INSTALL WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL FROM A MASTER IMAGEIN THIS EXERCISE, Y...

3-37Lesson 4 Using Tools to Simplify Deployment

The USMT consists of two executable files (ScanState.exe, LoadState.exe), and four

migration rule information files (Migapp.inf, Migsys.inf, Miguser.inf, and Sysfiles.inf).

ScanState.exe collects user data and settings based on the information contained in

Migapp.inf, Migsys.inf, Miguser.inf and Sysfiles.inf. LoadState.exe deposits this user

state data on a computer running a fresh (not upgraded) installation of Windows XP

Professional.

See Also For more information on using the USMT, visit https://traloihay.net

prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/usermigr.mspx.

How to Manage Applications by Using Windows Installer

Windows Installer and installation packages (.msi files) simplify the installation and

removal of software applications. An installation package contains all the information

that the Windows Installer requires to install or uninstall an application or product and to

run the setup user interface. Each installation package includes an .msi file that contains

an installation database, a summary information stream, and data streams for various

parts of the installation. The .msi file can also contain one or more transforms, internal

source files, and external source files or cabinet files required by the installation.

If there is a problem during the installation of a software application, or if the installa-

tion fails, Windows Installer can restore or roll back the operating system to its previ-

ous state. Windows Installer also reduces conflicts between applications by preventing

the installation of an application from overwriting a dynamic-link library (DLL) used by

another application. Windows Installer can determine if an application you installed

using it has any missing or corrupted files, and can then replace them to resolve the

problem.

To preserve users’ disk space, Windows Installer allows you to install only the essential

files required to run an application. It supports the installation of application features

on demand, which means that the first time a user accesses any feature not included in

the minimal installation, the necessary files are automatically installed. Windows

Installer allows you to configure unattended application installations and it supports

both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.

The Windows Installer can advertise the availability of an application to users or other

applications without actually installing the application. If an application is advertised,

only the interfaces required for loading and launching the application are presented to

the user or other applications. If a user or application activates an advertised interface,

the installer then proceeds to install the necessary components.

The two types of advertising are assigning and publishing. An application appears

installed to a user when that application is assigned to the user. The Start menu

contains the appropriate shortcuts, icons are displayed, files are associated with the

application, and Registry entries reflect the application’s installation. When the user

tries to open an assigned application, it is installed upon demand.

You can also publish a Windows Installer application from within Active Directory. A

published application becomes available to the user for installation, but is not adver-

tised to the user. The user can locate and install the application by using the Add Or

Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.

Windows Installer supports Microsoft’s .NET framework technology. The .NET frame-

work gives developers code reuse, code specialization, resource management, multi-

language development, improved security, deployment, and administration. Windows

Installer also provides software restriction policies that provide virus protection, includ-

ing protection from Trojan horse viruses and worms propagated through e-mail and

the Web.

The way you troubleshoot a Windows Installer package depends on the problem you

are having. If a Windows Installer package does not install correctly, you need to deter-

mine whether the package has become corrupted. To repair a corrupted Windows

Installer package, use the Windows Installer repair option. Open a command prompt

and type the following command:

msiexec /f[p][o][e][d][c[][a][u][m][s][v] {package|ProductCode}

For an explanation of the parameters used with the /f switch in the Msiexec.exe com-

mand, see Table 3-3.

Table 3-3

Parameters for the /f Switch for Msiexec.exe

Parameters Description

P Reinstall only if the file is missing

O Reinstall if the file is missing or if an older version is installed

E Reinstall if the file is missing or if an equal or older version is installed

D Reinstall if the file is missing or if a different version is installed

C Reinstall if the file is missing or if the stored checksum does not match the

calculated value

A Force all the files to be reinstalled

U Rewrite all the required user-specific Registry entries

M Rewrite all the required computer-specific Registry entries

S Overwrite all the existing shortcuts

V Run from source and recache the local package

There are several additional switches for the Msiexec.exe command. These switches

include the ones explained in Table 3-4. In this table, package is the name of the