my MSI package reinstall itself for no reason

Question

I have a msi package built in Visaul Studio 2005. On one XP machine, it installed OK. However, once in awhile, it reinstalls itself during startup. I'm not sure where to start, to debug the problem. Thanks!

Answer 1

Start debugging the problem by turning on logging for all MSI packages:

(create) HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer
Reg_SZ: Logging
Value: voicewarmupx

The resulting log is named MSI###.log (where "###" is a unique random identifier) and is placed in the system's Temp directory.

To see log, Start/Run, type "%TEMP%"

Now, when your package auto-starts, it will leave a log file you can investigate.

Could the problem be that you have an advertised shortcut in the Start/Programs/Startup folder?

Answer 2

Thanks for the suggestion! At least I know how to start the investigation.

Yes, I do create a shortcut in Startup folder, to auto start the program. How can the auto start cause the whole package to reinstall?

Answer 3

If the app reinstalls automatically then you've probably got an Advertised Shortcut. The means if you're updating/editing/deleting any of the files that are being installed by the MSI package, Windows Installer resiliency check kicks in, thinks that the files have become corrupt (because they don't match the files that were installed originally) and tries to repair the installation.

Answer 4

As stated by others this is a symptom of the MSI running a check of its internal "key paths" for all components, and "discovering" that some resources are not installed correctly.

This FAQ from installsite.org should provide all the required information for debugging: http://www.installsite.org/pages/en/msifaq/a/1037.htm