Run installer after reboot.

[Rene]

I know that when a prerequisite requires a reboot (based on the return value) I can simply use the “Reboot computer and resume setup” command and the installation will continue after the computer has been rebooted.

My problem is that I am using the dotnetfx.exe to install the .Net 2 and if the dotnetfx.exe decides that the computer needs a reboot and the user decides to reboot at that time, the computer will shutdown and my installer program will close!! To make matter worst, my installer will not startup automatically when the user logs back on because I don’t have a chance to tell Windows to automatically run my installer when the user logs back on!!

So what I would like to do is to setup the flag (*before* I run the dotnetfx.exe) that tells Windows to run the installer again after the computer has been rebooted. If the dotnetfx.exe requires a reboot and the user decides to reboot, then the installer will automatically launch back when the user logs back on because I set this flag *before* I launch dotnetfx.exe

Now, if the dontetfx.exe does not require a reboot then I will need to remove the flag myself so that the next time the user reboots the installer will not launch again.

Is there a way to do this? Thanks.

[CandiceJones]

The proper way should be to tell the .NET installer to supress reboot requests. It should return at the end of setup and let you know if a reboot is required, at which point, you can natively reboot from the setup script.

Otherwise, you will need to write to the registry, using a direct method like the Write Registry Persist plug-in, which doesn't wait for Apply Install to execute. And then you can use Delete Registry to remove that key if reboot is unnecessary.

[Rene]

Thanks Candice,

I know that the proper way to do this is to get the return code form the .Net installer. Unfortunately, I believe that if you run the .net installer using the full UI you can’t suppress the reboot, instead, the user is prompted directly to reboot and there is nothing you can do about it (at least I think that’s the way it works)

Any ideas where can I find some help regarding the process to have the installer run after a reboot? Like what registry key I have to write and what kind of information go inside the registry.

Thanks

[MarkRichards]

This thread is of interest to me as well. I must be able to control the .NET 2.0 (and MSI 3.0) pre-requisite installation process so that installation continues even if the pre-requisite requires a reboot.

My understanding is that there are two distinct "suppression" flags that you can pass into the .NET installer:

SUPRESS - Suppresses prompts for a reboot at the end of the installation. The setup program will prompt the user with an option to reboot during the installation if it detects that a reboot is required to complete the installation. If there is no user interface, the system automatically reboots if one is required to complete the installation. Reboots at the end of the installation. For example, reboots that are caused by an attempt to install a file in use are suppressed.
REALLYSUPRESS - Suppresses all reboots and reboot prompts if the setup program detects that a reboot is required to complete the installation. Suppresses all reboots and reboot prompts at the end of the installation. Both the reboot prompt and the reboot itself are suppressed. For example, reboots at the end of the installation that are caused by an attempt to install a file in use are suppressed.

Is there a way to pass the "REALLYSUPRESS" flag into the .NET 2.0 installation using InstallAware? Or does it do that already?

- Mark R.

[Gizm0]

The fact is that even if you supress all reboots, if for example, you try to install SQL Express WITHOUT rebooting, the installation will fail..That will happen because Windows Installer will detect a pending reboot, and abort the installation..It's really nice to allow InstallAWARE reboot when it's necessary, so you'll have the expected behavior, than supressing all reboots and a possibility of unexpected behavior..

[MichaelNesmith]

Thanks, Gizm0.

If for any reason you still want to supress, you should know that InstallAware always supresses external reboots, and handles all reboot requests in the script.

Just look at your script code for the part that installs .NET 2.0 (or whichever runtime you are working on) and you will see the logic that drives the reboot if necessary. All you have to do is customize that logic to suit your own needs.

Again, the correct approach is to permit reboots. Setup resumes automatically after a reboot.