How to create an exe shell for an msi program

[mli04]

Hi Team,

I want to create an exe type installation package for an MSI program. This MSI program only has an installation progress interface. I hope that the Exe installation program I made provides the following capabilities:
1. This Exe installation program has a welcome page. When you click Next, a custom Action is executed. This Action sets a group policy. Then the MSI installation starts and the MSI installation window is displayed.
2. If the MSI installation fails, it can prompt the installation failure and display an end installation window.
3. After the MSI installation is successful, the end installation window is displayed.
Can you help me provide a demo project? I found that there are too many wizard interfaces in the templates that come with Advanced Installer, and they cannot be deleted.


Thanks,
Andrew

[Catalin]

Hello Andrew,

What you want to achieve can be done through our "Prerequisites" support.

Here would be the steps to achieve what you need:

1. create an Enterprise project

Screenshot_20.png (31.46 KiB) Viewed 1641 times

2. go to "Custom Actions" page and add your custom action "Without sequence" so it can be added as a dialog event

Screenshot_21.png (12.39 KiB) Viewed 1641 times

3. go to "Dialogs" page, select the dialog and the "Next" button and add the custom action as a "Published Event"

Screenshot_22.png (207.82 KiB) Viewed 1641 times

4. the last step would be to add your package as a prerequisite in the "Prerequisites" page, configuring its installation conditions and everything else.

If you have any more questions, please let me know and I will gladly assist.

Best regards,
Catalin

[mli04]

Hi Catalin,

All my needs are met through "Prerequisites", but after the Prerequisites process is completed, an installation window will be displayed, followed by the installation progress, and finally the installation end window. Is there any way to directly display the installation end window after the Prerequisites process is completed?


Thanks,
Andrew

[mli04]

Hi Catalin,

Is there a way to remove the MSI package and retain only the EXE bootstrapper?

2025-05-26_13-43-47.png (133.86 KiB) Viewed 1624 times

Thanks,
Andrew

[Catalin]

Hello Andrew,

The EXE is only a bootstrapper over the MSI that is embedded inside it.

Advanced Installer is a Windows Installer (MSI) tool. That being said, behind the scenes, there is still an MSI that runs.

However, the bootstrapper enhances it in many ways (like the possibility of a modern UI, pre install prerequisites, etc.).

If you want to hide the dialogs from the MSI, go to "Builds" page and make the MSI run with a silent command line (e.g. /qb for the MSI to show a progress bar or /qn for completely silent).

Screenshot_24.png (6.69 KiB) Viewed 1589 times

Best regards,
Catalin