AppREPACK

Tuesday, 3 July 2012

MSI Property Precedence

The installer sets properties using the following order of precedence. A property value in this list can override a value that comes after it and be overridden by a value coming before it in the list.

1. Properties specified by the operating environment.

2. Public properties set on the command line.

3. Public properties listed by the AdminProperties property set during an administrative installation.

4. Public or private properties set during the application of a transform.

5. Public or private property that set by authoring the Property table of the .MSI file.

Monday, 2 July 2012

Differences between WindowsXP and Windows7

WindowsXP: User profiles are stored in C:\Documents and Settings
Windows7: User profiles are stored in C:\Users

WindowsXP: All Users Profile is stored in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users location
Windows7: All Users profile is stored in C:\ProgramData location

WindowsXP: User Account Control is absent
Windows7: User Account Control is present to avoid unwanted changes to System locations

WindowsXP: No Session Zero isolation
Windows7: Session Zero isolation present. Please refer to following URL for more information on Session Zero isolation
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/developers/archive/2009/10/01/session-0-isolation.aspx

Friday, 29 June 2012

Application Packaging Interview Questions - Scripting

Following are questions related to Scripting in Application Packaging

VBScripting

What is On Error Resume Next
What is Option Explicit
What are different objects available in VBScripting?
What object is used to perform operations on Files/Folders?

WiseScripting

How to get environment variable value into a variable?
How to add/edit/remove registries?
function to delete Files?
How to check if OS is 32bit or 64bit ?
can we execute VBscript inside Wisescript?
how to pass values from VBScript to WiseScript?
How to execute MSI using WiseScript?
How to check if MSI installation using Wisescript is successful or failure?
How to display a message while MSI installation is happening using WiseScript?
How to check if a process is running using WiseScript?
How to check if file/directory exists using WiseScript?
How to check if a file is in use?
How to pause wisescript execution for sometime?
How to set the name of output file generated using WiseScript?
How to copy files from one location to another location using WiseScript?
What is the different between INST and '.'(DOT)
How to stop execution of WiseScript?
How to read Registry values using WiseScript?
How to get current Date and Time using WiseScript?
Can a wisescript runs another wisescript?
How to install files on the system using WiseScript?
How to install files if doesn't exist using WiseScript?

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Application Packaging Interview Questions - Miscellaneous

Following are miscellaneous queries

Miscellaneous:

What is component Isolation?
What is Conflict Management?
How to delete/create registry from each user profile?
How to delete/copy files to each user profile?
When do you use ActiveSetup?
When does Run key gets executed?
When does ActiveSetup actually run?
What change has to be done to run ActiveSetup again after few days?
How to Set a file as hidden during MSI installation?
Name few silent switches possible for setup.exe's?
How to create response files?
What is NestedMSI installation?
How to package an application which contains multiple MSIs, lets say 5 MSIs?
Disadvantage of NestMSI Installation?
Lets say a package(MSI+MST) is installed, then MST is modified and now I want to update the existing installation with changes in modified MST? ( How to do it without uninstalling the package)
What is meant by A in 'famus' switch in Repair command? When to use it?
How to access MSI properties in Deferred Execution custom action?
When to choose between Execute Immediate and Deferred sequences?
What are all the sequences available in MSI?
What is the significance of SelfReg Table?
What is the disadvantage of SelfReg Entries?
What to do when a MSI contains SelfReg Entries?
How to disable advertizement of shortcuts ?
What is destination directory for shortcut?
What is working directory for shortcut?
Is it possible to create a shortcut for a file that is present in pre-requisite package?
How to uninstall a MSI using shortcut? Please provide all the shorcut entries?
How to install only one feature of MSI through command line ?
Name ARP related MSI Properties?
What is LockDown Environment ?
Why multiple msiexec.exe processes run during MSI installation?
What is Source Resiliency?
Command to register a DLL file manually?
How to disable the setup.exe requirement for installing the msi?
What is INSTALLLEVEL property? and its significance?
How do you install 2 MSI’s. After installation of 1st MSI the machine has to reboot and upon start of the machine 2nd MSI installation has to be trigerred. Once installation of 2nd MSI is completed the User has to notified with a Message that 2 MSIs Installation has been completed. How do you perform the Task?
How do you create a Response File? Where the response file will be created ?
What steps to be kept in mind while packaging Addin Applications?
How to update Hosts file?
How to package driver applications?
How to install fonts using MSI? through Registries Or MSI Tables?
Condition to check if feature is installed?
What is Rollback?
Syntax of ProductVersion Property?

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Thursday, 28 June 2012

Application Packaging Interview Questions - Advanced Part II

Following are questions at Advanced Level

Troubleshooting:

What is the use of FileMon, RegMon, ProcMon?
What is Orca Tool? and its Advantage?
What tables entries are changed when a file is added to MSI?
How to add file to MSI using Orca?
How to capture a setting of an application?
What if application goes for self healing everytime user launches the shortcut? What is the reason? How to overcome it?
What are the possible ways to check whats wrong with application if application is not launching?
How to identify if app requires permissions ?
How do you set permissions?
What are the tools available to set permissions?
Tell me the Command to set modify permissions to Users group using CACLS
What is the use of LockPermissions Table?
What is the disadvantage of LockPermissions Table?
What is MsiLockPermissionsEx Table?
Name few snapshotting tools?

Properties:

What is a Property and PROPERTY?
Difference between Property and PROPERTY?
Name few Private Properties
Name few Public Proerties
What are mandatory properties inside MSI?
What is SecureCustomProperties ?
What are Restricted Publick Properties?
How to suppress system reboot using property?

