Adobe CS2 (volume licensing)

[jbjones]

According to the Adobe web site this is the techique needed to silently install the Adobe Creative Suite v2.

http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/331297.html

I don't know if this will work with standard retail versions (my upgrade package is in the mail as we speak), but hopefuly someone can find some use out of this.

JBJones

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Run a silent installation of Adobe Creative Suite 2.0

What's covered

Create an installer XML file

Run a silent installation

When you purchase a volume license for Adobe Creative Suite 2.0, Adobe provides an option that allows you to run a silent installation (that is, an installation with preselected options and no interface) on Windows or Mac OS X. In a silent installation, a custom installer runs the installers for each product in the suite by using command-line installation tools built into the operating system. To run a silent installation, you must create an XML file (or script) for the custom installer.

Create an installer XML file

The Adobe Creative Suite custom installer is driven by information provided in an XML file. This XML file describes the products you are installing, the location to which you are installing the products, and their serialization information.

To create an XML file for a silent installation:

1. Using a text editor (for example, Notepad or TextEdit ), copy and paste the following text into a new, plain text document:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?> 

<AdobeInstallerConfiguration version="1.0">

<InstallerInfo platform="win" silentMode="1" targetVolume="C:\" targetPath="Program Files\Adobe\" /> 

<InstallerInfo platform="mac" targetVolume="/" /> 

<ProductInfo serial="0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000" licensedUserName="Adobe User" licensedUserCompany="Adobe Systems, Inc." /> 

<Manifest> 

<Product name="Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe ImageReady CS2" selected="1" /> 

<Product name="Adobe Illustrator CS2" selected="1" /> 

<Product name="Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional" selected="1" /> 

<Product name="Adobe GoLive CS2" selected="1" /> 

<Product name="Adobe Version Cue CS2" selected="1" /> 

<Product name="Adobe InDesign CS2" selected="1" /> 

</Manifest> 

</AdobeInstallerConfiguration>

2. Edit the text by replacing the information in quotation marks with the information you need to customize your installation. Type the user name, company name, and serial number. Edit the installation path if it's different than the default: C:/Program Files/Adobe (Windows) and /Applications (Mac OS X). For each line that lists a product name, leave the value set to "1" if you want to install it; change the value to "0" (zero) if you don't want to install it.

Note: Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional and Adobe GoLive CS2 are included only with the Premium Edition. These products won't be installed in the Standard Edition, even if the value is set to "1".

3. Save the file to the desktop, name it "AdobeInstallerConfiguration.xml" (without quotation marks), and then close it.

Run a silent installation

Use the following procedures to run a silent installation of Adobe Creative Suite 2.0 in Windows or Mac OS X.

To run a silent installation in Windows:

1. Insert the Adobe Creative Suite 2.0 CD 1 in your CD-ROM drive. Hold down the Shift key to disable Autoplay.

2. Copy the Adobe Creative Suite 2.0 folder to the desktop.

3. Insert each of the remaining Adobe Creative Suite CDs and copy the folders for each product to the Adobe Creative Suite 2.0 folder on the desktop.

4. Move the AdobeInstallerConfiguration.xml file you created in the previous section of this document to the Adobe Creative Suite 2.0 folder.

5. Choose Start > Run.

6. In the Out box, type the following text exactly as it appears (including quotation marks, spaces, and capitalization), replacing "[user Name]" with the name of the user account that you used to log in to the computer:

"C:\Documents and Settings\[user Name]\Desktop\Adobe Creative Suite 2.0\Setup.exe" - installerConfig "AdobeInstallerConfiguration.xml"

7. During the installation, "msiexec.exe" appears in the Processes tab of Windows Task Manager. If "msiexec.exe" doesn't appear, or if the installation fails, see the installer log (SuiteInstaller2.0.txt) in Documents and Settings/ [user Name] /Local Settings to determine the cause of the problem.

[Doc Symbiosis]

I would prefer the following script to generate the xml file, because it's independent of the program files path. you call it with the path of the xml-file as parameter, e.g.

generate_xml.cmd "%TEMP%\AdobeInstallerConfiguration.xml"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@echo off

set datei="%1"

echo ^<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?^> > "%datei%"

echo ^<AdobeInstallerConfiguration version="1.0"^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<InstallerInfo platform="win" silentMode="1" targetVolume="%PROGRAMFILES:~0,3%" targetPath="%PROGRAMFILES:~3%\Adobe\"/^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<InstallerInfo platform="mac" targetVolume="/" /^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<ProductInfo serial="0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000" licensedUserName="Adobe User" licensedUserCompany="Adobe Systems, Inc." /^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<Manifest^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<Product name="Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe ImageReady CS2" selected="1" /^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<Product name="Adobe Illustrator CS2" selected="1" /^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<Product name="Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional" selected="1" /^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<Product name="Adobe GoLive CS2" selected="1" /^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<Product name="Adobe Version Cue CS2" selected="1" /^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^<Product name="Adobe InDesign CS2" selected="1" /^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^</Manifest^> >> "%datei%"

echo ^</AdobeInstallerConfiguration^> >> "%datei%"

exit

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Then you can call the installer through

start /wait Setup.exe - installerConfig "%TEMP%\AdobeInstallerConfiguration.xml"

and finally delete the xml-file

del %TEMP%\AdobeInstallerConfiguration.xml /Q /F

just a thiought........................

will test it tomorrow

[Orsi]

tks, it starts the setup but even so it shows the activation screen...

anyway to avoid this and active later?

