InstallAware

We have added SQL Server Express SP1 as a prerequisite to our install. However, on several test computers, we receive this message when the install attempts to process the SQL Server 2005 Express SP1 prerequisite.

"SQL Server Express 2005 could not be installed. Please use the Windows Update to manually install this update on your system."

When we download the standalone SQL Server 2005 Express SP1 installer from Microsoft and install it, the SQL installation completes successfully. However, when we attempt to run our installation again, the prerequisite for SQL Server 2005 is not satisfied... InstallAware seems to think that it still needs to be installed.

I am wondering what condition InstallAware is testing to determine whether SQL Server 2005 Express is installed and how can I convince the prerequisite that it does not need to install first.

Also, it would be nice if we could somehow get some more information as to why InstallAware's install of SQL Server 2005 Express is failing.

Common problems:

a) Missing correct version of MDAC
b) Missing correct version of IE

Now, as for why IA is failing to detect the preq after installing it by hand.
It detects if the SQLServer is installed by the service name (MSSQL$INSTANCENAME) so if you install on sql server is not using the correct instance name you used on the Prereq "INSTANCE" field, then it fails to detect it and it tries again.

Hi Trent;

I too am experiencing the prerequisite for SQL Server 2005 failure on a reinstall. I also thought you should know that if you uninstall, then reinstall, from that point on you will find that all future reinstalls will go through a SQL installation check and time consuming unpacking before letting you uninstall your app. This is quite a significant time consuming process in light of the fact that it is really a poitnless check by IA (since IA does not perform an uninstall of SQL Express regardless of the result).

Just though I should let you know of the additional complication of this particular problem.

Best regards,
Steve

IA just runs the native SQL Express installer also, so it would fail only if you specified an incorrect command line, or connection settings, for the SQL installation. Highlight your runtime in the Application Runtimes view and click the Options button to view and edit both the instance IA checks for, and also the command line parameters IA uses for the SQL Express installation.

The unpacking will not occur if you are correctly authoring the instance of SQL Express to check for. In this case, it appears you are not providing this information, so IA attempts a re-install.

Hi Michael;
I have created several SQL Server test installations now that install SQL Express. Each and every one of them will go through the motions first described by Earl and by myself of a uninstall, unpack and reinstall of SQL Express if I do the following:
A) Run the my setup.
B) make a SQL script change in my setup, rebuild it in IA.
C Run my rebuilt setup.

Please note that this is a stripped down test setup that only installes SQL Express (and required prerequisites) and creates (unsuccessfully) a SQL database from a script. Between one IA build and the next I have not touched any of the parameters regarding "the instance IA checks for, and also the command line parameters IA uses for the SQL Express installation".
If the command line paramters are incorrect then it in this case it would be IA that is creating them incorrectly because I do not modify them. I simply check off all of the checkboxes in the IA interface expect for the last one (Software Development Kit). This in turn automatically creates the command line:


There are only two things that would change in my IA setup between the time is was first installed and I go back to my test workstation and install it again after a rebuild. Those two things are:
The revision code (which IA changes automatically upon rebuild)
Content in my SQL script. (which has nothing to do with the SQL Express installation)

Based on the above information, can you please explain to me where my mistake lays that is causing SQL to want to reinstall everytime I run an updated IA setup.

Thanks in advance for your help

Best regards,
Steve

I foun the following to be Best practice;

1. Under the Installaware 6\\Runtimes Folder copy all files named checksql2005.* and Setupsql2005.* and paste them back into the same directory so you end up with "Copy of checksql2005.*" etc.
2. rename them something like checksql2005_alt.*
3. Remove the 2 original include scripts from your set up by right clicking on them under Include Scripts node in the MSICode view.
4. Right click on the Include Scripts node and add your 2 new scripts
5. Edit the first line of the CheckSQL2005_Alt script so that it is checking for the correct service name.
6. In the Check Prequisited section in your main script change the Include file name for checksql2005 to checksql2005_alt
7. In the Install prerequisites section in your main script change the Include file name for setupsql2005 to setupsql2005_alt.

Now everytime you install a newversion of InstallAware your customized runtimes will not be removed and your scripts will always work the way you left them.

Give it a try, let us know.

Actually, since IA 6.13, runtime files are automatically copied into the project folder. So there is no need anymore to manually copy them from the IA includes folder to the project folder. We did receive a lot of complains about this, and decided it would be more intuitive if we indeed made it easier for runtime customizations to persist between different setups and versions. So now IA always locally copies runtimes.

We also sometimes get the message:

"SQL Server Express 2005 could not be installed. Please use the Windows Update to manually install this update on your system."

on our test servers. Is there any logging to determine exactly why it failed, or is it strictly guesswork?

Eric

Customize the SQL Server installation command line to generate a log, and you'll have taken the guesswork out of the equation.

OR,

Just run SQL Server setup yourself with an identical command line and note the error you get.