I noticed within the past couple of weeks my latest builds of a specific project are not showing up in Add/Remove programs.
I am using Visual Studio 2010, Windows7 64-bit (though I've also tried this over two Windows 32-bit machines). All latest service packs and updates are installed. The solution is made up of several projects with various references. The Setup and Deployment project is not the Install Shield version, but the one built in Microsoft project.
Previous versions of the software install fine, and still do... But if I pull down a tagged earlier version from CVS, and rebuild the installer for those versions, they do not work either.
I've opened the MSI in Orca, and I can see that the ARPNOREMOVE, ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT are both set to 1. When the project gets installed, a registry entry SystemComponent Dword value is created. If I remove that registry entry, the application shows up. Based on everything I've read and researched I have found people that WANTED this functionality, but were told that Visual Studio can't do this on its own. Their solutions were to use Orca to add the ARPNOREMOVE or ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT. At this point, all of the people who I found had my problem either had a basic default installer and they didn't know what name they were looking for in Add/Remove Programs or some other basic error that doesn't apply in my situation.
I've tried all of the following:
-Previous versions of tagged versions on CVS
-Multiple development machines
-Multiple computers to verify none show up in Add/Remove programs
-Resetting all Visual Studio settings
-Building from a clean development environment
-Removing Installer project from the solution and creating a new installer project
The weird part is that if I create a new solution and just create a setup and deployment project within, that installs fine. Can anyone having any idea about this help me out ?
So this is what I found out. We are using National Instruments Measurement Studio for .Net and the legacy controls. When using the legacy controls a certain merge module gets recognized as a dependency. For whatever reason, now this merge module change the behavior of the installer that is compiled. I've contacted National Instruments and am now working with them.
First, yes, you figured out the correct property name. Yes, ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT is it which leads to an "unvisible" install under Add/Remove programs (ARP for insiders, although the name has changed post XP).
And it is possible to set/change the resulting "SystemComponent" entry in registry later which is not the case for all properties.
ARPNOREMOVE just controls if the uninstall in ARP is really possible to perform.
I have looked into Visual Installer before really, because it is so limited for MSI experts, but after taking a quick look there is a .vdproj (project file) created with VS 2010, and not very surprisingly, all the MSI information is coded there. The visual setup editors you can see in the solution explorer are only a subset.
Just look for "ARP" and you will find some properties set. The meanings of the values are maybe not so easy to guess, but from a rational point of view:
Either there is some setting inside there or a custom action (listed there too) which sets that property!
In my minimal test with the wizard only the ARPCONTACT property was set in the resulting msi file.
At least you could take the .vdproj file cor diffs with other checkedin versions..
Related
I'm beginning the work of moving an internal class library (.net framework, C#) to a series of nuget .net standard packages, which we will also serve internally. I'm in the research phase.
And I am attempting to research using the VS (2017) debugger and working to create our conventions for where debug versions of the packages (with symbols) will be and where the release versions (without symbols) will be.
I build a small dummy .net standard package in one solution, and have used nuget add to place it in a file share. And I have successfully consumed it in a different solution.
However, when I try to step into the code in the consuming solution, somehow, visual studio is doing something smart and actually stepping me into the source at its ORIGINAL location. Which is fine in some ways of thinking about it, but I want to simulate the situation of a different developer on a different machine consuming the package and not having that original source available, such that the only way to step into packaged code would be to consume a debug version with symbols. But visual studio is foiling me by figuring out the original source location and I don't see how it is doing that.
How can I get VS to be "dumber" so I can simulate on my machine what it would be to consume packages on another machine that didn't have this package source?
Thanks in advance.
How can I get VS to be "dumber" so I can simulate on my machine what it would be to consume packages on another machine that didn't have this package source?
You can try to specify the Symbols of that .net standard project to exclude from automatic loading.
Detail:
As we know:
The Program database (.pdb) files, also called symbol files, map
identifiers and statements in your project's source code to
corresponding identifiers and instructions in compiled apps.
Symbol files also show the location of the source files, and
optionally, the server to retrieve them from.
