Windows Server 2003 guide to altering msi files

[Trido]

Operating System: Windows Server 2003 Standard

Other Software: InstallShield 10.5 Professional & Rome: Total War

Whirlpool is an Australian Broadband forum. I posted a message there about trying to find a solution to installing Rome: Total War on Windows Server 2003. Now yes, it is a Server OS, not a desktop one, but I don't care about that. 2003 is faster and more stable then its younger cousin XP and after some hella problems with Service Pack 2, I decided a change was in order. Someone posted back that they had heard of someone using InstallShield to alter the install program. I asked how to do that but decided to not be lazy and have a look myself.

A few hours after I posted that message, I went to the InstallShield webpage and downloaded the trial version of InstallShield 10.5 Professional. 500mb later, I installed it and tinkered with it.

I then copied the files from Disc 1 of Rome Total War and opened the main msi file in InstallShield. I opened the Project Assistant Tab and selected Installation Requirements. At the top there was a box with different Windows Operating Systems, 95, NT4, 98SE, 2000, XP and Server 2003. All but NT4, 95 and 2003 were ticked and there was no way to alter it from that screen.

I then went to the Installation Designer tab and clicked on Installation Information --> General Information --> Product Properties. There was a line called Install Condition. Double clicking that brings up the Operating system selection. It gave me this:

(Not Version9X=400) And (Not VersionNT=400) And (Not VersionNT=502) [ProductName] requires Windows 98SE\ME\2K\XP.

Now I found what needed to be altered, but I had to figure out how. After pouring through the help files, I find something under 'Operating System Property Values' in the help files. This told me that Version9X=400 was Windows 95/OSR/OSR2/OSR2.5. VerstionNT=400 is NT4 and all of its Service Packs. Windows 98SE is Version9X=410, Windows ME is Version9X=490, Windows 2000/SP1 is VersionNT=500, Windows XP/SP1/SP2 is VersionNT=501. And of course, if you are following what I am saying, VersionNT=502 is Windows Server 2003.Now, all I had to do was delete the And (Not VersionNT=502) from the end of that line. I closed all that and checked the Installation Requirements page in the Project Assistant Tab and just like that, Windows Server 2003 was ticked, saved and closed.

Now, I used WinISO to create a new image of this. I didn't burn it, I mounted it with Daemon Tools. When I did that, the Autorun started and I was confronted with the Rome: Total War Demoshield app. I clicked on Install and the Install started. I put in the usual Install stuff, began the actual installation, it asked for CD 2 which I gave it, it continued to install, then CD 3 was successfully done. It asked for CD 1 again which I gave it and it finished installation. Now was crunch time. Was all this for nothing? Will Rome: Total War run on Windows Server 2003?

Yes, it did indeed work. Thank god for that because I really love this game and didn't want to have to revert to XP just because of this game. A big thankyou to LineNoise on Whirlpool for giving me the tip about InstallShield. I hope someone finds this useful at some point as 2003 is an excellent Operating System, even if used as a Desktop. I also heard that the above solution can also be used for the game Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines.

[MCT]

nice but there are other apps that can alter .msi files that arent as big , just thought id point out

[Trido]

there are other apps that can alter .msi files that arent as big

heh I am sure there is. I just didn't know of any, hell, I didn't even know that I had to alter msi files until I started.

[prathapml]

Nice find Trido!

Thanx for posting this.

[Trido]

heh I ran a search of this forum to make sure no one else had posted something like this, and then I quickly browsed the rest of the messages just to make sure. I hadn't heard of this place before 2 days ago when someone forwarded me the link about converting Server 2003 into a Workstation. This is a wonderful site and I wanted to contribute something so I typed up what I did to get Rome: Total War working and hoped no one would yell at me for whatever.