[piper28]

This method works, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't wait till the software has finished installing before it progresses to the next item on the list. I've tried both from runonceex, and also from the command started guirunonce with start /wait, but no luck. It's a long enough install process that varies from machine to machine, so sleep seems like it's not the most elegant solution, anyone ever done something that will wait till a specific file has been found to continue on with the list? Or any other ideas?

[Doc Symbiosis]

After fighting a few days with the installation, I got the advise to install directly the specific components through the msi to avoid the problem, that the start /wait doesn't work.

Btw to deactivate the registration you could use the following regfile

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\Registration\Suite\131\2.0.0\255]
"EPIC_REGS_TYPE"=dword:00000004
"EPIC_REGS_STATE"=dword:00000002
"EPIC_REGS_COUNT"=dword:00000000
"EPIC_REGS_DATE"="2005-11-29 14:19"

And this is my cleanup.cmd to clenaup the autostart, but only works on english systems ( don't know, how to get the path to startmenu folder language independent):

reg delete HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run /v "Acrobat Assistant 7.0" /F
del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\Adobe Acrobat*" /Q /F

I'll now try the way with the msipackages and I'll post my experiences.

On other thing I'm asking is, how to perform an automatic update once after installation automatically. Anyone knows?

[Doc Symbiosis]

Now I finally got a little victory avoiding the problem, that start /wait doesn't work. It's a very unaesthetic and I don't like the solution, but it's the only way, I can think of getting around the problem with this crappy installer.

I first run the generate_XML.cmd which I posted before. Then I run the installer with

setup.exe -installerConfig "AdobeInstallerConfiguration.xml

Then I run the following batch:

setlocal enableextensions
cd /d %~dp0
:loop
sleep 300
For /f %%i in ('tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq msiexec.exe"') do (
goto loop
)
endlocal
exit

At last I run the following Batch to cleanup a little:

reg delete HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run /v "Acrobat Assistant 7.0" /F
del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\Adobe Acrobat*" /Q /F

Edited December 9, 2005 by Doc Symbiosis

[piper28]

I'm not claiming it's any better or anything, but I used an autoit script to wait for the installer to finish, and it's seemed to work pretty well for me so far:

Sleep(10000)
While ProcessExists("setup.exe")
  Sleep(30000)
WEnd

[bensoules]

Launch the installer using the .XML as explained on the adobe web site

then make a batch file which calls a vb script using:

wscript.exe WaitForExe.vbs "setup.exe"

this will pause the script until the process "setup.exe" has stopped running.

this is the vbs for the WaitForExe.vbs

On Error Resume Next

If WScript.Arguments.Count <> 1 Then

Else

blnRunning = True

Do While blnRunning = True

Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\cimv2")

Set colItems = objWMIService.ExecQuery("Select Name from Win32_Process where Name='" & Wscript.Arguments(0) & "'",,48)

blnRunning = False

For Each objItem in colItems

blnRunning = True

Next

WScript.Sleep 30000

Loop

End If

This can also be used for monitoring any other process, so you can pause a script until a process has finished.

Thanks

Ben

Edited February 6, 2006 by bensoules

[Scappy]

I can't get past the quicktime message in the beginning of the install.

Though I've installed the standalone QT7 he still keeps giving this message.

I just the guide on the website of Adobe. I've entered my serial, username and company.

Does anybody have a solution for this problem?

[azote]

hi everybody,

we are exepriencing a few problems with the standard Adobe Silent install procedure.

we are usind it accordingly to the support forums from the editor.

we modified our .xml file to include SN and registration data for user/company, we selected components setting value to 1... but...

when we try to run the setup.exe with dued parameters, it start, shows up the install screensplash, then exits!

we are at the moment using a standard version of CS2 for integration. Would it be version related?

i mean, is the silent install ONLY used for bulk licences (we are waiting for ours as i speak..).

are we doing something wrong or is it just because the disks ans serial used are standard edition of CS2.

thanks in advance for the advices... it s just to avoid loosing more time on it, if we have to wait for the new package/Serial... we'll just stand still till it arrives... if not, i'd like to have packaging ready when it's here!

wonderfull site by the way

sorry for any mistakes, i'm french so my english is not quite perfect.

best regards and keep up the good work!!!

Pierre J.

[brunediddy]

From what I understand you have to have a volume license key in order to do the unattended install from the CS2 front end.

What I am doing for my retail version is just to install each program in the suite individually, you can modify the Abcpy.ini for each installer then run the program with /qn switch instead.

More initial setup required, or entries in your runonceEX file... but it achieves the same effect.

Doing it this way don't forget to install adobe bridge help and stock photos as well.

[Lolita]

I would prefer the following script to generate the xml file, because it's independent of the program files path. you call it with the path of the xml-file as parameter, e.g.

i tried something simillar in autoit but when i start installer with configuration file in other location then installer.exe it don't load configuration file )): I hate it!

[Lolita]

Well so anybody somehow managed setup to take config file from another location then setup.exe? Because it is quite ugly when i can install everything else from DVD, just adobe CS2 needs to be copied to local harddrive. \: