How I got \"Install SQL Express\" to work again...

[wolbrink]

I've been trying to get my installation program to install SQL Express 2005 SP2 using the plug-in that come with InstallAware 7.0. It fails immediately and gives the error message, "An installation package for the product Microsoft SQL Server Native Client cannot be found. Try the installation again using a valid copy of the installation package 'sqlncli.msi'." I'm testing this on a pure Windows XP SP2 install (using VMware, of course) so that I can go back and keep testing various options.

I examinded the command line that was being sent to SQLEXPR.exe, and I manually called SQLEXPR.exe myself (with the /qn option), and it worked fine. I noticed that the Event Log in Windows showed when a MSI install started and when it stopped. But when I tried to install SQL Express from my IA script I received the above error message immediately, and the Event Log never indicated that a MSI was started or stopped. It seemed that SQLEXPR.exe was never called. I noticed that the "Install SQL Express" command returned immediately (after it first decompresses itself) and that it never changes the result of SQL2005 (the return variable). The return variable came back as "FALSE", and not as a numeric code. I set SQL2005 to "DUMMY" before the call to "Install SQL Express" and it returned from this function as "DUMMY".

I pulled up FileMon to see if this might help. I noticed that right before the error occured, my setup program would look for "mia.dll" in the temp folder being used by my installation. "mia.dll" didn't exist, but "mia.lib" did exist. I tried the installation again, and located the temp directory being used. Then I made a copy of "mia.lib" and named it "mia.dll". So the folder had "mia.lib" and "mia.dll" right next to each other, exact copies of each other. Now my installation worked!

So, for some reason, the "Install SQL Express" plug-in in InstallAware (7.0.1) has a need to reference "mia.dll", but "mia.lib" would seem to be a better fit. Just to be sure, I re-generated and re-installed my InstallAware licensing stubs. Still no dice.

Then I realized that I'm using a "Web Media" block for SQL Express Sp2 that I last built back in February. In theory, web media blocks should need to be rebuilt, but in this case, it seemed like this would fix it. It did! So apparently the SQL Express plug-in is referring to some version-specific functionality. I'll have to give this media block a new name so as to not break old setup programs.

Now should I retest and/or rebuild all my plug-ins (MDAC 2.8 SP1, MSXML6, .NET 2.0, IE6 SP1, MSI 3.1)?

--Troy

[Gizm0]

No, you just need to regerenate your web-blocks. Reference to mia.lib file introduced somewhere on version 6.x (i can't recall when). If you rebuild your web media blocks, the problem will go away.

[wolbrink]

Update: I tested all my old media blocks (generated back in February): MDAC 2.8 SP1, MSXML6, .NET 2.0, IE6 SP1, MSI 3.1.

They all worked, so the only one I had to regenerate (and rename...for versioning) was the media block I have for installing SQL Express.

--Troy