# Windows Installer - Install action does not work at all
**URL:** https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039
**Category:** Discussion
**Created:** [November 19, 2008, 8:26am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039 "2008-11-19T08:26:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mandy4gis](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/mandy4gis)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2008, 8:26am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/1 "2008-11-19T08:26:56Z")
Windows Installer - Install action does not work at all. Here is what I am using.
Options\> Package Options=\\server1\folder1\setup.msi
I am not passing in any Properties. The error message I get on running it is "Installing MSI Package ... Not Found.
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### Author:  [@paulsamways](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/paulsamways)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2008, 11:47am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/2 "2008-11-19T11:47:18Z")
Hi Mandy,
Are you attempting to install the package on the local machine or on a remote machine?
What version of Windows are you running on both the local machine and remote machine (if applicable)?
Does the installation succeed if you use a local path to the package, rather then a network share? If it does then are you able to copy the package to the machine and reference a local path instead of the share?
Regards,
Paul.
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### Author:  [@mandy4gis](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/mandy4gis)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/3 "2008-11-20T12:00:44Z")
The package does not install on local machine and it does not install on remote machine using WMI. Tried both XP32 bit and Server 2003 32 bit. The local copy is not a valid option becaause there are 50 setups that have to be installed and uninstalled on a daily basis and they are very big.
So this is a bug?
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### Author:  [@paulsamways](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/paulsamways)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2008, 1:31am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/4 "2008-11-20T01:31:34Z")
Hi Mandy,
Make sure that the ‘WMI Windows Installer Provider’ windows component has been installed on the Windows 2003 machine as it’s not installed by default, and is required by the Windows Installer actions.
You can install it by:
- Opening “Add/Remove Programs”
- Selecting “Add/Remove Windows Components”
- Click “Details” on the “Management and Monitoring Tools”
- Check “WMI Windows Installer Provider.”
With regards to copying the installation file locally, if you’ve selected to install on a remote machine and the MSI package resides on another machine then copying the package to the machine will be the only way to install it using the Windows Installer action. The speed difference between copying the MSI prior to running it should be marginal as the installer has to copy the files over the network anyway.
Regards,
Paul.
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### Author:  [@djmarks](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/djmarks)
#### Post date: [May 4, 2009, 7:55am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/5 "2009-05-04T07:55:47Z")
Under the General Tabe the Quick links for help are missing. I am running Finalbuiler 6.2.0.1393
I too tried to execute both our MSI packages to my local machine as well as the remote machine.
Action Properties
ActionComment =
CustomActionName = Windows Installer - Install
Enabled = True
ExpandActionLogTitle = True
HideActionFromLog = False
IgnoreFailure = False
LogActionProperties = True
LogToVariable =
MaxRetryAttempts = 0
PauseInterval = 0
RetryPauseInterval = 1000
SuppressStatusMessages = False
I have tried on both XP as well as 64 bit Vista.
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### Author:  [@paulsamways](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/paulsamways)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/6 "2009-05-05T12:44:56Z")
Hi Dennis,
Could you install the following build as the error reporting in the WMI Installer actions has been improved which should help troubleshoot why it’s not working.
URL: [https://www.finalbuilder.com/downloads/finalbuilder/620/FB620\_1460.exe](https://www.finalbuilder.com/downloads/finalbuilder/620/FB620_1460.exe)
Regards,
Paul.
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### Author:  [@djmarks](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/djmarks)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/7 "2009-05-05T06:47:33Z")
I updated to this build version, and I still do not see the under the General tab the quick link topics filled in.
with this version I still failed but a different meaningful message was displayed. Basically could not find the MSI file.
I am using a UNC path and it does not find it. If I copy locally, it works fine.
Here is the UNC error Not the message shows UNC Path as it is read from the registry and this will cause an error. instead of singel “” it is “\”
Windows Installer - Install [\agi\common\Dev\DevInstalls\R\_LicenseManager\_main\AGI\_License\_Manager302\AGI License Manager.msi]
Status: Error
Date: 5/5/2009
Time: 00:45:10:866
End: 00:45:11:009
Duration: 00:00:00:143
Action Messages:
Action Properties
ActionComment =
CustomActionName = Windows Installer - Install
Enabled = True
ExpandActionLogTitle = True
HideActionFromLog = False
IgnoreFailure = False
LogActionProperties = True
LogToVariable =
MaxRetryAttempts = 0
PauseInterval = 0
RetryPauseInterval = 1000
SuppressStatusMessages = False
Installing MSI Package…
The path to the installer package is not valid, \\agi\common\Dev\DevInstalls\R\_LicenseManager\_main\AGI\_License\_Manager302\AGI License Manager.msi.
