Installshield Installation FAQ

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Installshield Installation FAQs

Suggestions for known Installshield Installation Problems

Okino uses Installshield Corporation's installer technology to allow WEB download or CDROM installation of its NuGraf and PolyTrans stand-alone software packages, as well as the various native plug-in systems (PolyTrans-for-MAX, PolyTrans-for-Maya, PolyTrans-for-XSI and PolyTrans-for-Director).
At the core of the Installshield installers is a further layer defined by Microsoft's core 'MSI' installation technology. This is a database driven system that uses a '.msi' main information (database) file and multiple .cab files, the latter which contain all the components to be installed on the machine. This complex system is not without its inherent problems. A quick search on www.google.com for '.msi installer problem' will provide a quick glimpse into what we are referring to.

Statistically we get about 3000 installations per month of our 2 main installers and only hear of customer related installer problems about once every 3 to 4 months. Thus, if you encounter an installation problem then it is always related to something on your computer. The following info will provide information to help you solve the installation issue.

A Quick Overview of the Installshield+MSI Installer Installation Process

An installation will typically occur in this manner:

You execute the main "setup.exe" file.
The setup.exe expands itself into multiple components in your /temp directory, namely another setup.exe installer, the .msi database file and multiple .cab files.
The secondary setup.exe installer executes. It checks that the Installshield runtime system has been installed on your computer. If not, it runs the 'isscript9.msi' package to have it automatically installed on your machine (this file is either embedded in the CDROM setup.exe file, or downloaded from the Okino WEB site).
You are presented with the Installshield Wizard and can select the various Okino package installation options.
The Microsoft '.msi' server component is invoked on your machine to have the package contents installed onto your system. If the Microsoft server component is itself not installed then you will be prompted to install it from the CDROM, or have it automatically downloaded from the Okino WEB site.
The .msi package is copied to your \windows\installer directory. This is needed in case you wish to 'Modify', 'Repair' or 'Remove' the installation at a later date via the Add/Remove applet in the Windows Control Panel.
The installation is handled by the Microsoft .msi server component, with roll-back and Add/Remove control panel tags added to your system.

How to fix 'isscript9.msi' or 'Windows Installer' Runtime Errors

Before the Okino installers can execute, your machine must have the newest Installshield runtime engine (isscript9.msi) installed as well as the Microsoft MSI Installer V2 or newer. The CDROM installer version and the WEB-based installer versions have been setup to automatically update and install these components if they are missing.
If for any reason you need to install these manually, then:

If you are running Windows 2000 or Windows NT then please download and run this special updater from the Installshield consumer WEB site: LargeISEngineUpdate.exe

Else, if you are running Windows XP or newer, then please download and run this special updater from the Installshield consumer WEB site: SmallISEngineUpdate.exe

If neither of these links work, then:

Visit the Installshied's Consumer WEB Site.
Click on the "Tips and Pointers" button on the left side of the screen.
Click on the "Update to the Latest InstallShield Installation Engines"
Execute the "Small Engine Update" for Windows XP or newer", or "Large Engine Update" for Windows 98, NT or 2000".

How to fix 'Error 1935' related to Microsoft MSXML2 Installation or Upgrade

You may see this error during installation of the full Okino software package: "Error 1935: An error occurred during the installation of assembly 'Microsoft.MSXML2, { etc, etc }. HRESULT = 0x80070002".
This error has occurred in the Microsoft MSXML v4 installer program and not in the Okino installer. We run this sub-installer to make sure your machine has the newest version of the Microsoft XML v4 parser installed.
Doing a Google search for "error 1935 microsoft.msxml2" results in these common suggestions to this problem:

Turn off (disable) all SpyWare and Anti-Virus programs. These programs prevent the Microsoft MSXML installer from writing to the registry. Restart the installation process.

Close down all of your applications which are using the Microsoft MSXML v4 parser and then re-start the installer. Internet Explorer would be a good candidate program to close down.

Another often referenced set of solutions is outlined on this page, as well as here.

Another indirect solution offered by Microsoft is outlined here.

