will NOT initiate reboot. You can see other options by using wusa /?.

The following command performs a silent install for the 32-bit version:

wusa /quiet /norestart Windows6.1-KB917607-x86.msu

To silently uninstall the software, you can use the command below.

wusa Windows6.1-KB917607-x86.msu /uninstall /quiet /norestart

A package file that can be used with WPKG to silently install Windows Help for Windows 7 is shown below. Note: though Windows Help will no longer work after the uninstall, c:\windows\winhlp32.exe isn't actually removed, though other files installed with it, such as c:\windows\system32\ftlx0411.dll are removed. You may have to take ownership of winhlp32.exe to remove it - see Add "Take Ownership" to Explorer Right-Click Menu in Win 7 or Vista, since otherwise only TrustedInstaller has full rights to the file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<packages>

<package
  id="WinHelp"
  name="Windows Help"
  revision="1"
  reboot="false"
  priority="10">

  <check type='logical' condition='and'> 
     <!-- The uninstall process doesn't remove winhlp32.exe, but does remove
     ftlx0411.dll -->  
     <check type="file" condition="exists" 
      path="%SystemRoot%\system32\ftlx0411.dll" />
     <check type="file" condition="exists" 
      path="%SystemRoot%\winhlp32.exe" />
  </check>
  <install cmd='wusa %SOFTWARE%\utilities\miscellaneous\Windows6.1-KB917607-x86.msu /quiet /norestart ' />
  <remove cmd='wusa %SOFTWARE%\utilities\miscellaneous\Windows6.1-KB917607-x86.msu /uninstall /quiet /norestart' />
  <upgrade cmd='' />

</package>

</packages>

References:

1. I cannot open Help files that require the Windows Help (WinHlp32.exe) program
   Article ID: 917607
   Last Review: October 27, 2009
   Revision: 20.3
   Microsoft Support
2. Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) for Windows 7
   Version: 1.0
   Date Published: 10/14/2009
   Microsoft Corporation
3. Is it possible to silently run the Vista installation package for MSI 4.5?
   Windows Installer Team Blog
4. silent installation paramters for Windows6.1-KB958559-x64.msu
   Date: July 7, 2009
   Microsoft TechNet: Resources for IT Professionals
5. Permission from Trusted installer!
   Date: May 18, 2009
   Mcirsoft TechNet: Resources for IT Professionals
6. Add "Take Ownership" to Explorer Right-Click Menu in Win 7 or Vista
   How-To Geek

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

<check type='logical' condition='and'> 
     <!-- The uninstall process doesn't remove winhlp32.exe, but does remove
     ftlx0411.dll -->  
     <check type="file" condition="exists" 
      path="%SystemRoot%\system32\ftlx0411.dll" />
     <check type="file" condition="exists" 
      path="%SystemRoot%\winhlp32.exe" />
</check>

In this case, WPKG will only consider the software installed if both files exist. If only one of them exists, the installation will proceed.

References:

1. Packages.xml
   WPKG | Open Source Software Deployment and Distribution
2. Re: [wpkg-users] Check command
   Date: June 11, 2009
   wpkg-users

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

When you run English_PaintShopPro901_Jasc_PREMIUMESD.exe without any options it will extract the files listed above to C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Setup Files\English PaintShopPro901 Jasc PREMIUM ESD. The setup.exe file will be executed, which will install Paint Shop Pro 9 to the default installation directory of %PROGRAMFILES%\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 9\, e.g., C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 9\.

If you run the program from the command line and specify INSTALLDIR, though, you can change where the software is installed. E.g., you could use the following:

c:\Users\JDoe\Downloads>English_PaintShopPro901_Jasc_PREMIUMESD.exe /s /a /w /v" /qn /l* C:\Users\Public\Documents\PSP9.log INSTALLDIR=\" C:\Program Files\Graphics\Paint Shop Pro 9\" ALLUSERS=2"

The options used are listed below:

/s : Silent mode

For an InstallScript MSI or InstallScript project, the command Setup.exe /s runs the installation in silent mode, by default based on the responses contained in a response file called Setup.iss in the same directory. (Response files are created by running Setup.exe with the /r option.) To specify an alternative file name or location of the response file, use the /f1 option.