ICE Errors:

What are ICE Errors?
Why is it required to resolve ICE Errors?
What is ICE03 Error? How to resolve it?
What is ICE57 Error? How to resolve it?
What is ICE43 Error? How to resolve it?
What is ICE64 Error? How to resolve it?
What is ICE99 Error? How to resolve it?
What is ICE09 Error? How to resolve it?
What is ICE18 Error? How to resolve it?
Where are the rules defined for package validation stored?
Can we create cub files?

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Application Packaging Interview Questions - Advanced

Following are few questions at Advanced Level

MSI Standard and Custom Actions

Explain MSI Execution in relation to StandardActions?
What is the standard action responsible to check disk space ?
What is the standard action marking the beginning of Installation/Uninstallation?
What is Execute Immediate?
What is Execute Deferred?
Different between Execute Immediate and Execute Deferred?
Options available to add VBScript Custiom Actions?
Where is VBScript stored in MSI, if "Call VBSCript From EmbeddedCode" option is used?
Where is VBScript stored in MSI, if "Call VBSCript From installation" option is used?
Where is VBScript stored in MSI, if "Call VBSCript From InstalledFiles" option is used?
Where is VBScript stored in MSI, if "Call VBSCript From Property" option is used?
What are the Conditions available to run custom actions during Installation, Repair, Uninstallation?
Condition to a customaction during Upgrade?
What are Processing Options for Custom Actions?
What is Synchronous?
What is Synchronous Ignore Exit Code?
What is Asynchronous?
What is Asynchronous no Wait?
What are the options available to run a EXE in Custom Action?
Where is EXE stored, if "Execute Program from Destination" Option is used?
Where is EXE stored, if "Execute Program from installation" Option is used?
Where is EXE stored, if "Execute Program from Installed Files" Option is used?
Where is EXE stored, if "Execute Program from Path" Option is used?
What are different Inscript Options available?
How to extract binary information from MSI?

MSI Command Line Options:

MSI installation command in Full UI mode?
MSI installation command in semisilent mode?
MSI installation command in semisilent mode without cancel button?
MSI installation command in totally silent mode?
Command to install MSI and MST?
Can we install multiple MSTs together?
How to pass property values in commandline?
How to install specific features using commandline?
What is MSI Repair?
What is the Command to perform Repair?
What is the Command to perform Repair using ProductCode?
What are F, M, O, U, S, P, A, V, switches in MSI Repair?
What is the Command to Uninstall MSI?
What is the Command to Uninstall MSI using ProductCode?
Can we install MSI using ProductCode?
If MSI and MST are installed, What happens if Transform path is not provided during uninstallation?
If MSI and MST are installed, Is it Mandatory to provide transform path in uninstallation command?

Self healing and MSI Repair

What is Self healing?
How to prevent MSI from self healing?
What are the advantages of self healing?
How to make an MSI support self healing?
What are the Entry points to trigger selfhealing?
What are the MSI Tables which support Advertizing?
Difference between Selfhealing and Repair?
If the MSI is installed and then deleted from its location, Is it possible to Repair using ProductCode and SelfHeal successfully?

MSI Log file generation

What is a log File?
What is the use of Logfile?
Command to generate log file for an MSI during Installation, Repair, Uninstallation?
What are the most common Retun codes in Log file?
What are the return codes for successful installation?
What is meant by Return code '0' in log file?
What is meant by Return Code '3010' in log file?
How to check which features are installed using logfile?
How to check if there is an error during installation using log file?
How to check which features are not installed using logfile?
How to check which components are not installed using logfile?
What is Administrative Installation? (AIP)
Command for Administrative Installation?

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Application Packaging Interview Questions - Basic Level Part II

Following are few questions at Basic Level Part II

Transforms

What is a Transform?
Why is it required to create MST?
How to merge the content of MST into MSI?
Can you install transform alone?
Command to install MSI and MST?
Types of Transforms?
What is embedded transform?
What is secured transform?
What is unsecured transform?

Upgrades

What is upgrade?
Different Types of Upgrades?
Minimum requirements for Major Upgrade?
Importance of UpgradeCode in MajorUpgrades?
Standard actions associated with Major Upgrade?
What is Action Property?
How to set Upgrade entry such that any older verison application has to be removed if it shares same UpgradeCode?
Where are Upgrade entries stored in MSI Tables?
What is the significance of RemoveExistingProducts?
What is the Ideal location of RemoveExistingProducts?

What is a Minor Upgrade?
What is a Patch?
For what purpose patches are created?
FileExtension of Patch?
Minimum requirements for Patch?
How to create Patches using WisePackageStudio or Installshield?
Can we delete files of app using Patches natively?
Can we see entry in ARP for Patches? How?
Can we Remove/Uninstall Patches alone?
Is there a option to remove pathces?
If MSI repair is trigerred after installing Patches, then will repair restore Original MSI files OR new Patch files?
Can you create Patches for VendorMSIs? What are the effects if you crate MSPs for VendorMSIs?

SystemSearch and LaunchConditions

What is SystemSearch?
Process of creating entry in SystemSearch to search for a file, registry?
What the MSI tables associated with SystemSearch?
What is a LaunchCondition and what is its usage?
What is the MSI Table associated with LaunchConditions?
What is the standard action associated with SystemSearch?
What is the standard action associated with Launch Conditions?
What is AppSearch?
What is the difference between SystemSearch and AppSearch?
What is the order of AppSearch and LaunchCondition standard actions?