InstallAware

Hi,

I am new to installaware and require an answer to a fundimental question,. I am aware of the control of 32 bit and 64 bit using the 'set 64 bit mode' in the msi scripts, but the question relates to the final installer exe produced.

I need a single installer "exe" that will handle both 32 bit and 64bit is this possible? Do i have to always make the installer 32bit and let the script control take over when its run on a 64 bit machine, or do i build a 64 bit exe and there is some command line option that tell the exe to run as 32bit? or do I build a 64 bit "exe" and it will automatically run on a 32 bit machine? or do I have to build two installers one for 64 bit and one for 32 bit?

Thanks

Steve

Dear penfold,

It is indeed possible to have a single installer for both 32bit and 64 bit - that is what the Set 64 Bit Mode command is used for, which determines the processor architecture used by the installation. This command may be used to set processor architectures while setup is already running on the target system, making it possible to ship a single installer for both 32 bit and 64 bit Windows, switching the processor architecture at runtime.

The Get System Settings command may be used to determine the availability of 64 bit capabilities at runtime. You can use this command and check for the with the "Windows in 64 bit Mode" as well as the "Processor Architecture" flag (that is used to determine exact 64 bit architecture of the underlying processor, namely Itanium or AMD64/EM64T). I would strongly encourage you to read the "Set 64 Bit Mode" help file inside IA as it will help you understand the entire 64 Bit mechanism and IA.

Thanks!

Hi

Thanks for the reply, but I think you missed the question. The final installer executable would it be 32bit or 64bit? the one exe that contains all the files compressed into one setup, and how do I determine the final executable to be either 32bit or 64bit? and in my case both?

Would the final 'setup' executable, (the exe that the end customer runs) be 32bit or 64bit. I need one that will run on both architectures, and automatically run on a 32 Windows 7 platform AND a 64 bit Windows 7 platform without distributing 2 destinct final 'setup' executables to support both o/s's ?

Regards

Penfold

Dear Penfold,

Your final executable would be a 32Bit one - however with the use of Set 64 Bit Mode you can access 64 Bit registry and other system components that otherwise would not have been available from a 32Bit installer. Does that help clarify?

Thanks!

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, yes that clarifies the answer. Where can I get some fundimental help. The F1 button never seems to work for me and just sends me to some general scripting discussion in the help? is there a detailed developer manual / win help etc for this product?

Steve

Dear Steve,

Clicking F1 should bring up context sensitive help. Otherwise, you could also use the search tab in the help window (its very useful).
Moreover, please refer to my signature below for white papers and product guides.

Thanks!