With App-V packages closing to end-of-life (2026), the reality of a transition to MSIX is much closer and many are starting to research the ins and outs of what it entails. Although we now know that MSIX is not an update to MSI, but a completely new technology, there are still some correlations that we'd like to address.

On a recent post, we explored how MSIX deployments are done via SCCM, covering the scenario when a per-user installation is needed.

Although it’s a rare scenario - you might run into the situation where you need to continue the installation of a certain application after reboot. We are talking about a silent installation that doesn't require admin rights or any input from the user.

We learned in How does Files Redirection work with MSIX that user data files, either from the project or created by executables, are automatically redirected to: %localappdata%\packages\PublisherName.AppName_hash\LocalCache.

In this article, we go through:

Lessons I have learned from making many mistakes in my enterprise software packaging newbie (and not only) years.

In our IT Pro world, the best practice we have in place regarding app deployment is that all applications are installable per machine. No matter if it’s an MSI, EXE, or other custom types of installers.

The purpose of this article is to show you how redirection works and how you can add your user files in the project using Advanced Installer GUI.

For those new to Windows deployment/management, Windows Installer is Microsoft's solution used for the installation, removal, but also maintenance of software. Windows Installer was released for the first time when Windows 95 came in and has been developed over time since then.

There are multiple package formats used for deploying Windows applications, the most well-known being the MSI – Windows Installer. If you didn't know already, an MSI is a database that can be easily customized through the use of command line parameters or MST transform files.

In November 2015, Microsoft released the first edition of System Center Configuration Manager called SCCM (Current Branch) 1511. And since then, Microsoft decided to change its name to “SCCM YYMM (Year Month)” following the same naming convention as for Windows 10 YYMM (example Windows 10 1809).

Sometimes you might end up in a situation when you cannot uninstall a package. We already covered how you can recache an MSI in our user guide. However, we noticed that this might not work for transforms (MSTs) and a different solution is needed.

Use our custom PowerShell commands and take full advantage of their power and flexibility to create and configure Advanced Installer projects.

Let’s assume that you have an application that installs files or registry in a user location. In this article we explain how you can install that information for all users by using MSI, APP-V or the new Microsoft installer technology, MSIX, a short cleanup process description, and a short comparison between them.

In the lifecycle of an application package, it comes a point when an update is required. Whether we want to fix minor bugs and vulnerabilities, or we come up with some improvements and big changes to our app, we must deliver it as an update.

In January 2020, Windows 7 end of life support comes in place. This means that users won’t receive any updates from Microsoft, and companies have to pay extra for the next three years if they want them.

Before we begin, it is important we know that starting with SCCM version 1806, MSIX application is supported in System Center Configuration Manager. Integrating MSIX apps in previous versions, does not work. Also the current version of Windows 10 that supports MSIX is version 1809. It is announced that Microsoft will add support for MSIX also on other versions of Windows 10.

We know 13th Jan 2015 is the date when Microsoft's mainstream support for Windows 7 ended. Since then, Microsoft has continued to provide security updates for free and will do this until 14th Jan 2020 when Windows 7 extended support is going to end. As it has done with previous versions of Windows, the only people who will receive extended security updates (ESUs) after Jan 2020 will be those willing to pay for them.

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that can be used for managing mobile devices, protecting company information, and ensuring devices/applications used, meet your company's security policies.

Easily create new PowerShell scripts or integrate existing ones into your installer with the predefined custom actions.