Sean8385
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2023 8:19 pm

Need some help with a exe

I have this crappy software we use that is a exe with no silent install. during the manual install there are a few text boxes where you have to insert product number and ID which are unique to my company. We have never had a silent way to install this and every year the software comes out with a new version which we have to manually upgrade users with.

I tried using Advanced Installer, when I covert the exe to a MSI, I can't see the dialog boxes under User interface to add the values needed in those boxes. If I do a extract all with 7zip of the original exe, I get a few msi, none of which show me the the dialog box from the manual setup where you add the values.

I tried doing a repackage installation where it monitors the install and then created a new package. This sort of works, the problem is, when I would do a manual install, at the end there is a checkbox to open the product. When the product opens it must finish the install. When I do the session monitoring, the monitoring finishes before I open the product. So now the problem is, I can install the product no problem from the new package that was created, but when the user goes to open it for the first time, it prompts you for admin creds which the users aren't local admins. I'm guessing because it wasn't opened during the monitoring session.

Wanted to see if anyone had any advice or ideas to get this solved. If I can get a silent install to work, I'll push this out with Intune and most likely psapp deploy tookit as I'll need users to close out prior to the install.
Catalin
Posts: 7030
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: Need some help with a exe

Hello Sean and welcome to our forums,

Regarding the dialog boxes, please make sure these are not spawned through a Custom Action - otherwise you should be able to see the dialog after the repackaging process.

Additionally, if you know the logic behind, you can create your own custom dialog using the "Dialog Editor" feature.
I tried doing a repackage installation where it monitors the install and then created a new package. This sort of works, the problem is, when I would do a manual install, at the end there is a checkbox to open the product. When the product opens it must finish the install. When I do the session monitoring, the monitoring finishes before I open the product. So now the problem is, I can install the product no problem from the new package that was created, but when the user goes to open it for the first time, it prompts you for admin creds which the users aren't local admins. I'm guessing because it wasn't opened during the monitoring session.
Not sure what to say here, I don't think this is happening because the app was not opened during the monitoring session.

If the app resides in a per-machine location and a normal user tries to access it, it's normal for the UAC to appear.

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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Sean8385
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2023 8:19 pm

Re: Need some help with a exe

So I did the repackage again and when I go to install I get a error that it can't write to a reg key
\software\microsoft\multimedia\audio\journal

What I don't understand is when I run the repackage it prompts me for elevated creds. when I install it I use the same elevated creds but then get this error message. Any idea why this happens. Also if I ignore the error it will finish the install and seems to work.
Catalin
Posts: 7030
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:49 am

Re: Need some help with a exe

Hello,

Does that error occur during the installation of the setup?

If so, then most likely the registry key you're mentioning was captured as "noise" and we should remove it.

I'm saying it is noise because most likely your EXE has no bussiness writing something under the Microsoft registry entries.

Best regards,
Catalin
Catalin Gheorghe - Advanced Installer Team
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