Uninstall using msiexec

[pwall]

Hi.

We install/un-install our products using the msiexec tool.
Thus, to install: msiexec /i product.msi /quiet /log c:\temp\product_install.log
To un-install, however, we use the product code as we can not gaurenttee that we will have the original msi to un-install from. Thus, an example would be:
msiexec /X {E5B4FEEF-BB47-4B66-A863-C23E83197483} /quiet /log c:\temp\product_un-install.log

During all our testing, this has been working perfectly. Until something we stumbled across today.
If the original msi is no longer located where it was when it was installed (ie. now removed), the msiexec /X with the product code doesn't un-install. It asks for the location of the original msi. argh......
It can still be un-installed via 'Program and Features', but unfortunately we have to use msiexec.

We are using InstallAware 2012.

Thoughts ?

Patrick.

[diverofdark]

Hi! I've also met this problem. If you will be able to find any solution - please tell here..

[FrancescoT]

Dear Patrick,

I suppose that probably you used, during your successful install verifications, the command line; msiexec /x <product.msi>.

With InstallAware if you want to remove the product without using the original msi, you should use the full path of the uninstallation setup program (locally cached setup files). This value can be retrieved by the UNINSTALLLINK A predefined variable.

Please have a look at the following link where is available the "uninstalllnk.doc" tutorial.
The document also describes how to store this value, in order to use it from an application or from a setup package not builded using IA.
http://www.installaware.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6564&start=0

Regards.

[pwall]

Hi.
Thanks for the response.

That link did help me to understand the issue more. Unfortunately, it will not provide a solution to issue.
The msi that needs to be un-intalled is already shipped software. Therefore, I am no longer able to add the UninstallLink variable to the msi.
Going foward, this is something that can be done to assist with the next release. Although testing it, still found I wasn't unable to use msiexec /X....that variable causing a copy of the msi to be copied to C:\Program Data\PRODUCT_CODE, but msiexec will not use the .exe, and the msi file that is there is not the same.