And the default setting of symbols loading for debugging in Visual Studio is that Load all modules:
That is the reason why Visual Studio smart and actually stepping your into the source at its ORIGINAL location.
So, to resolve this issue, we need to disable Visual Studio "Load all modules", we could specify excluded modules for your .net standard project.
To accomplish this, click the link on that window, then add the name of your .net standard:
Then Visual Studio get to be "dumber", not find the ORIGINAL location.
Hope this helps.
I am kind of new to Visual Studio and have found no solutions online, so this may be a simple problem nobody has bothered to post about.
I am working with a system that requires certain browser settings on a very specific version of Internet Explorer and am trying to create a launcher that can be installed on all users of a domain computer that establishes all these settings and creates a simple IE window (to dissuade people from using it more than needed).
I have written this application, but when I run the installer it a) gives me no option to change the install directory, and b) does not give me the option to change the default install directory in the project properties.
Other sources continue to say to change the 'Install Folder URL' to something else, but whenever I change it to say '\\localhost\c$\A_File_Directory', nothing ever changes and it continues to install in an unknown location.
Any help would be appreciated (perhaps a location with in-depth examples for VS)
EDIT -- It seems there is no way to do what I am looking for through Visual Studio, so I think I will be just deploying the ClickOnce installer through Group Policy so it can run on a per-user basis. Thanks to all who helped!
As of VS 2010 the ClickOnce Installer does not let you choose where to install the application. It controls that. I have found it rather irritating and if you really need to control where something is installed you need to use a different installer.
Here's another answer for VS 2012
Settting the ClickOnce installation folder URL in Visual Studio 2012
I am trying to update an application using the Install Shield project in visual studio 2012.
I have read tons of articles/stackoverflow questions about it, and every single one gives the same steps for updating an existing application:
Increment product version
Change Product Code
Build Setup
So I do exactly that. First I build my application, then I build the setup. I find the setup, and I run it. It installs the application as expected.
Then I make a minor change to my application (changing the background color for example), then I:
I build the application
Increment Product version from 1.00.0000 to 1.00.0001
Change the Product Code - I Click the {...} to automatically generate a new one
Make sure the Update Code is the same
Build the setup
Go to the same directory I found the setup in before, and run the setup. It indicates that it installs, but then when I run the program, it is the original program - and in my Control Panel > Programs, there is now 2 instances of the application. And in the install directory of the application, it is still the original files.
I have clicked the resequence RemoveExistingProducts, and still the same thing.
edit: I am just using the basic version of InstallShield that came with VS2012
Anyone have any ideas what I am doing wrong? I have absolutely no idea what I am doing wrong...
As stated within the Upgrade Paths section of InstallShield within VS2012:
If you have released earlier versions of your product and you want to ensure that end users are able to upgrade to the current version without manually installing the earlier version and then also installing the current version, use the Upgrade Paths view to indicate upgrade information.
So in order to upgrade any previous installations, you need to add your application's Upgrade Code to the 'Upgrade Paths'. You can do this from the Solution Explorer:
[InstallShield Setup Project] -> Organize Your Setup -> Upgrade Paths
From that tab, you will right-click on the 'Upgrade Paths' option on the left side of the center pane, and select 'New Upgrade Path...'. You will then be presented with an option to select an installer (.exe or .msi) for your project which will populate the Upgrade Code field. Make sure you set the Min and Max Version fields to specify which versions of your application that you'd like your new installer to upgrade. If you'd like the new installer to upgrade any installed version of your application, then simply set the 'Include Max Version' and 'Include Min Version' fields to no.
You should now be set to build your solution, and when running the new installer, you'll find that you will no longer run into the problems you've specified.
We are releasing a new version of our application and we would like it to be able to uninstall the previous installed version from the client's computer.
How would we be able to do that?
edit: I'm installing this application (and also the previous version) with a deployment project in Visual Studio, so I assume it is a Windows Installer.
Thanks a bunch!
Deployement Project in Visual Studio has a build-in feature to remove previous versions of your application.
