Types of installers and their keys for silent installation. Installing CAB and MSU Windows update files manually Installing msu

Hello dear readers.
Today, as I promised you, I will tell you about the most popular tools that create software installers.
Many of them are very simple, so they can be used not only by programmers and software manufacturers, but also by those who want to assemble the installer with their own hands.
However, the assembly of installation packages is not the topic of this article, the topic of my article is: what main keys are supported by certain installers, how to use them, and how to determine which installer is used for a particular program.

InstallShield

I'll start with the most voluminous, most beloved by large commercial software developers. InstallShield is a powerful professional tool for creating reliable installation packages.

With the help of Project Assistant, the developer goes through all the stages of creating an installer step by step. No training is required, all the basic features of InstallShield X Express can be learned within less than one day. Full integration with the Visual Studio .NET development environment, support for .NET, Linux, Web services and mobile applications.

You can meet him very often in paid products, for example:

As a rule, such installers do not cause difficulties, it is enough to run them with the “S” key, and the program will be installed in silent mode.
Note: If the “wait” parameter does not work, try using the “SMS” key
Example:

Start /wait setup.exe /s /sms

How to tell if Install Shield was used to package the installer

We open the file properties, on the “Details” tab, in the “Description” and “Original file name” items, as a rule, the value “setup.exe” will be indicated, and in the “Product Name”: “InstallShield”.
In addition, running such an installer for a normal installation, as a rule, you will encounter such words:
InstallShield Wizard
Welcome to InstallShield Wizard for xxxxxxx
The InstallShield(R) Wizard will install, etc.

Naturally, all this can be written in English.

Windows Installer Service (*.msi)

Well, what can I say about this ... Windows Installer Service (MSI) technology is the de facto standard in the world of system administrators involved in the distribution and support of software for desktop and server versions of Windows. The MSI format is supported by all major configuration management systems (Microsoft SCCM, CA Unicenter, and many others), and for some software distribution systems, it is even the only supported format.

All installers packaged with the Windows Installer have the “*.msi” extension.
Program examples:

This type of installer supports the following options for silent installation:
"qb" and "QN".
When using the "QB" key, the installation progress will be displayed, but no questions will be asked to the user, nor will the "Cancel" button be displayed.
Example:

Start setup.msi /qb

Next key: "qn"
When using this key, the installation process will be completely hidden. Installation progress will also not be displayed.
Example:

Start setup.msi /qn

It should be noted that some programs require a computer restart after installation. To avoid this, use the properties (REBOOT=ReallySuppress) by enclosing it in quotes along with the key.
Example:

Start setup.msi "/qb REBOOT=ReallySuppress"

Using the InstallShield *.msi extension

Starting with version 7, InstallShield can create files with the "*.msi" extension. they, in turn, can be separate files and in conjunction with setup.exe,
For example as OBI
The latter, in turn, are of two types:
"InstallScript MSI" and "Basic MSI". InstallScript MSI uses traditional InstallShield keys. Basic MSI is a separate interesting story.
To automatically install an application using the Basic MSI, you need to specify the "/s /v"…" switches. The ellipsis must be replaced with keys that must be passed directly to the Windows Installer (msiexec). In other words, if you want to install the application completely invisibly and avoid rebooting, then use this command

Start setup.exe /s /v"/qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress"

Windows Update Offline Installer *.msu

Due to the fact that this information is often required, I edited the article :-), adding the keys for *.msu to it as well.
msu are offline Windows update installers. Once you download updates, you can install them even without the Internet and you won’t have to download them again.
All of these installers have an *.msu extension and support the following command line switches.

/quiet - Quiet mode without user interaction. All windows will be hidden. If a reboot is required after the update, it will be done.

/norestart - Use this switch with quiet to avoid rebooting.

/warnrestart - When used with quiet, will warn that a restart will be performed.

/promptrestart - When used with quiet, you will be prompted to restart the computer.

/forcerestart - When used with quiet, a so-called force restart will be performed, i.e., all applications will be forcibly closed and the computer will restart.

/log - Specifies logging and the path to the log file.

Start c:\updates\kb3456246.msu /quiet /norestart /log:update.log

Inno Setup

An excellent, free tool for creating installers that supports scripts in the PASCAL language, is quite easy to learn and easy to use.
Inno setup can register libraries and ActiveX components, create encrypted installers, change the registry, and launch external applications, but this is only a small part of what Inno Setup can do, even too small….
It should be noted that the help system is quite well written and supported by numerous examples.

Inno Setup is not inferior to many systems for creating installers, and leaves some of them far behind in terms of convenience and capabilities, although it is free, in truth, I like it more than all those listed in this article, which helped me out many times.

Recently, Inno Setup has been increasingly used to create installation packages, not only by developers of free programs, but also by commercial products, for example:

Hmm, I signed it, I'll talk about the main thing.

