unrealism Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Hey, I am trying to figure out how to make my own .MSI packages so I can deploy them on our network clients. I know how to use premade .msi packages and deploy them. But I need to use things like say... WinZip for example. It is in .exe format and I can not send it to clients unless I can make it a .msi. There are some other softwares I would like to do this with too. Thanks, Unrealism :blush: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
configure Veteran Posted May 20, 2004 Veteran Share Posted May 20, 2004 I think SUS can issue .MSI package but I'm not 100% sure on that one. You don't need any other extracting tools - MSI is Windows Installer's format and it can be deployed on machines that has Windows Installer installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 Look for WinstallLE on your 2000 or 2003 disc. You can make your own MSI with that. I did one for Winzip and for Acrobat Reader, among others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethevans1986 Posted May 20, 2004 Share Posted May 20, 2004 How are the pieces of software installed then, is it when the first user logs into the machine or what? ChocIST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
configure Veteran Posted May 21, 2004 Veteran Share Posted May 21, 2004 I think that you can make it so that the program installs when the computer booted up as well :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Posted May 21, 2004 Share Posted May 21, 2004 It depends on how you assign it. If you assign it to users, they have 2 choices; make the software available or assign it. If you make it available they will see it as a choice in Add/Remove programs. If you assign it, they will get the program shortcuts and the software will install when they use it for the first time. If you assign the software to the computer, it will install on the next reboot, and be available for any user. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
win2000b Posted May 22, 2004 Share Posted May 22, 2004 so will WinstallLE convert an exe to .msi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volrathxp Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 It can, however if you can't get it to work with Winstall, you can create a .zap file for the .exe, but then you can only publish the application, you can't assign it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe User 99 Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 WinInstallLE actually snapshots the install of the EXE and then creates a MSI based on the changes. (btw...grab the newer one from the vendor, rather than the one that comes with Windows if you are going to use it.) And WinInstallLE is a feature limited freebie. Not that it's not good, it's great for free. However, Installshield, Wise, and others make versions of their products especially for sysadmins looking to repackage (with a hefty price), that have an tremendous amount of features. We use Wise Package Studio 5, and it has been great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billprozac Posted May 24, 2004 Share Posted May 24, 2004 Joe is right. You cannot convert an EXE to an MSI. If you just want to deploy software, you can host the file in a shared folder then write a startup script and assign it to your UO of computers. You can also make a ZAP file which is a wrapper for exe files. The only problem with not using MSI files is permissions. If you deploy MSI files, they are installed using elevated proviledges so anyone can install them. If you use ZAP or scripts, the files run using the users permissions, so they may not install right. I wish more vendors including MS would publish everything using MSI! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts