Windows Installer properties are used during the installation process.

Important You can use the drop-down list in the toolbar to select the current build. Also, all the changes made in this view apply only to the current build.

Installation Folders

  • Application Folder - in this field you can specify the default path for the installation folder. This path is stored in the APPDIR property and it is represented by the "Application Folder" directory in the Files and Folders Page. During the installation, the user can modify this path by either using the [ Browse ] button in the "FolderDlg" (Select Installation Folder) dialog or by manually editing the Path Edit control on the same dialog. The default value of this field points to a sub-folder of the "Program Files" folder.
  • Application Shortcut Folder - in this field you can specify the default path of the folder which will contain the application's shortcuts. This path is stored in the SHORTCUTDIR property and it is represented by the "Application Shortcut Folder" directory in the "Files and Folders" page. The default value of this field points to the Windows taskbar's "Start" -> "Programs" menu.

These values are directly editable, with a suggested set of defaults available in the drop-down lists. Click the [ Edit... ] button to change them through the Edit Formatted Type Dialog.

Installation Options

Package Type

Select between 32-bit, 64-bit for Intel processors, 64-bit for AMD processors and mixed 32/64 bit packages. You can read more about the difference between those types in the Package Types page.

Installation Type

  • Per User - the application will be available only for the user who installed it. On Windows Vista or above, with this option set the logged user will never be elevated to administrative privileges, so if the installation requires such privileges, it will fail.
  • Per User (with administrator rights required) - on Windows Vista or above, use this option in order to create a package which will be installed per user but requires administrator privileges (e.g. its application files need to be installed in a privileged location such as "Program Files"). In this case the user may see an Elevation Prompt dialog that will ask for administrator privileges. If the logged user is member of the "Administrators" user group, he will be asked to allow or deny the installation, otherwise he will be prompted to provide credentials for one of the computer administrators. On other Windows versions this option behaves like the previous one.
  • Per Machine - the application will be available for all the users of that machine. On Windows Vista or above the user may see an Elevation Prompt dialog that will ask for administrator privileges when installing the package. If the logged user is member of the "Administrators" user group, he will be asked to allow or deny the installation, otherwise he will be prompted to provide credentials for one of the computer administrators.
  • Per Machine/User - the application will be installed "Per Machine" if the user has administrative rights and "Per User" otherwise. On Windows Vista or above this option has the same installation behavior as the previous one.

Caution!A per-user installation cannot upgrade a per-machine installation and a per-machine installation cannot upgrade a per-user installation. However, you can try using a Preserve Install Type of the old version predefined UI custom action.

NoteOn Windows Vista or above, it is strongly recommended that you do not alter the value of the ALLUSERS property during install.

When performing a Per User installation the package must respect some rules:

  • it creates registry entries only under HKEY_CURRENT_USER
  • it creates shortcuts only in the user's profile (not in per-machine locations)
  • it writes information only in Per User locations (for example a normal user cannot write in the "Windows" or "Program Files" folders)

Reboot Behavior

Windows Installer can determine when a system reboot is required and automatically prompt the user at the end of the installation. For instance, if the installer needs to replace any files that are in use during the installation it will automatically prompt for a reboot once the installation is finished.

You can change this default behavior by specifying one of the options below in order to always prompt for a reboot or to suppress some or all reboot prompts.

  • Prompt for Reboot when required - let Windows Installer decide when a system reboot is necessary (for example, when it needs to replace any files that are in use during the installation).
  • Force Reboot after install - always prompt for a reboot at the end of the installation, even if a system reboot is not required.
  • Suppress Reboot after install, except for ForceReboot actions - Suppress prompts for a reboot at the end of the installation. If the installer encounters the ForceReboot action, it still prompts the user with an option to reboot during the installation.
  • Suppress all Reboots and Reboot prompts - all reboots and reboot prompts at the end of the installation and during the installation (initiated by the ForceReboot action) are suppressed.

Caution!A reboot request will discontinue a chained installation. If one of the chained packages requires a reboot you should suppress it by setting the REBOOT property to ReallySuppress. For the last package in the chained installation you can set the REBOOT property to Force. This way a reboot will be performed when the chained installation is complete.

Perform the reboot if required without showing any prompts

This option makes the installer perform any required reboots automatically, without prompting the user.

Limit to basic user interface (simple progress and error handling)

This option directs Windows Installer to display only a dialog with a progress bar showing the evolution of the installation and the message boxes that display error messages. It is used especially for unassisted or automated installs (e.g deployment through Group Policy).

NoteIf you select this option, the “Disable Modify” option from “Add/Remove (Control Panel)” will also be selected.

Enable Verbose Logging

By enabling this option, a log file will be generated each time the install package runs. This option sets the Windows Installer MsiLogging property to v value. Windows Installer will automatically set the MsiLogFileLocation property to the path where the log file will be generated. By default, the MsiLogFileLocation will point to:

  • CurrentUser\LocalSettings\Temp\MSI*.LOG for Windows XP.
  • CurrentUser\AppData\Local\Temp\MSI*.LOG for Windows Vista or later.

Where * is a random set of letters and numbers.

Caution!The MsiLogFileLocation is a Read-only property and cannot be changed by the package author or by the user. It's value is automatically set during the run time of the installation package.

ImportantThis option requires Windows Installer 5.0 on Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7. Windows Installer 4.0 or Windows Installer 4.5 on Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista, Windows Installer 4.5 on Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP in order to work properly.

Execution Level

Run as administrator - enabling this option automatically sets the execution level to "Require Administrator". Disabling it will set the execution level back to "As Invoker" default.

Execution level... - this link displays the EXE bootstrapper's Execution Level Settings.

ImportantSetting the execution level to "Highest Available" or "Require Administrator" will enable "Create EXE setup file" option from Media Page. If this option is disabled in the Bootstrapper tab, setting the execution level to "No Execution Level" will not enable it.

Minimize Installation Time

Fast Install

This options enables you to drastically reduce the time it takes your application to install by:

  • Moving files on the same volume rather than copy
  • Suppressing installation progress estimate

Requirements:

  • Installation is using the Enhanced User Interface
  • The install location selected by the user is on the same drive where the files have been extracted
  • Per machine installation is performing
  • This is first time the application is installating
  • No features are being advertised or installed to run from source
  • No isolated components are being installed

Windows Installer 5.0 - Fast Install Options

When Windows Installer 5.0 or higher is found on the target machine, the installation time can be decreased by using these options:

  • Don't save system restore points for installation - if this option is set Windows Installer will not longer create system restore points for the install process.
  • Perform only file costing and skip checking other costs - if this option is set Windows Installer will perform only file costing, ignoring the rest of costs.
  • Reduce the frequency of progress messages - if this option is set the installation progress is updated less frequently.

These options can be used together and are ignored on machines with Windows Installer 4.5 or older.

Properties

You can add new custom Properties to your MSI package. This page is mainly used to give default values to the properties in your package. If your package uses properties initialized by another part of the installation (for example the User Interface), then there is no need to specify that property in this section.

Creating a new property

Use the [ New ] button, the “New” list context menu item or press the Insert key while the focus is on the list control. If you specify a property which is already created by another part of the installation package (for example the property of a dialog control), this property will be not be created. Instead, the information you specified in the "New Property" dialog will update the existing information of this property.

Modifying a property's name or value

Use the [ Edit ] button, the “Edit” list context menu item or press the Space key while the focus is on the name or value column in the list control.

NoteThe properties values are PseudoFormatted Type.

Removing a property

Use the [ Remove ] button, the “Remove” list context menu item or press the Delete key while the focus is on the list control.

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