RogueSpear

That was my first thought too, so I tried it. And it didn't work. Now it could be I was doing something wrong or the installer itself (Symantec System Center) had something funny about it. Maybe it's worth revisiting.

Update - 20060116 Added DAEMON Tools V4.03HE In my second round of testing I noticed that the shortcut creation part of my installer for DT4 is flawed. If there does not already exist a folder named CD-R in the All Users Start Menu, then the shortcut will be missing. If you install A-Ray Scanner or any number of the DVD oriented installers I have posted, then the shortcut will be created just fine (since the CD-R folder is already there). If the shortcut is missing for you, the program will still run just fine. I'll get an update posted at some point, but it's not high on priority list at the moment.

You can easily edit an .msi file so that it will run without the setup.exe launching it. I do that all the time (.NET Framework 2.0 is a good example). The problem is the presence of ISScript.msi. Whenever there is a file like that, sometime you may see ISScript8.msi or something similar, it seems that you do indeed need to use the included bootstrap. I haven't yet researched the significance behind ISScript.msi in order to find a way around it. Has anyone else figured that one out?

You might want to take a look at some of the training videos that CBT Nuggets have to offer. I've found them to be pretty decent. If you have a little more money to spend (or your employer maybe), take a look at AppDev. They have very comprehensive training programs.

I could see them possibly doing something like that for enterprise SMS licensees, but not for Windows Server 2003. AdminStudio is $4,000 for the professional version. It's not quite like throwing Nero in with a DVD burner.

Ok I was wondering how in the world that would have slipped by me I usually keep up on what ScriptLogic puts out there even though I've never really been that fond of their products. I had never tried out Masai before. EDIT: Considering it's price however, it gets major points from me. It may not be AdminStudio, but not too many can really afford that. And I fear with Macrovision having aquired InstallShield, only bad things will come of that product.

Update - 20060114 Added DVD43 V3.7.0 Added Macromedia Shockwave Player V10.1.0.011 Updated DVDFab Decrypter to V2.9.6.8 The migration to my own hosting space from RapidShare should be complete now. If any links are not functioning properly please let me know.

A little bit of poking around at InstallShield's web site and you should be able to find some knowledge base articles and other documentation about .iss files. I found it rather helpful anyway, but be aware I seem to recall that there is indeed some information not included over there. I don't know if this is by design or not. I'm sorry this post is so vague, but it's been quite a while since I've had the need to mess around a setup.iss file.

I don't think I could tell you the first thing about building an install for an application from scratch. As far as repacking or direct .msi editing goes, I really learned almost everything on my own. And it took a long time and I'm sure I've only scratched the surface too. I am working on a guide to repackaging applications with the InstallShield Repackager. It will probably be a couple weeks or so before I can post it. It's really a difficult topic to cover in detail and I'm attempting to break it up into more easily digested portions.

I just started to mess around with the Phishing Filter plugin Microsoft made for their MSN Toolbar. It actually picks up on stuff like this pretty effectively. I installed this on a few computers at a client site and so far they're pretty happy with it. I guess they have some people who really don't take all of the warnings to heart, so this is actually something they "need". I've always said most problems are due to the user, not the computer.

It also appears to include the Tuner program, which I also use from time to time. Unfortunately I don't believe it has the .msi editor which I use on a daily basis. And ORCA just doesn't quite cut it for me. What I may end up doing is installing this on my laptop and AdminStudio 6 on my desktop. I primarily use my laptop, but I'm constantly terminal serviced into my desktop. Not the most elegant solution, but I guess it'll work.

I second that. And I'm done with this particular thread.

They're all free, in the case of Ad-aware there is a free version anyway, so why not. They all also happen to be relatively small and self contained, well behaved and easy to use. So it really can't hurt, but I think what you have installed now is certainly sufficient.

