Help
FAQFAQCommunityCommunityUser GuideUser GuideContactContactCustomer InfoCustomer Info

Repackaging using Virtual Machines

The Repackager can be configured to capture an installation running on your local machine, where Advanced Installer is installed, or in a virtual machine, where nothing else is installed, meaning a much cleaner system which can yield much more accurate results.

Repackager vm

Besides getting very accurate results, VM repackaging provides another important advantage, i.e., it dramatically reduces the time it takes to repackage and test an application. This is done by the use of snapshots from the VM, our repackager can use existent snapshots or create new ones on the fly, so for you it will be like running directly in the host OS but without having to clean-up the application that got installed during the repackaging operation. This is done automatically by the repackager, as part of its VM snapshots management system.

Supported virtual machines

Repackaging using VMware virtual machines

  • The minimum required versions are VMware Workstation 10, VMware Player 6, VMware ESXi 6, and VMware vCenter 6.
  • Make sure you have the latest VMware tools version installed.
  • Virtual machines created with an older version of VMware Workstation should make sure they have VMCI driver enabled. This is enabled by default in VMs created with the latest editions.
  • The repackager wizard will power the VM for you, but you will have to log in manually.
  • During repackaging, the repackager tool will require elevation so be sure to check the VM for any prompts.

ImportantIf you have only VMware Player, i.e., no VMware Workstation, installed on your machine it is mandatory to install VIX SDK from VMware. If VIX SDK is not installed the repackager will not be able to connect with the VM player.

The tutorial for repackaging using VMware VMs shows you step by step how you can capture, edit and build your legacy installations into standard MSI packages.

Beginning with version 14.8, Advanced Installer gives the option of repackaging your installer utilizing VMware vSphere. To learn more see the Repackaging using VMware vSphere tutorial.

Repackaging using Hyper-V machines

  • The Repackager supports the following Hyper-V virtualization platforms (64-bit):
    • Windows 8 Pro/Ent
    • Windows 8.1 Pro/Ent
    • Windows Server 2012
    • Windows Server 2012 R2
    • Windows Server 2016
    • Windows Server 2019
    • Windows 10 Pro/Ent
  • The supported VM guest OS is Windows XP SP3 (or newer), both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
  • Make sure the latest version of Hyper-V Integration Services is installed.
  • The repackager wizard will power the VM for you, but you will have to log in manually.
  • During repackaging, the repackager tool will require elevation so be sure to check the VM for any prompts.

The tutorial for repackaging using Hyper-V VMs is another example of how you can convert legacy installations into standard MSI packages.

NoteRepackaging using virtual machines requires administrative credentials.

Advanced Installer tools

For a better repackaging experience on both VMware and Hyper-V virtualization providers, Advanced Installer will require installing Advanced Installer tools.

To avoid having to install the tools every time, just copy and install osprovision.exe from the following location, then save the snapshot:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Caphyon\Advanced Installer 15.4\bin