Installing MSI packages through PowerShell is a widely known technique that simplifies the deployment of software across multiple systems, especially for system administrators and IT professionals.

Creating a seamless user experience for an application often involves the use of shortcuts.

At the 2022 Microsoft Build event, a new opportunity was announced for developers: the ability to upload MSI and EXE applications directly to the Microsoft Store.

As one of the most prominent programming languages in the world, Python is supported by many tools and modules. It is easy to learn and provides a nicely constructed code -- which opens the door for many solutions and endless possibilities.

MSIX is a game-changer for software application distribution. However, it’s not all smooth sailing - there are challenges to face. A big one? Configuring your application.

With Microsoft's transition from MSI to MSIX, notable changes have emerged in application deployment, particularly in the software activation process.

When you switch from using App-V to MSIX for packaging your applications, you'll notice a big change in how shortcuts work. MSIX doesn't use the old .lnk shortcuts StartMenu you might be used to. Instead, it uses something called “modern application entries.”

Services play a critical role in the installation and management of software applications. They are independent background processes that provide specific functionality or perform system tasks. Services are components that can be installed, configured, and managed as part of an application installation in the context of Windows Installer (MSI).

An MSI upgrade refers to the process of installing a new version of a software product that replaces an existing installation. It involves updating the installed product with a higher version while preserving user data and settings. MSI upgrades provide a comprehensive update mechanism that allows users to transition seamlessly from one version to another.

Depending on the situation, there are a number of actions you can take when it comes to repackaging an application:

Advanced Installer supports working with COM components extensively, including the ability to define custom interfaces, type libraries, and classes. The Advanced Installer GUI can be used to define and register these components.

Classes in the Windows Registry enable the organization and management of file type associations and other related settings. Each file type association in the registry is represented by a class that defines the association's properties and behaviors. Classes can be used to define other system objects such as ActiveX controls, fonts, and COM objects in addition to file type associations.

Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) is a proprietary Microsoft technology that allows developers to embed and link to other objects. With OLE Control Extension (OCX), you can develop and use custom user interface elements. You can also achieve OLE controls via Dynamic-Link Library(.dll) files.

The custom actions topic is one that most beginner IT Professionals tend to avoid and it’s to be understood because MSI technology is a very complex topic, not to mention the best practices that were developed during the years and somehow expected for the uninitiated to implement in their installers.

Welcome to “Advanced MSI Packaging,” the definitive guide to building robust and secure installation packages. This book builds upon the foundation laid by “MSI Packaging Essentials” providing an in-depth exploration of the MSI packaging process and its many intricacies.

Understanding application dependencies is an important part of the MSI packaging process because it allows IT professionals to ensure that the installation package contains all required components and can be installed and operated reliably on target computers.

There are cases when we try to install drivers on Windows and the following windows appears:

Working with drivers is not something to be worried about. Although the MSI technology does not offer a native way via the database tables that you can use, the OS is offering multiple choices for you to achieve this goal.

Technically, during the uninstallation process, based on what directories are defined in the Directory table, the MSI usually handles the deletion of all directories and assures a clean machine. However, the rules of erasing directories are:

Often throughout the repackaging process, it's frequent to come across files featuring straightforward paths such as: C:\Program Files.