WiX Bootstrapper shows blank GUI

Question

I have the weirdest thing going on. I am using WiX 3.9, using a WiX Standard Bootstrapper (based on WixStandardBootstrapperApplication.HyperlinkLicense).

I am using a custom theme file. The bootstrapper GUI works exactly as expected when installing for the first time.

However, if I uninstall all the packages that the bootstrapper installs, and run it again, it shows a completely blank UI. It never seems to get to the first page in my theme XML.

I do have a couple of bafunctions (OnPlan, OnPlanComplete), but I have verified that they're not throwing any errors.

What's even stranger is that, on my dev machine, if I simply rebuild the bootstrapper, the newly built one doesn't exhibit the same behaviour.

The only thing in the bootstrapper log that would seem to indicate a problem is the line: Shutting down, exit code: 0x642

This is causing trouble with my QA people who install and uninstall all the time.

Has anyone seen this? I am stumped.

Answer 1

I believe I have the answer to my own question. The bootstrapper leaves its own SEPARATE entry in the registry where programs are listed that show in the “Programs and Features” screen. That is, separate from the bundles it installs..

However, because I have set the bootstrapper to not SHOW in “Programs and Features”, you don't see it. If I hadn't you'd see TWO TAC 4.1 entries there (One for the bootstrapper and one for the TAC msi itself).

I have ALSO set the bootstrapper to NOT have a “modify” screen (Like when you right click on an installed program in “Programs and Features” and select “modify” or “repair”.

So…because there was STILL an entry in the registry for the bootstrapper (the bootstrapper itself had NOT been “uninstalled”), when you try to run the installer bootstrapper again, it is trying to go to the “modify” screen, which doesn't exist. Thus, the “blank screen”.