Uninstall an MSI with msiexec fails with new version of MSI

Question

We are installing several web sites using msi's as part of continuos integration tests.

For each build we want to uninstall the old msi and install a new one.

Problem is we do not have the old msi after the build server has done a get latest and rebuilt the system.

Is there a way in which we can uninstall the msi without having access to the orginal msi?

Answer 1

Yes you can, if you know the product code. Just type

msiexec /x [ProductCode]

on the command line. Or you could do it through the Add/Remove programs applet.

If you want to find the physical file, Windows actually stores a copy of the msi when it runs it - you will find it somewhere in your %WINDOWS%\Installer folder, but it will have been given a random name so could be quite hard to find :) Alternatively if you don't know the product code (which you should) then try searching for your app name under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Installer and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData registry keys, you will find the product code there. (quick hint: you can also search for UninstallString values in the registry).