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Questions tagged [wix]

The WiX Toolset (formerly known as Windows Installer XML) is a toolset that builds Windows installation packages and WiX bootstrappers from XML source code. The toolset supports a command line environment that developers may integrate into their build processes to build MSI and MSM setup packages and EXE bootstrappers. For the cloud-based web development platform, use the [velo] tag.

The WiX Toolset (formerly known as Windows Installer XML) is a toolset that builds Windows installation packages and WiX bootstrappers from XML source code. The toolset supports a command line environment that developers may integrate into their build processes to build MSI setup packages, MSM merge modules, MSP patches and EXE bootstrappers. The installer also provides a Visual Studio extension that creates WiX projects, which can be built with Visual Studio or MSBuild.

References:

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"Automatic" vs "Automatic (Delayed start)"

When installing Windows services there are two options for automatically starting a Windows service on Windows startup. One is Automatic, and the other is Automatic (Delayed start). What is the difference between these two in detail? For example, if…
Sachin Kainth
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WiX tricks and tips

We've been using WiX for a while now, and despite the usual gripes about ease of use, it's going reasonably well. What I'm looking for is useful advice regarding: Setting up a WiX project (layout, references, file patterns) Integrating WiX into…
si618
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How to implement WiX installer upgrade?

At work we use WiX for building installation packages. We want that installation of product X would result in uninstall of the previous version of that product on that machine. I've read on several places on the Internet about a major upgrade but…
Dror Helper
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How to add a WiX custom action that happens only on uninstall (via MSI)?

I would like to modify an MSI installer (created through WiX) to delete an entire directory on uninstall. I understand the RemoveFile and RemoveFolder options in WiX, but these are not robust enough to recursively delete an entire folder that has…
Zack
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Wix: single MSI instead of msi + cab

My Wix project creates install.msi and cab1.cab. How can I have it bundle everything into the msi? I will likely use 7-zip SFX to work around this but I have seen other apps with only a single msi.
wtjones
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How can I set the WiX installer version to the current build version?

I wrote an application and its WiX installer and put it under version control using subversion. When the WiX installer builds I want its version number to be the current build version of the application. How do I accomplish this? I used c# to code…
Draco
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What is the WiX 'KeyPath' attribute?

What is the WiX 'KeyPath' attribute? In particular, how does it apply to the following:
Seth
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How to Enable WiX Projects in Visual Studio 2015

When I go the the New Project dialog in Visual Studio 2015, Windows Installer XML isn't available. How can I enable WiX projects in Visual Studio 2015?
Chris Schiffhauer
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Silent installation of a MSI package

I have a MSI package that I need to install if the package is not already installed. Also I need to install it silently. The package prompts user for: Installation location (C:\Program Files\Foobar) Install type: minimal and full (minimal) I need…
Salman A
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xml.LoadData - Data at the root level is invalid. Line 1, position 1

I'm trying to parse some XML inside a WiX installer. The XML would be an object of all my errors returned from a web server. I'm getting the error in the question title with this code: XmlDocument xml = new XmlDocument(); try { …
Chris
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How can I find the product GUID of an installed MSI setup?

I need to find the product GUID for an installed MSI file in order to perform maintenance such as patching, uninstall (how-to uninstall) and also for auditing purposes.
Stein Åsmul
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Enable WiX project in Visual Studio 2013

I have a VS 2012 solution with WiX Installer projects. However, when I open the solution in VS 2013 (Release) the WiX project is incompatible. Does anyone know where / whether a VS 2013 version (wixtoolset ?) is available being worked on yet? Or is…
Redeemed1
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Removing files when uninstalling WiX

When uninstalling my application, I'd like to configure the Wix setup to remove all the files that were added after the original installation. It seems like the uninstaller removes only the directories and files that were originally installed from…
pribeiro
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What installation product to use? InstallShield, WiX, Wise, Advanced Installer, etc

I'm currently doing some investigation on moving off of the installation package we currently use (Wise Installer 9) and moving to something that will handle things like Windows Vista, Windows 7 and 64-bit systems. Localization of the installers…
Mat Nadrofsky
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Good resources for learning how to create MSI installers from WiX

I've given up trying to apply lipstick to the pigs of installers that come out of Visual Studio and have decided to look at WiX. What resources would you recommend to learn and reference? (Note - this is not a which-installer-technology-do-you-use…
Ryan
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