/a : Add

The /a ... ("add") switch allows you to add switches to the command line of the underlying setup.exe process. You may provide any of the normal InstallShield switches here, including /r, /s, and /sms.

Note: the PFTW package recognizes the /s and /a switches. The /s switch instructs the PFTW package to run silently, but this does not necessarily mean that the setup.exe program within it will run silently.

/w : Wait (Basic MSI and InstallScript MSI projects)

For a Basic MSI project, the /w option forces Setup.exe to wait until the installation is complete before exiting.

/v"ISSCRIPTCMDLINE=\" \"" : Pass arguments that should be passed to the script (Basic MSI projects only)

This option specifices command-line parameters to be passed to the script. Any property supported by InstallScript MSI (where appropriate) can be specified. (The most common ones are /d and /z.)

For example, the following indicates that you want to debug the script, and that the CMDLINE variable should contain TEST.

Setup.exe /v"ISSCRIPTCMDLINE=\"-d -zTEST\""

Note that as shown above, when you want to specify that a double quote character is not a delimiter for the command line but a delimiter for the property, use \".

Note also that as with any public Windows Installer property, this property should be specified with all uppercase letters.

So, I've put the \ before each of the double quotes in INSTALLDIR=\"C:\Program Files\Graphics\Paint Shop Pro 9\ to "escape" the meaning of them on the command line. The option thus specifies that the software should be installed in C:\Program Files\Graphics\Paint Shop Pro 9\ rather than the default directory of C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 9\.

But the first switch I pass down to msiexec, which is the Microsoft Windows provided installer program is /qn. That makes the installation non-interactive, i.e. yields an unattended installation. You could use /qb, instead, for an unattended installation, however, in this case there is still a brief display of a window during the installation about preparation for the installation.

The /l* C:\Users\Public\Documents\PSP9.log specifies that a log file should be produced with information on the installation.

Information on the ALLUSERS option can be found at ALLUSERS Property webpage.

You can provide named options, or "properties", at the end of the command line; which properties are supported depends on the package. If you wnat to know which properties are supported for an installation you can install the software with the /l* option and then look in the log file after the installation is completed, which is what I did to determine what property to use to specify the installation directory for the software. The * after the l indicates that all types of log messages should be included in the log file. You can see the types of messages that can be logged at Command-Line Switches for the Microsoft Windows Installer Tool.

I saw the following in the log file:

Property(S): INSTALLDIR = C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 9\

So I then knew I could specify the directory for an unintended install by using INSTALLDIR=. I wanted to install the software in C:\Program Files\Graphics\Paint Shop Pro 9\. Since the directory path contains spaces, I had to enclose the path and file name in double quotes. But, since those double quotes would be appearing within an outer set of double quotes, I needed to put a forward slash before each one. Otherwise the first double quote could be interprested as closing the outer set of double quotes, so I used INSTALLDIR=\" C:\Program Files\Graphics\Paint Shop Pro 9\"

During the installation, the following registry keys are created:

During the installation the setup files are extracted to C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Soetup Files. I install Paint Shop Pro 9 to C:\Program Files\Graphics\Paint Shop Pro 9 and delete the C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc directory and every thing beneath it after the installation, since the setup files consume 108 MB of disk space. You can delete the directory from the command line with rd /s /q "c:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\".

A silent uninstall can be peformed for Paint Shop Pro 9 using the command MsiExec.exe /x{F843C6A3-224D-4615-94F8-3C461BD9AEA0} /q.

