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For the WiX installer, I am using a managed bootstrapper application (MBA).

In that, for the Major upgrade case, using WiX+Burn setup, Do we need to keep the Component ID same all the time (for all installer versions)?

I am using WiX harvesting to generate a component file programmatically. That will allow us to generate constant/dynamic component GUID. And currently, I am generating a new GUID all the time using GenerateGuidsNow="true".

  • I observed that, if component GUID for the newer version,
    • Same as the older version component GUID: after Major upgrade, all binaries/files are placed properly on the target directory.
    • Generated new component GUID: after Major upgrade, binaries/files are removed from the target directory. (binaries should not be removed)

Questions

  1. What will be the behavior of Component Id for different updates (specifically for a Major Upgrade)? Do we need to keep the same?
  2. If we need to keep the same, then I have to do a major upgrade of one legacy installer and I need to keep the same component GUID with the newer WiX+Burn installer. So is it possible with WiX harvesting to generate a component file programmatically with existing (pre-defined) Component GUID?
savan_03
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    [When to change component GUIDs](https://stackoverflow.com/a/1422121/129130). You should keep the component GUIDs stable if you want to use major upgrades that uninstall late (as opposed to major upgrades that uninstalls all first and then installs the update). Have a read about [Paraffin](https://github.com/Wintellect/Paraffin) and about [various tools for component generation](https://stackoverflow.com/a/55977336/129130). This is all a bit rushed, but just to give you some links to start with. [One more link - not entirely related](https://stackoverflow.com/a/55459208/129130). – Stein Åsmul Jun 17 '21 at 00:56

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