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Windows Installer Helper Utility


xper

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Hi Benjamin !

What about using windows shell for this purpose?
What do you mean by Windows shell ??
Hmm, not very good. Purpose of this tool was software installation interface. If you don't want install any software just specify an empty install.in

Thats what I am doing now, but it is sort of unnecessary to go through the empty installation dialog ... well, it was just a request !

There is already a switch for this "/skiprestart".
Yeah, but this does the opposite !! :D

So to make it clearer: I would love to have a "/skipnorestart" switch :) I know, but think about it ! After installing quite a few apps and drivers you would want the user to always restart and not have the option to keep on working .... right ?

Why don't you use "Computer Management" (Systemsteuerung\Verwaltung\Computerverwaltung) for this purpose? I know windows (2000/XP) interface is a bit limited in contradiction to Windows 2003, but may be I could create a stand alone user creation tool?

Well, I could of course also right click on the "My documents" folder and change it there or change all the different shell folders using TweakUI.

But a single place to create users, create and change shell folders for them etc. would be simply cool and especially helpful for the last step in an unattended software installation. And your utililty is altready much nicer than Computermanagement ! :D

In my imagination I would think of something like your user creation dialog with the addition of

a button to change or create the "My documents" shell folder of that newly created user,

a button to change or create the "My music" shell folder of that newly created user,

and the same for all the other shell folders like My pictures, videos etc.

Then, when the user logs in the first time, all the folders are already where one would want them to be.

Well, I am just dreaming ! :rolleyes:

Anyway, thanks for making my imagination fly !

Bye,

Alex

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Yeah, but this does the opposite !! 

So to make it clearer: I would love to have a "/skipnorestart" switch

if /skiprestart is not set, wihu presumes auto restart i.e. default is restart.
a button to change or create the "My documents" shell folder of that newly created user

Ok, may be I'll add this in future version or may be in final 2.0.

Benjamin

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Couple of questions.

How do you call wihu.exe from cmdline.txt when you have wihu.exe on a cd/dvd?

Would this work?

[COMMANDS]
"%systemsource%\software\wihu\wihu.exe /skipautorestart /autoinstall 0"

The %CDROM% command only works if you use the if exist command first to find cd.txt file right and doesn't work in cmdlines.txt right?

Then in the install.ini file you would have:

[Environment]
SomePath=%SYSTEMSOURCE%

To look files/folders on the cd/dvd.

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as for starting....

assuming you have Software in the root of your CD, and CMDLINES.TXT in $OEM$ it would actually be....

[COMMANDS]
"..\software\wihu\wihu.exe /skipautorestart /autoinstall 0"

as for the commands to the software, I believe if you just have

\Program\setup.exe it will find it... if Program is in the same folder as WIHU

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Hi Benjamin!

Great work! :D

I have a command.x suggestion to your latest 2.0 beta... :)

Is it possible to put again more command-lines in each process, like in previous versions?

Sorry, but is it also possible to put more description-lines??? It would be very cool! :rolleyes:

For example:

[Additional Software]
description.0.0=description-line 1
description.0.1=description-line 2
command.0.0=command-line 1
command.0.1=command-line 2

description.1=description-line 1
command.1.0=command-line 1
command.1.1=command-line 2
command.1.2=command-line 3

Thank you for this cool program!

Bye, Dali

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More command-lines exists in previous versions, it´s not a new feature.

But I miss this option in the categories... :rolleyes:

More description-lines... OK. But to complex? I don't think so...

else I agree... :)

the program is great cause it's simple

Keep it up Benjamin!

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Having trouble win *.cmd and *.msi files.

For cmd files I used:

comand.1=%systemroot%\system32\cmd.exe /c /s hotfixes.cmd

and even tried

comand.1="%systemroot%\system32\cmd.exe /c /s" hotfixes.cmd

but both don't work.

With the msi files I used

comand.1=%systemroot%\system32\msiexec.exe /I messenger\msnmsg.msi

and also tried

comand.1="%systemroot%\system32\msiexec.exe /I" messenger\msnmsg.msi

but didnj't work either.

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So it would be great if there was a command line switch that allows Wihu to go from the User creation screen directly to the last reboot screen, skipping the Software Installation screen.

add a command line switch to make the Wihu dialog modal so that the user is forced to add a user and reboot without being able to do something else or skip the step. Actually, it would be great if it even the close or cancel button would be greyed out in this mode so that after a default installation the user is forced to add a user and reboot.

add an option on the first dialog ( user creation ) to add more than one user.  Something like an "add more users" button which opens one more user creation dialog ...

This program is looking great and is an essential to my unattend cd now. But i too would love to see the features above implemeted, without the need to click next with an empty ini, I know im being annoying but it is those small things that really finish it off. Thanks for a great program and keep up the good work.

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@Dali

In this beta you could use the "Hide" command for this purpose.

In the sample "install.ini" file of v2.0 beta change:

[Multiple command.x Test]
....
hide.0=1
hide.1=1
hide.2=1

The result will be 1 description line [....] which will execute 3 commands when selected.

@Benjamin:

I actually requested the hide option to have a possibility to always let commands be executed (hide an entire section). This way, the user can NOT DEselect these commands.

In the latest beta you always(?) have the [.....] description, and you ARE able to (de)select this line.

Are you still planning to inplement the old functionality to hide an entire section ?

Another question, are you planning to implement "Windows Explorer" like Expand/collapse [+] , [-].

The way you display the list now, my software list has gotten twice as long :D

I am sorry to say, but the way the latest beta operates/works now, i prefer the old version :D

Only missing thing there is the "skip software installation dialog" part :rolleyes:

Otherwise, you are doing a great job :) i am sure things eventually work out.

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Hi, I've been saving up some ideas for the config files, and worked them out a bit.

First I suggest stepping off the ini file format, to remove the need of those sequence numbers, they get to be a real pain when inserting or moving programs. For the rest here's an example:

[Category name]
; As current

program=Program name
;The name show on screen
;This also acts as the divider bestween programs and thus
;must be the first of a block of related lines.

description=Longer desctription of the program
description=Preferably be able to give multiple lines
description=Shown only for the currently selected app
description=Perheps make a text field above the list box
description=Or maybe as a popup tooltip box
description=Less urgent than the rest and can wait for a later release

selected, hide, file, etc

command=install app
command=install extra files
command=regfile
command=copy shortcut
;Multiple commands as requested by many
;These a not shown or individually selectable

program=Another program
...

Hope you like it :)

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