WiX installer .msi doesn't install the attached .lib and .dll files

Question

So I have a fully working Product.wxs file that installs a nifty Signature drawing program. I added a TestLibrary project with a TestClass with a very basic Add(int, int) method, and used it in my program just for testing purposes, then harvested the class' directory with heat (and ran it through and XSLT file for formatting), linked the Output.wxs to the project, referenced the ComponentGroup, and tried to install the whole thing together, hoping that the class would be installed along, and the software could run. This is not the case, it builds and installs flawlessly, just for the installed .exe to fail on launch.

Here's the Product.wxs:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">
    <Product Id="6daf7a49-43a8-403b-8d15-96197c8751cc" Name="SetupProject_Sig" Language="1033" Version="1.0.0.0" Manufacturer="VTC" UpgradeCode="f2ad826c-59b9-4f9f-af0d-8c9d80030605">
        <Package InstallerVersion="200" Compressed="yes" InstallScope="perMachine" />

        <Condition Message="You need to be an administrator to install this product.">
        Privileged
        </Condition>

        <MajorUpgrade DowngradeErrorMessage="A newer version of [ProductName] is already installed." />
        <MediaTemplate />

        <Feature Id="ProductFeature" Title="SetupProject_Sig" Level="1">
            <ComponentGroupRef Id="ProductComponents" />
            <ComponentGroupRef Id="ComComponents" />
        </Feature>

        <Property Id="ApplicationFolderName" Value="Signature" />
        <Property Id="WixAppFolder" Value="WixPerMachineFolder" />

        <WixVariable Id="WixUISupportPerUser" Value="1" Overridable="yes" />
        <WixVariable Id="WixUISupportPerMachine" Value="1" Overridable="yes" />

        <Property Id="WIXUI_INSTALLDIR" Value="APPLICATIONFOLDER" />

    </Product>

  <Fragment>
    <Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir">
      <Directory Id="ProgramFilesFolder">
        <Directory Id="APPLICATIONFOLDER" Name="SetupProject_Sig" />
      </Directory>
    </Directory>
  </Fragment>

    <Fragment>
        <Feature Id="Complete" Title="Signature Tosz 1.0" Description="All files." Level="1" Display="expand" ConfigurableDirectory="APPLICATIONFOLDER">
            <Feature Id="MainProgram" Title="Program" Description="The main executable." Level="1">
                <ComponentRef Id="MainExecutable" />
                <ComponentRef Id="HelperLibrary" />
                <ComponentRef Id="ProgramMenuDir" />
            </Feature>
            <Feature Id="Documentation" Title="Description" Description="Instruction manual." Level="1000">
                <ComponentRef Id="Manual" />
                <Condition Level="1">FILEEXISTS</Condition>
            </Feature>
        </Feature>
    </Fragment>

  <Fragment>
    <ComponentGroup Id="ProductComponents" Directory="APPLICATIONFOLDER">
            <Component Id="ProductComponent" Guid="b3594fac-7524-4529-8874-5811705996b8">
                <File Source="$(var.Control_Sig.TargetPath)" />
            </Component>
        </ComponentGroup>
  </Fragment>

    <Fragment>
        <DirectoryRef Id="TARGETDIR">
            <Component Id="RegistryComp">
                <RegistryKey Id="ToszRegApplicationfolder" Root="HKLM" Key="Software\VTC\Tosz 1.0" Action="createAndRemoveOnUninstall">
                    <RegistryValue Type="string" Name="APPLICATIONFOLDER" Value="[APPLICATIONFOLDER]" />
                    <RegistryValue Type="integer" Name="Flag" Value="0" />
                </RegistryKey>
            </Component>
        </DirectoryRef>
    </Fragment>
</Wix>

The pre-build heat command:

call "%wix%\bin\heat.exe" dir "$(SolutionDir)\TestLibrary\bin\Debug" -var "var.TargetDir" -gg -g1  -srd -cg ComComponents -template fragment -out "$(ProjectDir)\Output.wxs" -v -t "$(ProjectDir)\bin\Debug\Filter.xslt"