Basic Suggestions to Overcoming Common Installshield Runtime Problems

In the ideal case, first reboot your machine. That will return your machine to running the most minimal number of processes.
Delete the contents of your Windows "TEMP" directory. To find the location of this directory, go to a DOS prompt and type 'set'.
For runtime error '-1612' while un-installing, refer to the "How to Manually Un-Install an Installshield/MSI Package Installation" section below. Un-installation is a simple process using the single line command explained in that section.
If you receive "The version of IsScript.msi is too old" then refer to this URL.
For runtime error '-1603', please refer to this URL.
For runtime error '-1607: Unable to Install InstallShield Scripting Run Time', please refer to this URL.
For runtime error, '1723: A DLL for this install to complete could not be run...Action SxSInstallCA, entry:CustomAction_SxSMsmInstall', this means that your machine does not have 'Microsoft Windows Installer v3.x' installed on it. Some of the new Visual Studio 2005 'merge modules' for the C runtime libraries require v3.x even though Microsoft have said v2.0 will suffice. You can download the 32-bit version from here, or you can go to Google and search for 'Windows Installer 3 Redistributable'.
For info from Installshield Corp. on troubleshooting general installation errors, refer to this URL.
If all else fails, visit Installshied's Consumer WEB Site where you can enter error numbers for explanations, read FAQs about known installation problems, etc.

Sources to Other Info About Installshield Installation Runtime Errors and Problems

Our experience has shown that many of the errors that an end-user may encounter deal with the main ".msi" file. This file contains all the 'smarts' and database info which the Microsoft MSI Installer needs to know in order to install, repair, modify or un-install the associated software package.
When Windows initially installs the software package on your machine, it makes a local copy of the .msi database file to your '\windows\installer' directory using a truncated 8.3 character filename. It does not, however, make copies of the corresponding .cab files which contain the compressed files to install (unless otherwise requested by the installer script).
The troubles start if you select 'Repair' or 'Modify' after you access the installer once again from the Add/Remove panel of the Control Panel in Windows. In order to perform these operations Windows will need to access the .cab files containing the files to install. They either reside on the original CDROM or on the Okino WEB site. If for any reason they can't be found, or are not the correct version, then you will get errors stating that the original source files could not be located, and the installation aborts.

Trouble also erupts if you accidentally or purposely delete the \windows\installer directory, or the cached copy of the .msi installer file. Doing so will prevent the 'Modify', 'Repair' or 'Remove' entries of the Add/Remove Control Panel applet from working. This can be especially troublesome, since Windows believes the .msi file is still valid on your computer.

Installshied's Consumer WEB Site

Installsite, an independent site dedicated to Installshield installers

Viewing the Generated Log File

Logging a MSI Installation

List of Okino Installer Product Code 'GUID's

If you will want to dabble directly with the existing installed Okino software packages on your machine then you will need to know each of their associated product code 'GUIDs'. This is a unique identifier string that is bound to each installer package. These GUIDs can be used, for example, if you wish to manually un-install an installed package as per the instructions in the next section.

Combined NuGraf/PolyTrans demo installer, {A21684A9-64C9-4714-AF1D-15D9C8CE5EBF}

NuGraf commercial version installer, {6F68494A-C2FE-4F4C-BB4A-4EACE1B73BF3}

PolyTrans commercial version installer, {D86BD140-E0A5-470D-BEE9-42C9D2CC1012}

Okino plug-ins super installer, commercial version, {C1717CAF-F589-4493-B9CC-7A49218233EF}

Okino plug-Ins super installer, demo version, {4DE79189-E5DD-49A0-914F-E40919AAB597}

How to Manually Un-Install an Installshield/MSI Package Installation

The simplest way to invoke an un-installation process manually is by executing the following text on a DOS command line or in the Windows "Run..." menu item of the START menu. You must replace the {guid} with one of the 5 GUID strings shown in the previous section. For example, to un-install the commercial version of PolyTrans replace the {guid} with {D86BD140-E0A5-470D-BEE9-42C9D2CC1012}.
msiexec /uninstall {guid} REINSTALLMODE="" REINSTALL=""

For a non-automated un-installation, the following detailed instructions describe how you can rid your machine of an MSI-based installation so that (in theory) you can re-run the installers from a 'fresh' start. Please use at your own risk. Okino assumes no liability for you following these instructions, as they are suggestions from Installshield Corp. only. In these instructions replace the "PRODUCT GUID" with one of the GUIDs listed in the previous section on this page ("List of Okino Installer Product Code 'GUID's").

Uninstalling an InstallShield Installation Manually