The RTM release of the Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is now available for customers to install from the download center in both ISO and Web Setup format. See t he SDK announcement on the Windows SDK blog . Please note that the stand-alone version of the Windows Installer 4.5...

As you may already know that Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista (SP2) is available for download from Microsoft download center [ link ]. MSI version 4.5 is natively included as part of SP2. The version of Windows Installer is 4.5.6002.18005 across all architectures and platforms...

It's been a few months now since the Windows Installer 4.5 redistributable was released [ link ]. Over the past couple months I have received several questions (quite often similar in nature) that warrants this blog post <grin>. In this post, I will attempt to answer some of the most frequently...

Hello everyone, We wanted to let you know that a non-security QFE was released recently for MSI 4.5 redistributable, available via Microsoft download center (Search for KB958655). The KB article contains information on the symptoms and cause of the issue. The intent of this post is to clarify some...

As you all may already know the final release of the Windows Installer 4.5 Redistributable and SDK are now available. The current version of Windows Installer is in the form; major . minor . build . update. We have received a few questions regarding the differences in the "build" and "update" fields...

I am pleased to announce that the final release of the Windows Installer 4.5 Redistributable and SDK are now available. There is also a KB Article published about the release. New and improved features in Windows Installer 4.5 The following new and improved features have been implemented in...

Apart from the feature work that we did in Windows Installer 4.5, we made a few changes to Windows Installer to address some user feedback or pain points. Here's some of the important issues that were addressed: Added SeBackupPrivilige back to the Windows Installer service. This sould help any...

Hello Everyone -- The schedules for Microsoft TechEd 2008 in sunny Orlando, Florida have recently been posted and I am pleased to announce that we will have FOUR Windows Installer-related sessions: two during the Developers Conference June 3-6 and two during the IT Professionals Conference June 10...

Issue Description Performing any of the following operations using patchwiz.dll v4.0 could result in data loss in the root directory: 1. UiCreatePatchPackage is called with the hwndStatus parameter set to NULL OR 2. UiCreatePatchPackageEx is called with the hwndStatus parameter set to NULL and...

What does this blog cover? With Windows Installer 4.5 support for multi package transaction, the Windows Installer transaction boundary can span more than a single package. Additionally, UAC credential prompts are tied to a package trust boundary. This means, there can be more than one UAC credential...

Why Multi Package Transaction? Application vendors who compose their applications from multiple MSI packages should find this blog interesting. Currently Windows Installer does not provide a mechanism for installing multiple packages in a single transaction. This blog will talk about how Windows Installer...

Windows Installer 4.5 chat is due in another two days. The MSDN Technical Chat is scheduled on April 3, 2008 at 10:00 AM (Pacific). Click here to add the chat to your calendar so you don't miss it! [Author: Hemchander Sannidhanam ] This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no...

Why Embedded UI? Windows Installer’s existing internal UI does not provide the flexibility necessary for unique setups or complex scenarios. Setup authors, who want a UI experience that Windows Installer’s internal UI doesn’t support, use MsiSetExternalUI / MsiSetExternalUIRecord to initialize and...

Why do I care about shared component patch uninstalls? There has been an ask from Windows Installer customers to improve the servicing story surrounding shared components. We could summarize the asks into following points: I want Windows Installer to keep the highest version of the file across...

In this blog post, I will provide an overview on what you can do with the new patch uninstall custom actions and how they work. The hope is that by understanding how patch uninstall custom actions work you will be able to put this new custom action type to use easily. Why Patch Uninstall Custom Actions...

Hello everyone -- I am pleased to announce that Windows Installer 4.5 Beta 2 is now available from the Microsoft Connect site. If you have not signed up for the beta yet, please do - we are listed as "Windows Installer 4.5" under the "Available Connections" section of the site. If you have already...

Hello everyone! First off, I wanted to let you know that I have re-joined the Windows Installer (MSI) team as a Lead PM, so you all will be hearing a lot more from me in the future <grin> I have a few exciting announcements to make today: I know you all have been wondering what has been...

Back on September 1st, I answered the question When will Windows Installer 4.5 be RTM-ed ? with Q1 of 2008. Turns out that date was too optimistic. Q2 of 2008 now looks more realistic but , given the first optimistic mistake and in an abundance of caution to avoid compounding the first mistake, let's...

A question been raised in a couple of contexts is the protocol for shipping a beta on beta software. Question What is the protocol for shipping beta software that depends on Windows Installer 4.5 beta? Answer We encourage producing a beta software that integrates the features of Windows Installer...

The Packaging Event 2007 in Amsterdam has kindly invited the Windows Installer team to speak on October 11th, 2007. Robert Flaming, Windows Installer Program Manager, will be giving a talk on Windows Installer (MSI) 4.5 and Other Trends in Packaging This talk will discuss the targeted architectural...

Our friends with WiX (principally bloggers Rob Mensching and Heath Stewart ) had some questions about the schema changes. One of those questions was: Question: Did you really mean to build a patching feature that we can't patch to because of a schema change? Context: Windows Installer 4.5 supports...

Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) now contains the Windows Installer 4.5 beta documentation. From the What's New in Windows Installer 4.5 page, you'll find information on our new multi-package transaction APIs: MsiBeginTransaction , MsiEndTransaction , and MsiJoinTransaction . You'll also find context...

A few questions have come in asking for a starting point for building a Windows Installer 4.5 Embedded UI. Feature Design As we put together the ideas behind the Embedded UI features, we aspired to provide a simple extension off the preexisting features in the Windows Installer platform. ...

Our friends at InstallShield had some questions about schedule and platforms. One of those questions was: Question: What Windows platforms will Windows Installer ship in? Answer: Windows Installer 4.5 will initially ship as a Windows redistributable component via download center. At RTM, redistributable...

Our friends at InstallShield had some questions about schedule and platforms. One of those questions was: Question: When will Windows Installer 4.5 be RTM-ed? Answer: Our current plan is to target the first quarter of calandar year 2008. This date is driven by the Wave 2008 release goals . ...