Inno Setup supports two main keys for silent installation, they are "SILENT" and "VERYSILENT".
Example:

Start setup.exe /verysilent
Start setup.exe /silent

Sometimes there is a small problem: a window pops up asking if you want to continue the installation. To hide this window, use the "SP-" key.
Example:

Start setup.exe /VERYSILENT /SP-

How do I know if Inno Setup is being used to package a program?

Run the installer, in the window that opens, open the system menu (ALT + SPACE "Space")
Select "ABOUT Setup" or "About",
A window will open with the following text:
About Setup
Inno Setup version 5.4.0 (a)Copyright (C) 1997-2010 Jordan RussellPortions Copyright (C) 2000-2010 Martijn LaanAll rights reserved.Inno Setup home page:http://www.innosetup.com/RemObjects Pascal Script home page :http://www.remobjects.com/psInno Setup Preprocessor home page:http://ispp.sourceforge.net/
OK

Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS)

Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) is a program designed for easy and fast creation of professional installation packages. The program allows software developers to create a compressed win32 exe file, with the ability to check its integrity. Has no limit on the number of files included in the distribution. Uninstall function is supported. Built-in own virtual machine turns this product into a full-fledged professional tool.
Examples:

Installers created with the free NSIS run with the “S” key.
Example:

Start setup.exe /S

Be careful, the key must be in uppercase, otherwise it may simply not work.
You can use the “D” key to specify the installation directory.
Example:

Start setup.exe /S /D=c:\myprogram

How to determine the use of NSIS

All installers created with NSIS have a very similar interface, study the installation process of Winamp carefully and you will be able to easily determine if NSIS is being used.

WISE Installer

After digging around on the Internet, here is what a beautiful description I found for him:
Wise for Windows Installer allows professional developers to quickly create reliable Microsoft packages using the latest Windows Installer technologies from Microsoft. The unique features of Wise for Windows Installer help both small and large development teams create installation packages for any type of platform, including workstations and PDAs, application and web servers, and Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Pocket PC, Microsoft mobile devices. NET Compact Framework, Palm OS and smartphones.

Wise Installation Studio allows you to effortlessly create application installation packages for the Windows Vista operating system, 64-bit versions of Windows and the Windows Mobile 5 mobile platform. This package supports the Windows Installer (MicrosoftI) format, and also has its own format - WiseScript (. EXE).

Users will also be able to take advantage of the innovative Altiris Software Virtualization Solution technology implemented in Wise Installation Studio, which allows the creation of virtual application archives (.VSA) and ensures that there are no conflicts between the products being installed.

In addition, the new version of Wise Installation Studio integrates with Nalpeiron's PRO-Tector Standard package. This solution allows developers to create test versions of software products and provides reliable protection of intellectual property from illegal use.

But that's bad luck, it seems the project died ...
oh well, let's not talk about sad things ...

Installers created with WISE Installer accept the standard "S" key.
Example:

Start setup.exe /S

I don't know what type the installer is or I can't determine its type

In this case, use the "s" key, as a rule it works.
Example:

Start setup.exe /s

Manufacturers of software and drivers that provide a unique installer generally adhere to this standard.

Sometimes wusa.exe and other EXE system errors can be related to problems in the Windows registry. Several programs can use the wusa.exe file, but when those programs are uninstalled or changed, sometimes "orphaned" (invalid) EXE registry entries are left behind.

Basically, this means that while the actual path to the file may have been changed, its incorrect former location is still recorded in the Windows registry. When Windows tries looking up these incorrect file references (file locations on your PC), wusa.exe errors can occur. In addition, malware infection may have corrupted the registry entries associated with Windows 7 Home Premium. Thus, these invalid EXE registry entries need to be repaired in order to fix the root of the problem.

Manually editing the Windows registry to remove invalid wusa.exe keys is not recommended unless you are PC service professional. Mistakes made while editing the registry can render your PC unusable and cause irreparable damage to your operating system. In fact, even a single comma in the wrong place can prevent your computer from booting up!

Because of this risk, we highly recommend using a trusted registry cleaner such as %%product%% (Developed by Microsoft Gold Certified Partner) to scan and repair any wusa.exe-related registry problems. Using a registry cleaner automates the process of finding invalid registry entries, missing file references (like the one causing your wusa.exe error), and broken links within the registry. A backup copy is automatically created before each scan, allowing you to undo any changes with a single click and protecting you from possible damage to your computer. The best part is that fixing registry errors can drastically improve system speed and performance.

A warning: Unless you are an advanced PC user, we do NOT recommend manually editing the Windows Registry. Incorrect use of the Registry Editor can lead to serious problems and require you to reinstall Windows. We do not guarantee that problems resulting from misuse of Registry Editor can be resolved. You use the Registry Editor at your own risk.