I created the following psp.xml file to be able to perform a silent install of Paint Shop Pro 9 with WPKG

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<packages>
      
<package
   id="PSP"
   name="Paint Shop Pro"
   revision="9"
   priority="3"
   reboot="false">
 
<check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9" />
 
<install cmd='%SOFTWARE%\Graphics\English_PaintShopPro901_Jasc_PREMIUMESD.exe /s /a /w /v"/qn 
/l* c:\Users\Public\Documents\SysInfo\Reports\Install\PSP9.log 
INSTALLDIR=\"C:\Program Files\Graphics\Paint Shop Pro 9\" ALLUSERS=2"' />

<remove cmd='MsiExec.exe /x{F843C6A3-224D-4615-94F8-3C461BD9AEA0} /q'/>

</package>

</packages>

References:

1. InstallShield
   Unattended, A Windows deployment system
2. Setup.exe and Update.exe Command-Line Parameters
   Flexera Software - Knowledge Base
3. InstallShield
   Flexera Software
   
4. ALLUSERS Property
   MSDN: Microsoft Development, MSDN Subscriptions, Resources and More
5. Command-Line Switches for the Microsoft Windows Installer Tool
   Microsoft Support
6. Paint Shop Pro
   WPKG | Open Source Software Deployment and Distribution

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

You can use the -ms option with the setup file, though this is listed as being a deprecated option. However, the alternative option, /S, for a silent install is listed as being broken currently [This is as of February 14, 2010]. Or you can use the option /INI=<full path to configuration ini file>. You can't mix the /S or -ms options with the /INI file. If you place the /INI option after one of those options, the /INI option will be ignored and there's really no need to do so, since a silent installation will be performed when you specify the /INI option.

Configuration ini file, e.g. firefox.ini syntax:

[Install]
; The name of the directory where the application will be installed in the
; system's program files directory. The security
; context the installer is running in must have write access to the
; installation directory. Also, the directory must not exist or if it exists
; it must be a directory and not a file. If any of these conditions are not met
; the installer will abort the installation with an error level of 2. If this
; value is specified then InstallDirectoryPath will be ignored.
; InstallDirectoryName=Mozilla Firefox
 
; The full path to the directory to install the application. The security
; context the installer is running in must have write access to the
; installation directory. Also, the directory must not exist or if it exists
; it must be a directory and not a file. If any of these conditions are not met
; the installer will abort the installation with an error level of 2.
; InstallDirectoryPath=c:\firefox\
 
; By default all of the following shortcuts are created. To prevent the
; creation of a shortcut specify false for the shortcut you don't want created.
;
; Create a shortcut for the application in the current user's QuickLaunch
; directory.
; QuickLaunchShortcut=false
;
; Create a shortcut for the application on the desktop. This will create the
; shortcut in the All Users Desktop directory and if that fails this will
; attempt to create the shortcuts in the current user's Start Menu directory.
; DesktopShortcut=false
;
; Create shortcuts for the application in the Start Menu. This will create the
; shortcuts in the All Users Start Menu directory and if that fails this will
; attempt to create the shortcuts in the current user's Start Menu directory.
; StartMenuShortcuts=false
 
; The directory name to use for the StartMenu folder.
; note: if StartMenuShortcuts=false is specified then this will be ignored.
; StartMenuDirectoryName=Mozilla Firefox

If you want to spcify the directory where Firefox should be installed, rather than having it go into the default location, e.g. C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox, leave the semicolon in front of InstallDirectoryName="Mozilla Firefox" to keep it commented out. But remove the semicolon from the InstallDirectoryPath option. E.g., if I wanted to specify C:\Program Files\Network\Web\Firefox as the installation directory, I could put the following in that line:

InstallDirectoryPath=c:\Program Files\Network\Web\Mozilla Firefox

I normally don't want the desktop cluttered with shortcuts, so I would remove the semicolon from in front of DesktopShortcut=false to keep a shortcut for Firefox being added to the desktop.

By default, a start menu entry will be made named Mozilla Firefox, but, if I instead wanted the start menu entry to go under Network Web\Mozilla Firefox, I could use StartMenuDirectoryName=Network\Web\Mozilla Firefox for the StartMenuDirectoryName option.

