Need to detect SQL Server 64-bit as a prerequisite

[stevehiner]

I have an installer that installs SQL Server Express 2005. I recently started supporting 64-bit installations so I copied my aip file and tweaked it to be install the 64-bit edition of SQL Server. I have found that after the install of SQL Server is complete the installer warns me that all the prerequisites have not been installed. I just double-checked my prereq for SQL Server and, sure enough, the Test tells me that the check failed.

I realize this is due to AI being a 32-bit program so it defaults by pulling from the 32 bit section of the registry. I notice under custom searches that if I create a registry search there is a check box for "search the 64-bit portion of the registry". Why is that option not available under the prerequisite registry search? Am I missing something obvious?

Can I somehow combine the custom search feature with the prerequisite check to do what I need? Is there some way to make the prerequisite test the 64-bit registry or test both the 32 and 64 bit? I suppose if the computer already has the 32 bit version of SQL Server installed I don't want to force them to install the 64-bit version so I'd want to check for either one.

Any ideas how to do what I need to do? I'm running version 8.1.3.

[stevehiner]

It turns out that on my dev machine I have SQL 2008 so I needed to add a second registry key to check so now the Test passes when checking for it. However, the prereq check still failed on a 64-bit machine after installing SQL Server 2005 64-bit so I still think something is wrong with the check.

That's based on feedback from a client so maybe he misunderstood what the error message was - I'm sure it was something about missing a prerequisite and since the only other prereq is .Net 2.0 and that's preinstalled on Windows 7 anyway I don't think that would be it.

[mihai.petcu]

Hello,

You can easily mark your prerequisite as "64-bit" from its properties tab and see the outcome.

All the best,
Mihai