To manually repair your Windows registry, first you need to create a backup by exporting a portion of the registry related to wusa.exe (eg. Windows 7 Home Premium):

Click on the button Begin.
Enter " command" in search bar... DO NOT PRESS YET ENTER!
Holding keys CTRL-Shift on the keyboard, press ENTER.
An access dialog will be displayed.
Click Yes.
The black box opens with a blinking cursor.
Enter " regedit" and press ENTER.
In the Registry Editor, select the wusa.exe-related key (eg. Windows 7 Home Premium) you want to back up.
On the menu File select Export.
Listed Save to select the folder where you want to save the Windows 7 Home Premium key backup.
In field File name enter a name for the backup file, such as "Windows 7 Home Premium Backup".
Make sure the field Export range value selected Selected branch.
Click Save.
The file will be saved with .reg extension.
You now have a backup of your wusa.exe-related registry entry.

The next steps for manually editing the registry will not be covered in this article, as they are likely to damage your system. If you would like more information on editing the registry manually, please see the links below.

Recently, in the news about fresh cumulative updates, we began to give links where you can download .cab or .msu files of these assemblies. In this article we will understand why they are needed and how to use them.

What are CAB and MSU files

In Windows 10, there are several file formats that are used to update certain system components. This:

ESD files. They are an encrypted and highly compressed ISO image. Used to install major updates (assemblies in which not only the index changes, but also the main number). With their help, you can, for example,.
CAB or MSU files. They are, one might say, archives. Used to install minor updates - cumulative updates, security updates, Adobe Flash Player updates, and so on.

All mechanisms for working with these files are built into the system. It is them that the Update Center uses - it simply downloads the desired file, and then automatically does what is described in this instruction. The disadvantages of this approach are the inability to install any updates offline, which some users need from time to time.

I note right away that in Windows 10, the CAB or MSU file of some kind of cumulative update also contains all previous cumulative updates! There is no need to first, for example, install assembly 14393.187, then - .189, then - .222. It is enough to immediately install the latest package.

Where to download the Windows 10 update MSU file

How to install CAB and MSU

Download the CAB or MSU file.
Move it to a folder with some short path. That is, it is better that the path to the file be, for example, C:\CAB\update.cab, but not C:\Users\Public\Downloads\Folder\CAB Files\CabFile1\update.cab.

Installing the cab files

Installing MSU files

With them, everything is a little easier. They can be installed even by double-clicking on them. But there is a way to do this through the console.

Configuring UltraVNC Connecting to a server Installing and configuring an UltraVNC SC (Single Click) repeater - remote assistance without first installing an UltraVNC server
UltraVNC is a great remote assistance solution. The connection is made directly to the Windows console session, i.e. you always see on the screen what the user of the remote computer sees. Using the repeater utility (repeater), you can configure access to servers on a local network located behind a NAT router, while only one port needs to be forwarded on the router. It can also be used for presentations. The program is free. UltraVNC installation. First you need to download the distribution kit, drivers and repeater (if needed).
Official website of UltraVNC: http://www.uvnc.com/
Download section: http://www.uvnc.com/download/
At the time of writing, the latest version is 1.0.8.2 . You can only download the client. Both win32 and x64 versions are available.
Latest drivers from...

Setting up forwarding in IIS in pictures Download the URL Rewrite module and install itGo to IIS. Select the desired site. On the right, select " URL rewriting"In the window that opens, press RMB and select the item:" "In the window that opens, press RMB and select" Add an override schema". Enter a name for the scheme (any). The override scheme window will open. Next, RMB =>" Add Mapping Entry" and enter the source address and the destination address. Note: Source address must be relative and destination must be absolute Back to the window View Override Schemas". press RMB and select the item" Add rules"Choosing a Template" Rule with override schema"Install Rule action selection: Redirect. Select Override Schema: The schema you just created. We press OK. Everything is ready.

You must first install Lamp-server. Since Ubuntu 7.04, LAMP can be installed using Tasksel. To do this, you need to run the command: sudo tasksel install lamp-serverDuring installation, a password for the MySQL database administrator will be requested. Do not forget to install the php5-ldap php5-imap modules. sudo apt-get install php5-ldap php5-imapLdap module will start working immediately after restarting Apache ( sudo/etc/init.d/apache2 restart), but the imap module is disabled by default. Therefore, it must be enabled with the php5enmod imap command. I recommend that you also install phpMyAdmin Installing from a repositorysudo apt-get install glpi During installation, the database will be configured ( will ask for the MySQL administrator password and ask you to set a password for the glpi user).After that, a window will appear asking you to enter through the browser at http://host_name/glpiAfter clicking on this link, the glpi web interface will open. For the first login, use: Login: glpiPassword: glpi Manual installation(not tested on newer versions) For N…