Right in post #1 of this thread.. I use InstallShield AdminStudio. There is Wise Package Studio, which I haven't tried it out in quite some time, but I really wasn't too impressed with it a couple of versions ago. Who knows, it may have improved a bit. Then there's a relatively newer product, ScriptLogic Installer Design Studio. Even though it's up to version 3, this is the first version that I am aware of. I gave it a try and found the interface to be incredibly convoluted and confusing. But that's only my opinion, other's may think it's great because it seems to be geared a little more towards people who are new to this topic. What I can't say is how good of a job it does because I never got that far with it. For application repackaging, transform file creation, and direct .msi editing, AdminStudio is really at the top in my book. It's outrageously expensive. Nearly criminal in my mind. I was lucky enough to have my primary employer spring for it. Those who are not so fortunate will realistically need to seek out other solutions unless they're independantly wealthy or something.

I did make one a while back for the latest release of CD Burner XP Pro, but I'm unable to locate it now. I'll have to make it again I think. It looks as though CD Burner is on the really slow track for an upgrade. Too bad too, because I always liked the program. I lost the msi file for IrfanView, so I'll just rebuilt the project tonight and post it again. And as far as TrueCrypt goes, I just have not gotten that far down the line in transferring things over. On another note. I now have new hosting, so there is likely to be some down time with the items that I currrently host. The interruption should be minimal.

Yea I think we already determined that we're online. @maxXPsoft, if you really want to know what's coming in and out, set up another machine with Ethereal, use a hub, and take a peek.

@Jedi82, probably the best to go about what you want to do is to find out the registry settings and make a .reg file for import after Winamp has installed. I'm sure a lot of people do this already with their registration code to enable to Pro features, so it could just be tossed into the same file for import. @coucou, I thought we went through most of this back around page 2 of this thread.. take a look at this post from my guide to RIS for the proper usage of NirCmd in VBscript. If you follow the instructions.. putting the installer in \OEM, it should run fine for you. I am not about to alter the script. It works fine for me and always has. If you want to put things in another directory you are going to have to do that on your own. I think when I update this installer I will not include any script at all and just let people implement it as they see fit.

It looks fine, but I notice that you are using my installer for .NET 2.0. I'm not sure where you plan on running this batch from, but the .NET 2.0 cannot be executed during the GUI setup phase (svcpack.inf, cmdlines.txt). If you are running this batch file from RunOnceEx or GuiRunOnce then it should be fine.

My keyboard has all of the normal keys. It was made before Microsoft got a little too funky with their keyboards, so there's no function lock mechanism or anything like that.

@Jedi82, the switchless silent installers are mostly for use with svcpack.inf, like you illustrated. You can run them from a batch if you prefer, but from what I could see in your post, that's how most folks set it up. The .msi file downloads are primarily for use with Group Policy.

You really don't need to learn older versions of a language prior to learning the current version. One could argue that it would be helpful for those times when you need to work with someone else's code, but I think your efforts would best be spent diving right into the latest version, especially if your primary goal is to do your own programming (as opposed to securing a job that might dictate using something older). I've found that the best way to learn to program is to do it. You can read several tomes of instruction and information, then sit down and not have the first idea of what to do next. The beginning is always the most difficult. Getting some of the essential basics down, then things should begin to pick up for you. And you will never really stop learning new things and picking up new tricks. Don't be fooled by the whole .NET label. Sure there are new ways of doing things, but that does not indicate VB6 is a prerequisite for VB.NET.

No dollar signs. What I mean is quite literally \OEM NirCmd is not included in the download and the script that is included makes no effort to change the screen resolution. I was simply illustrating to you how I go about it. You can can change the screen resoluton wherever you like. If you want to add it to the script I included, that'll work, but it's not necessary. I am aware that there are other utilities out there for changing the screen resolution, but NirCmd works quite well and it also does about a thousand other things. Why go with a one trick pony when you can have it all? The way I get NirCmd into my installation is through my addon pack (see my signature), but you could also just as easily stick it on you CD in \$OEM$\$1 or \$OEM$\$1\$$. Either would work just fine.

When I'm not using my laptop I use a Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro. Have been for years, but I've never run into this issue before. I would think that the "Send Ctrl-Alt-Del" menu option would work no matter that case. For instance, I commonly terminal service to other XP computers and manage VMware on those computers without any difficulties.

I have to admit, I have never seen this problem before. And no matter what I do I can't seem to recreate the problem either. Wish I could help further.

Seems like it might be fine for a small business or not-for-profit type of organization, but it's a bit much for the home and not quite enough for the enterprise.