Check the "RemovePreviousVersions" property in the Deployement Project Properties.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/y63fxdw6.aspx
Edit:
from MSDN:
The installer checks UpgradeCode and
ProductCode properties to determine
whether the earlier version should be
removed. The UpgradeCode must be the
same for both versions; the
ProductCode must be different.
If your using batch or another automated deployment tool for your releases, you can easily uninstall an MSI product using the following command line:
msiexec [/uninstall | /x] [Product.msi | ProductCode]
The Microsoft Installer (*.msi) format supports what you want do to, unfortunately Visual Studio only offers limited customisation and is designed to be used for basic projects.
There are a lot of resources out there on this topic and many other people asking similar questions. My best advice would be spent some time researching the MSDN documentation.
...
Update
OK. After spending 30 minutes reading a few articles, I think it may be possible using a custom action that you package with your new installer.
Follow this MSDN article on creating a Custom Action. It involves creating a new class library, adding an System.Configuration.Install.Installer class, adding it as an output to the setup project, and then selecting it as a custom action.
To view your custom actions tab, right-click on the setup project and select View > Custom Actions.
From here: you will need to write the code to remove the installation directory and AppData profile. This article on how to set Custom Action Data may be helpful.
Good luck.
HTH,
Dennis
If this you program then that's a simple reverse batch.
Or you could use some installer/uninstaller builder like NSIS
Visual studio team system 2008 keeps crashing on me. Sometimes it just freezes, or certain parts of the UI get messed up or a weird popup box saying something about unable to load parameters or saying something else about memory or any other number of things.
it usually happens when I do a "complex" task like go into debug mode or do a search across of whole solution or run a unit tests or something like that.
I rebooted my machine countless time, reinstalled it VS, changed my virtual memory settings, flush my page file on every reboot and anything else i could think of.
It seems like VS runs out memory or something.
I have a powerfully machine with lots of RAM so that's not the issue
any suggestions?
You can always try some standard Visual Studio troubleshooting steps:
Clean the solution
Delete / rename all files in your solution created by VS, i.e. all .ncb, .suo, .user files
Launch Visual Studio with all add-ins disabled: devenv.exe /SafeMode
Reset All Settings: Tools -> Import / Export Settings -> Reset All Settings
Delete HKCU:\Software\Micosoft\VisualStudio\9.0 and then restart Visual Studio
Repair the Visual Studio installation through Add/Remove Programs
You might also check whether there is a hotfix available addressing your issue (e.g. KB960075 sounds like a good candidate for you), or whether you find your problem already reported on the Connect website.
The first step is to uninstall all 3rd party add-ins on Visual Studio. In particular if you have multiple add-ins as they can interfere with each other in unexpected ways and cause crashes. After uninstalling repeat your scenarios and see if this fixes the issue.
If not then it's best to consult the application log and find out why Visual Studio is crashing. The log will contain at least the error code of the crash which can searched on google or reposted here for us to take a look at.
Assuming this occurs with VS up to date with all service packs installed, you might try some of these suggestions. If you haven't tried with service packs, do that first.
What version of Windows are you using? If it is Windows 7, try launching Visual Studio with a compatibility mode and see if that resolves the issue. To do this, make a copy of the normal launch shortcut and go into the Properties dialog and set it to run as Windows Vista.
If this doesn't fix it, then you might also consider:
Checking your PATH environment for any weird settings which might be confusing it, e.g. paths pointing to other SDKs
Any 3rd party VS extensions such as source control, refactoring plugins, wizards etc.
Old versions of .NET or SQL server
Also test if the issue occurs for every kind of project or just certain kinds, e.g. does it happen for all projects? Does it happen in C++, C#, VB.NET projects etc.
You can also attach a debugger to Visual Studio, to see what it's doing. Sometimes a particular .sln will trigger bad behavior or more likely, some third-party add-on.
If you believe that you've gotten VS into a wired state, you can try the following command line switches
devenv.exe /ResetSettings (This will reset the visual studio settings to the defaults)
If that doesn't help, as a last resort, you can try
devenv.exe /ResetUserData