Windows Installer popup during 13min left stage (hotfix installation)

[Wuhtzu]

===== Post Nº 1 =====

Hey

I have updated my WinXP cd with hotfixes for years now using SVCPACK.INF method without problems, but this time I'm getting a Windows Installer popup during the Windows installation, more precisely at the "13 minutes left" stage where the hotfix installationen takes place.

Windows ® Installer. V 3.01.4000.1830

msiexec /Option <Required Parameter> [Optional Parameter]

Install Options

</package | /i> <Product.msi>

Installs or configures a product

/a <Product.msi>

** Lot of lines removed **

I red somewhere (http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/default.asp?dotnet.12.588695.4) that the popup is do to a call to msiexec.exe with missing / wrong parameters. If that's true the installation of some of the hotfixes must make this call "on it's own" because I have done nothing but update my svcpack.inf file and added the hotfixes (8.3 naming) to /i386/svckpack.

Unfortunately I'm updating my cd from scratch, so I can't compare to the my previously updated cd and workout which hotfix is causing the popup.

So my question is: How do I easiest determine which update is causing the popup?

Right now I'm counting the number of hotfixes being installed before the popup occours - I'm doing this by using the /u switch instead of /q switch so I get a progressbar windows for each hotfix being installed. But it's very difficult and annoying.... can you purpose a better way?

Or of course if you know something else could be causing the "error" I would like to hear about that too

Best regards

Wuhtzu

===== Post Nº 2 =====

I ran all the hotfixes with the /v switch and produces a log file which might help - I'm trying to interpret it my self, but maybe someone in here is familiar with the log

/verbose

Enable verbose logging. Creates %Windir%CabBuild.log upon install that details files to be copied. Using this switch may cause the installation to occur much slower.

Here is the logfile:

http://wuhtzu.dk/random/CabBuild.log

Best regards

Wuhtzu

===== Post Nº 3 =====

I found the the hotfixes / updates causing the popup through hard, boring work (an easier way turned up afterwards )

I basically ran all the hotfixes without any switches and installed them all "by hand" - clicking next, i agree, next, finish - and compared what I saw to my svcpack.inf file. It turned out that KB936181 and KB933579 caused the popups and that I had used the wrong switches with those two hotfixes

They should be installed like this:

KB933579.exe /q REBOOT=ReallySuppress /l*v c:windowsKB933579.log

KB936181.exe /q REBOOT=ReallySuppress /l*v c:windowsKB933579.log

Not with the "usual" /q /o /n /z switches. The above also includes logging... So doing the above spared me the popups, but no log files appear for the two updates, so either I properly did the logging part wrong. Anyway it doesn't look like i need them - they are for some msxml stuff which I don't use...

And the smarter way was of course to look at the log files created by default in c:windowskbxxxxxx.log and determine which didn't show up and which contained errors - unfortunately I didn't know about those log files until my manual install hell was over.

Thanks for looking guys

Wuhtzu

Edited March 25, 2008 by Yzöwl
Post Merged! Please learn to use the Edit button

[Martin H]

If i may just come with a little suggestion here, then i would recommend you taking a look at HFSLIP, as opposed to the old and ineffecient svcpack.inf hotfix integration method.

You would then save some 100MB on your install CD + a considerable amount of install time additionally

just wanted to be sure that you where aware of there being alternative solutions available...

http://hfslip.org/

[Wuhtzu]

Hey Martin H

I knew about nLite as an alternative, but I didn't know about hfslip - I'll check it out. Can it handle more hotfixes than nLite?

The reason why I'm doing it the svcpack.inf way is because I know exactly what is being done to my cd - which folders are added, which files are edited ect. so at a later point I can undo all the stuff if I want to (loose the original none updated version of my xp cd) For instance I don't want to slipstream SP3 onto a cd with SP2 and all the SP2 updates integrated.

It's maybe a stupid reason, maybe you can undo with nLite and hfslip - I don't know. Or you could of course just keep your original copy of xp safe

[Yzöwl]

If i may just come with a little suggestion here, then i would recommend you taking a look at HFSLIP, as opposed to the old and ineffecient svcpack.inf hotfix integration method.

You would then save some 100MB on your install CD + a considerable amount of install time additionally

If I may just come with a little suggestion here, the HFSLIP project has its own MSFN Forum here, I'd prefer it to be linked as opposed to the external site.

Now for the fun bits,

• I'd like you to explain how you think that using svcpack.inf is inefficient.
  
• I'd like you to create a HFSLIP tree propagate the folders with the relevant hotfixes, run the script, create the disk and install it.
  Now just do a simple svcpack.inf place your files in the svcpack directory create the disk and install.
  I'm sure the installation of the latter method will be a lot longer, but the HFSLIP routine itself already adds 20ish minutes to the creation process.
  

Incidentally I've recently performed a Win2k install, I added the SP, IE, WMP and all the updates from WU and it probably didn't make any noticeable time difference in creating an unttended/integrated disk in the first place.

[Martin H]

Hi Yzöwl

Ofcourse Wuhtzu can use whatever method he preffers, and i just wanted to let him know about there being alternative solutions available, but if you saw my post as being non-appropriate then i apologise...

The about 13 minutes it takes to run HFSLIP(without cab merge) IMHO makes up for the fact that you'd get a fully patched install source straight from the momment you'd pop the disc into the drive and which additionally dosen't add any extra space or time overhead into the equation of every re-install made from that disc in the feature...

Hi Wuhtzu

Sorry for butting in to your affairs and of course you should stick to the method which you yourself feels the most comfortable with

[xenon2050]

Not that I know how to solve your problem, but since alternatives are being suggested I suggest RyanVM's update pack. It includes nearly all the updates for windows XP. Its what I use and it is very fast and doesn't take much time to do.

I can't compare it to the srcpack method as I haven't used that. I haven't had any need since the RyanVM pack has done everything I've needed it to.

Just my two cents.