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### Author:  [@paulsamways](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/paulsamways)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/8 "2009-05-06T02:10:29Z")
Hi Dennis,
Does the machine you’re installing the package on have sufficient permissions to access the network share? Could you try copying the package to the remote machine first and then pointing the Windows Installer - Install action to the package on the remote machine?
\> I still do not see the under the General tab the quick link topics filled in
Fixed for the next build.
Regards,
Paul.
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### Author:  [@djmarks](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/djmarks)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2009, 10:45am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/9 "2009-05-06T10:45:36Z")
Locally it works fine. I can try it later to a local unc but I think that is failing on the first part of the UNC “\\agi\common” , it should be “\agi\common” or even better “\agi\common”. Yes I have full permsission to the UNC path, The account I am using has admin rights as well as my second account has limited rights. This is a DFS location.
I will also try mapping a drive and seeing if this works.
If you add the action for the MSI to the project. there are your tabs on the action. The first tab is the general, which displays a quick help information. It is blank.
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### Author:  [@djmarks](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/djmarks)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/10 "2009-05-07T01:00:16Z")
The only one that seems to work is the local copy. When I try and use the UNC it fails to install. If I map a drive and try to access my mapped drive with a browse it fails during the browse. If I modify the action of the UNC path with a mapped drive, it is compeleted, but it then fails to install
Here is the failure. Note the "\\", This will work with local machine but not UNC paths or mapped drives.
The path to the installer package is not valid, S:\\Dev\\DevInstalls\\R\_LicenseManager\_v3.x\\AGI License Manager.msi.
Also attached is a screen shot of the general tab
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### Author:  [@paulsamways](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/paulsamways)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/11 "2009-05-08T02:09:31Z")
Hi Dennis,
I believe the reason the action is failing is due to the way authentication works when you’re using a WMI function on a remote machine which then attempts to connect to a network resource. Here’s an article on the perl mailing list which describes the problem in more detail:
[http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/perl-win32-admin/1257531](http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/perl-win32-admin/1257531)
The easiest work around would be to simply the copy the installer to the remote machine’s C$ administrative share before running the action and then deleting it once it’s finished. As far as I can tell the problem with the double slashes in the path is just a bug in the WMI error reporting as we’re not doing anything to escape the slashes before it’s passed to WMI.
\> Also attached is a screen shot of the general tab
This problem has been fixed and a new build will be available soon.
Regards,
Paul.
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### Author:  [@djmarks](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/djmarks)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/12 "2009-05-11T04:48:13Z")
Paul,
Thanks, I will check out the URL. Another work around would be to run a dos shell and peform the function in a command window. Our install is about 1.2GB compressed, not worth copying locally at this time. We also have a perl script where we can install via unc, local or mapped drive where it corrects the "\" to match for an install that is passed. Similar to a cmd windows running:
msiexec /i " or the setup.exe equivilent.
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### Author:  [@djmarks](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/djmarks)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2009, 5:12am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/13 "2009-05-15T05:12:54Z")
Just dowloaded 6.3.0.1472 and I did not see the general Tab get populated. Did it make it in this release?
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### Author:  [@paulsamways](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/paulsamways)
#### Post date: [May 18, 2009, 9:01am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/14 "2009-05-18T09:01:51Z")
Hi Dennis,
The fix should of been in the 1472 build but unfortunately was not, here’s the link to the latest test build which has the quick help for the Windows Installer actions.
URL: [https://www.finalbuilder.com/downloads/finalbuilder/630/FB630\_1494.exe](https://www.finalbuilder.com/downloads/finalbuilder/630/FB630_1494.exe)
Regards,
Paul.
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### Author:  [@djmarks](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/djmarks)
#### Post date: [May 19, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/15 "2009-05-19T05:02:23Z")
Thanks, this release has the fix in for the quick link information on the general tabs. I still am looking to test via a UNC path as we have many installs and to copy each one down to the local machine and execute could take time. I do have a perl project we can perform our installs with. We might stay with this for the time being.
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### Author:  [@djmarks](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/u/djmarks)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://www.finalbuilder.com/forums/t/windows-installer-install-action-does-not-work-at-all/1039/16 "2009-10-01T03:07:16Z")
Paul,
Thanks for the email, unfortunately, the work around:
The easiest work around would be to simply the copy the installer to the remote machine's C$ administrative share,
This is okay, but the dosshell and CMD mode seems to work with the UNC and reduces the time for the extra copy. In the future the work around would be used for smaller projects, but when your install is of a large package, moving around to expand it takes time. the DOS shell works better at this point.
Dennis