MAKEMSI quickly and reliably creates MSI files in a non-programmatic way
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\->Windows Installer FAQ (the basics)->MSIEXEC.EXE->Silent Install

Silent Install

You should avoid creating MSIs that can't be installed and uninstalled in an unattended manner, any required input should be possible via the "MSIEXEC.EXE" command line.

There are a number of levels of unattended operation from completely silent to displaying some levels of dialogs, these options are controlled with the "/q" switch.

You typically also do some of the following:

A verbose log of a user driven install can help you determine property and feature names, however failing this you can use "ORCA" for a more detailed examination of the relevant tables as well as examination of any custom actions.

msiexec.exe /qn /I "C:\MSI\some.msi" /l*v SilentLogFile.txt ALLUSERS=1 DBSERVER=SomeMachineName

MAKEMSI SILENT MODE - UISAMPLE_REDUCED_UI_VALUE

Note that by default MAKEMSI creates MSIs which support reduced (unattended in normal operation) installs, see "UISAMPLE.MMH" for more details, however to enable it simply add the following before loading MAKEMSI:

#define UISAMPLE_REDUCED_UI_VALUE   1          ;;0 = normal, 1 = reduced UI (on install only)

The above just sets the default value for the "MM_REDUCED_UI" public property, so you can alter the behaviour from the command line.


Microsoft awarded me an MVP (Most Valuable Professional award) in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 for the Windows SDK (Windows Installer) area.Please email me any feedback, additional information or corrections.
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Microsoft awarded me an MVP (Most Valuable Professional award) in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 for the Windows SDK (Windows Installer) area.