Output.wxs

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Wix xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi">
    <Fragment>
        <DirectoryRef Id="TARGETDIR" />
    </Fragment>
    <Fragment>
        <ComponentGroup Id="ComComponents">
            <Component Id="cmp278E5D4E5835479434800F8B4056EB4B" Directory="TARGETDIR" Guid="A09371FD-ACE5-474E-B1B8-D9C83CF05497">
                <Class Id="{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}" Context="InprocServer32" Description="TestLibrary.TestClass" ThreadingModel="both" ForeignServer="mscoree.dll">
                    <ProgId Id="TestLibrary.TestClass" Description="TestLibrary.TestClass" />
                </Class>
                <File Id="fil296E15219B07AF9559E0660E87293FC3" KeyPath="yes" Source="$(var.TargetDir)\TestLibrary.dll" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\Implemented Categories\{62C8FE65-4EBB-45e7-B440-6E39B2CDBF29}" Value="" Type="string" Action="write" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\InprocServer32\1.0.0.0" Name="Class" Value="TestLibrary.TestClass" Type="string" Action="write" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\InprocServer32\1.0.0.0" Name="Assembly" Value="TestLibrary, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null" Type="string" Action="write" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\InprocServer32\1.0.0.0" Name="RuntimeVersion" Value="v4.0.30319" Type="string" Action="write" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\InprocServer32\1.0.0.0" Name="CodeBase" Value="file:///[#fil296E15219B07AF9559E0660E87293FC3]" Type="string" Action="write" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\InprocServer32" Name="Class" Value="TestLibrary.TestClass" Type="string" Action="write" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\InprocServer32" Name="Assembly" Value="TestLibrary, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null" Type="string" Action="write" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\InprocServer32" Name="RuntimeVersion" Value="v4.0.30319" Type="string" Action="write" />
                <RegistryValue Root="HKCR" Key="CLSID\{DB173953-D21D-3F29-BC10-C6299EBD2BFF}\InprocServer32" Name="CodeBase" Value="file:///[#fil296E15219B07AF9559E0660E87293FC3]" Type="string" Action="write" />
            </Component>

            <Component Id="cmp5BD81C93D46AA48BFAA1819DF54A67EB" Directory="TARGETDIR" Guid="86402057-DA0F-4B8E-BD0B-4973739A4008">
                <File Id="fil108FAB265F126BACEED88B56AB065A99" KeyPath="yes" Source="$(var.TargetDir)\TestLibrary.tlb">
                    <TypeLib Id="{A9413C7C-F0C0-4DB1-82E3-116C411A0342}" Description="TestLibrary" HelpDirectory="TARGETDIR" Language="0" MajorVersion="1" MinorVersion="0">
                        <Interface Id="{A13FF8B0-AC7C-33E5-B0F3-5366304512AC}" Name="_TestClass" ProxyStubClassId32="{00020424-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}" />
                    </TypeLib>
                </File>
            </Component>
        </ComponentGroup>
    </Fragment>
</Wix>

The added line in Main() for testing:

System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(new TestLibrary.TestClass().Add(5, 3));

I've been trying to fix it for two days, and it's driving me nuts. Can't seem to figure out where it goes wrong, the Output looks perfect, the class should be getting installed, and yet the Signature program fails to launch.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

I don't have the intricate COM knowledge that Phil has so here's how I debug it.

Fire up a clean snapshotted VM. Install your MSI. Run a registry snapshot differencing tool such as InstallWatcher Pro. Run regsvr32.exe your.dll Take a another snapshot and compare. Run your program to confirm regsvr32.exe fixed the problem. If not, look elsewhere for the source of your troubles. Roll the VM snapshot back.

If so, analyze the differences and author it into your .wxs and rebuild. Rinse and repeat.