NSIS uninstall issue

[tzachk]

Hello Support,

I'm looking for some advice based on your experience with migrating from NSIS to InstallAware (hopefully oyu do have experience).
In my upgrade script from previous version made with NSIS uninstaller, I've come across a problem which prevents InstallAware from installing the new version.
The flow of things is as follows:
- Start InstallAware
- Detect that old NSIS install exists.
- Stop my software service and reboot & resume
- Call the NSIS uninstall.exe
- After the NSIS uninstall completed, install new software using InstallAware. In this stage the InstallAware fails. See error below

=== Logging stopped: 8/5/2012 14:44:12 ===
MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:249]: Note: 1: 1708
MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:250]: Note: 1: 2205 2: 3: Error
MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:250]: Note: 1: 2228 2: 3: Error 4: SELECT `Message` FROM `Error` WHERE `Error` = 1708
MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:251]: Note: 1: 2205 2: 3: Error
MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:252]: Note: 1: 2228 2: 3: Error 4: SELECT `Message` FROM `Error` WHERE `Error` = 1709
MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:252]: Product: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -- Installation failed.

MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:254]: Windows Installer installed the product. Product Name: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Product Version: 2.0.2. Product Language: 1033. Manufacturer: XXXXXXXXXX. Installation success or error status: 1603.

MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:257]: Deferring clean up of packages/files, if any exist
MSI (s) (18:00) [14:44:12:259]: MainEngineThread is returning 1603
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:274]: RESTART MANAGER: Session closed.
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:275]: No System Restore sequence number for this installation.
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:281]: User policy value 'DisableRollback' is 0
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:284]: Machine policy value 'DisableRollback' is 0
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:285]: Incrementing counter to disable shutdown. Counter after increment: 0
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:287]: Note: 1: 1402 2: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\Rollback\Scripts 3: 2
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:288]: Note: 1: 1402 2: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\Rollback\Scripts 3: 2
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:289]: Decrementing counter to disable shutdown. If counter >= 0, shutdown will be denied. Counter after decrement: -1
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:290]: Restoring environment variables
MSI (s) (18:78) [14:44:12:291]: Destroying RemoteAPI object.
MSI (s) (18:68) [14:44:12:295]: Custom Action Manager thread ending.
MSI (c) (80:10) [14:44:12:303]: Decrementing counter to disable shutdown. If counter >= 0, shutdown will be denied. Counter after decrement: -1
MSI (c) (80:10) [14:44:12:306]: MainEngineThread is returning 1603
=== Verbose logging stopped: 8/5/2012 14:44:12 ===

To solve this issue I intitiate another reboot & resume after the NSIS installer completes and after the login I can install the InstallAware generated install with no problem. This is of course unwanted behaviour.

Any advice on this?

By the way, anyone trying to uninstall NSIS installer by using InstallAware "Run Program" should use the command line switch _?= as to prevent the uninstaller from copying itself to TEMPDIR and run from there.

Regards,
T.

[FrancescoT]

Dear Tzachk,

I'm really sorry, but I have no experience at all about NSIS.

The log you posted is generated by InstallAware Package?

Regards

[tzachk]

Hi Francesco,

Yes, the log is the output of failed InstallAware.
Digging a bit, it seems that error1603 might be related to locked files but I'm not sure.

Regards,
T.

[FrancescoT]

Dear Tzachk,

1603 ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE is a more generic error that actually doesn't say much more but could have the cause that you supposed.

Just a question,
- Are you installing your files to the same folder (that one used with your NSIS package)?

Regards

[tzachk]

Hi Francesco,

I'm not installing to the same directory.

Regards,
T.

[FrancescoT]

Dear Tzachk,

if as you said:

To solve this issue I intitiate another reboot & resume after the NSIS installer completes and after the login I can install the InstallAware generated install with no problem. This is of course unwanted behaviour.

I suspect exist something caused by your NSIS unistall process still in use or blocked by the system, probably because the unistall in reality is not terminated / completed (it requires another reboot probably).

I don't know how NSIS handles installation / unistallation processes ... very probably your workaraund is the only possible in this case.

Regards

[tzachk]

Hi Francesco,

I dag deeper in the InstallAware log and found that it had issues installing the service.
I then found out that nsis didn't delete the services correctly, so I used the sc.exe to help out there and now everthing is working out fine.

Regards,
Tzach.

[FrancescoT]

Happy that you finally solved!