How to manage non-file components?

Question

What is the best way to manage components whose contents can't be easily mapped to a keypath (ie file, directory or registry key) ?

Here are some of the installed entities I've dealt with over the years that had this problem:

• Database scripts
• Scheduled tasks
• CryptoAPI key pairs
• HTTP.SYS url reservations

Initial installation isn't a problem; nor is uninstallation. However, what about repair or upgrade scenarios? How does Windows Installer "know" that a component needs to be reinstalled/upgraded, if it can't be easily associated with a keypath?

Answer 1

Can you go with a "proxy" path by creating a directory containing a dummy file for each of the items you listed?