To perform an unattended install using WPKG, I could use the following for a firefox.xml package file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<packages>
     
<package 
	id="Firefox"
	name="Mozilla Firefox 3.6"
	revision="3600"
	reboot="false"
	priority="30">
 
	<check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="Mozilla Firefox (3.6)" />
	<install cmd="taskkill /F /IM Firefox.exe">
		<exit code="0" />
		<exit code="128" />
                <exit code="-1073741515" />
	</install>
	<install cmd='"%SOFTWARE%\network\web\Firefox Setup 3.6.exe" /ini=%SOFTWARE%\network\web\firefox.ini' />
	<upgrade cmd="taskkill /F /IM Firefox.exe">
		<exit code="0" />
		<exit code="128" />
                <exit code="-1073741515" />
	</upgrade>
	<upgrade cmd='"%SOFTWARE%\network\web\Firefox Setup 3.6.exe" /ini=%SOFTWARE%\network\web\firefox.ini' />
	<remove cmd="taskkill /F /IM Firefox.exe">
		<exit code="0" />
		<exit code="128" />
                <exit code="-1073741515" />
	</remove>
	<remove cmd='"%PROGRAMFILES%\Network\Web\Mozilla Firefox\uninstall\helper.exe" /s' />
</package>

</packages>

References:

1. Firefox - WPKG
   WPKG
2. Installer:Command Line Arguments
   mozilla wiki

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

<check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="Vim 7.2.320"/>

As a result, when I tried using WPKG to uninstall and reinstall the software, I was unable to do so. To fix the problem, I edited C:\Windows\system32\wpkg.xml and changed that line in the file to the correct uninstall condition, which is the following:

<check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="Debugging Tools for Windows (x86)"/>

The corrected windbg.xml file contains the following:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<packages>

<!-- Debugging Tools for Windows 32-bit Version -->
<!-- Source: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/installx86.mspx#a  -->

<package id="WinDbg" name="Debugging Tools for Windows" revision="1" reboot="false" priority="0">
      
  <check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="Debugging Tools for Windows (x86)" />
 	
  <install cmd='msiexec INSTDIR="C:\Program Files\Utilities\SysMgmt\Debugging Tools for Windows (x86)\" /i %SOFTWARE%\Utilities\SysMgmt\dbg_x86_6.11.1.404.msi  /q' />
  <upgrade cmd='%SOFTWARE%\Utilities\SysMgmt\dbg_x86_6.11.1.404.msi  /q' />
  <remove cmd='msiexec /x {300A2961-B2B5-4889-9CB9-5C2A570D08AD} /q' />

</package>
	
</packages>

References:

1. Unattended Install for Debugging Tools for Windows
   MoonPoint Support

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<packages>
      
<package
   id="FileAlyzer"
   name="FileAlyzer"
   revision="1"
   priority="3"
   reboot="false">
 
   <check type="uninstall" condition="exists" path="FileAlyzer"/>
 
   <install cmd='%SOFTWARE%\utilities\filealyz.exe /sp- /verysilent /Dir="%PROGRAMFILES%\Utilities\FileAlyzer"'/>
 
   <upgrade cmd='%SOFTWARE%\utilities\filealyz.exe /sp- /verysilent /Dir="%PROGRAMFILES%\Utilities\FileAlyzer"'/>
 
   <remove cmd='"%PROGRAMFILES%\Utilities\FileAlyzer\unins000.exe" /sp- /verysilent /norestart'/>
 
</package>

</packages>

%SOFTWARE% is a variable representing the directory on the server where software to be installed is located. I was able to specify the directory where the software should be installed with /Dir="%PROGRAMFILES%\Utilities\FileAlyzer" rather than having to accept the default installation directory, since FileAlyzer uses Inno Setup, an open source installer. If you don't specify the directory where it should be installed, FileAlyzer will be installed in C:\Program Files\Safer Networking\FileAlyzer

After FileAlyzer is installed, you can right-click on a file and choose Analyze file with FileAlyzer.

[/os/windows/software/wpkg] permanent link