Same product installed side by side

[sonda]

I have two builds from the same .aip project file
one is SomeExeName.1.0.101.1.exe and another SomeExeName.1.0.101.2.exe
the 1.0.101.1 and 1.0.101.2 are ProductVersion as you may notice the format is with four digits i know that installer format is with three parts major.minor.build and as you may see first three are same. What will happen if i install this versions to my machine?

In my case both versions are installed and are listed in add remove programs although are same with same product code. Is this normal behavior? i was expecting that will give me error. The project is not set to have multiple instances and product code is same in the aip since are builded from same project .aip file.

Can be the problem that product version is with four parts? How can i check if product code is remaining same? Can some how product code to be changed (we are not explicitly change by property just call aip file )?

Is product code transformed when app is installed? for example i see in advanced insaller in product ids tab in product code i see some guid let say : 6887266e-6e5a-4e0f-8f7b-dda99ffacad3 if i go to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{6887266e-6e5a-4e0f-8f7b-dda99ffacad3}
in registry product key will be the same or transformed,since i cant find same code but i see some different codes.

How can i be sure that product code is not changed during some process? Its possible from the bulded exe to know ProductCode?

Any suggestion what can be the issue why i see same products installed side by side. i still use older version of advanced installer CreateVersion="15.6" version="15.6"

this is upgrade and product details page

upgrade.png (13.66 KiB) Viewed 3444 times

product_details_.png (33.19 KiB) Viewed 3444 times

it seem odd question but also i'm confused.

Thanks

[Catalin]

Hello,

the 1.0.101.1 and 1.0.101.2 are ProductVersion as you may notice the format is with four digits i know that installer format is with three parts major.minor.build and as you may see first three are same. What will happen if i install this versions to my machine?

As you have already mentioned, by default, the Windows Installer will ignore the fourth field of the ProductVersion. This means that 1.0.0.1 is the same as 1.0.0.999.

From what I can see, you wish the second version of your product to update the first version. Even though it is not really recommended, you can achieve this by following the steps provided in the following thread:

Automatic upgrade old version not working

In my case both versions are installed and are listed in add remove programs although are same with same product code. Is this normal behavior? i was expecting that will give me error. The project is not set to have multiple instances and product code is same in the aip since are builded from same project .aip file.

Two products having the same product code can not be installed on the same machine - Windows will not allow this to happen.

Another version of this product is already installed. Installation of this version cannot continue. To configure or remove the existing version of this product, use Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

The above is the error you should encounter when that happens.

Please make sure that the UpgradeCode is the same for all your versions, otherwise a newer package will not be able to detect and upgrade on older version.

Unlike the ProductCode, the UpgradeCode is a GUID representing a related set of products. A set of different versions of your application will have the same UpgradeCode. This enables newer versions of your application to search and upgrade previous versions installed on the same computer.

Is product code transformed when app is installed? for example i see in advanced insaller in product ids tab in product code i see some guid let say : 6887266e-6e5a-4e0f-8f7b-dda99ffacad3 if i go to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\{6887266e-6e5a-4e0f-8f7b-dda99ffacad3}
in registry product key will be the same or transformed,since i cant find same code but i see some different codes.

When written in the registry, the product code is indeed transformed. However, please note that this automatically happens for every application installed on the machine and it does not affect the setup at all.

Best regards,
Catalin

[sonda]

Hi Catalin thanks for your detail answer.

the 1.0.101.1 and 1.0.101.2 are ProductVersion as you may notice the format is with four digits i know that installer format is with three parts major.minor.build and as you may see first three are same. What will happen if i install this versions to my machine?
As you have already mentioned, by default, the Windows Installer will ignore the fourth field of the ProductVersion. This means that 1.0.0.1 is the same as 1.0.0.999.

From what I can see, you wish the second version of your product to update the first version. Even though it is not really recommended, you can achieve this by following the steps provided in the following thread:

In this case (if i don't do any special step) both versions 1.0.101.1 and 1.0.101.2 will be listed in add remove programs?

Two products having the same product code can not be installed on the same machine - Windows will not allow this to happen.

Yes this is ok i was wrong i have checked the ProductCode is different since version is set from command line.

When written in the registry, the product code is indeed transformed. However, please note that this automatically happens for every application installed on the machine and it does not affect the setup at all.

I was interested in this because i was planning to search by prodyct code and try by custom action to uninstall old version if i find one, just to avoid two same versions to end side by side.

Regards

[Catalin]

Hello,

You are always welcome!

In this case (if i don't do any special step) both versions 1.0.101.1 and 1.0.101.2 will be listed in add remove programs?

Normally, when increasing only the fourth field, you will receive a warning message stating that changing only the fourth field will not generate a new package (does not generate a new ProductCode).

However, if you ignore that and manually generate a new ProductCode, then the answer is yes:

FourthFieldVersion.png (7.22 KiB) Viewed 3375 times

I was interested in this because i was planning to search by prodyct code and try by custom action to uninstall old version if i find one, just to avoid two same versions to end side by side.

If you want more information about this, please refer to the following FAQ:

Why files are left behind after package uninstall?

It is explained there how the packed GUID is formed.

Best regards,
Catalin

[sonda]

Thanks for your reply, the link will be of great help.

Regards

[Catalin]

You are always welcome!

Glad I could assist.

Best regards,
Catalin