How to determine install scope of existing app?

Question

I have an installer based on the WixUI_Advanced that allows users to choose their install scope (per user or machine wide).

When upgrading (have an existing app with a lower version installed) I would like to hide the install scope screen and automatically select the install scope they chose last time.

How can I tell what install scope was used for the previous installation?

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Edit

Looking at my MSI logs I can see that my existing installation is found:

// Existing user specific installation
FindRelatedProducts: Found application: {C5D3DCD0-4A97-4224-AF22-BDDEB357EEB7}
MSI (c) (C4:F0) [11:11:39:289]: PROPERTY CHANGE: Adding WIX_UPGRADE_DETECTED property. Its value is '{C5D3DCD0-4A97-4224-AF22-BDDEB357EEB7}'.
MSI (c) (C4:F0) [11:11:39:289]: PROPERTY CHANGE: Adding MIGRATE property. Its value is '{C5D3DCD0-4A97-4224-AF22-BDDEB357EEB7}'.

// Existing machine wide installation
MSI (c) (2C:4C) [11:03:19:258]: FindRelatedProducts: current install is per-user.  Related install for product '{C5D3DCD0-4A97-4224-AF22-BDDEB357EEB7}' is per-machine.  Skipping...

I can see the WIX_UPGRADE_DETECTED and MIGRATE properties are set only when the existing installation's scope matches the current installation which makes sense. Perhaps I can use FindRelatedProducts directly?

Answer 1

This is not a complete answer. I had to add as an answer because of formatting requirements.

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UPDATE : Looked at this, ran out of time again. This really is no answer at all, but just lobbing it to you in case it can help you research it yourself .

Registry Persistence : I assume you have tried to persist ALLUSERS and / or the installation scope in the registry and read it back in the updated MSI? I didn't look at that. For that to work you have to do it in the first release of the package and keep it up later.

MSI API Automation : Here is a little hack to find the previously installed products on the box (this essentially runs similar stuff as "FindRelatedProducts" inside MSI files):

Inside MSI :

Set upgrades = Session.installer.RelatedProducts("INSERT-UPGRADE-CODE")
For Each u In upgrades
    scope = Session.installer.ProductInfo(u,"AssignmentType")
    MsgBox CStr(scope)
Next

Standalone, run script directly (install the MSI with the upgrade code specified first):

Set installer = CreateObject("WindowsInstaller.Installer")
Set upgrades = installer.RelatedProducts("INSERT-UPGRADE-CODE")

For Each u In upgrades
   MsgBox "Product Code: " & u & vbNewLine & "Installation Context: " & installer.ProductInfo(u,"AssignmentType")   
Next

MsgBox "Done"

I was thinking to do something like this in the GUI-sequence, but ran out of time again:

If scope = 1 Then
  Session.Property("ALLUSERS") = "1"
  Session.Property("MSIINSTALLPERUSER") = ""
  Session.Property("WixAppFolder") = "WixPerMachineFolder"
Else
  Session.Property("ALLUSERS") = "2"
  Session.Property("MSIINSTALLPERUSER") = "1"
  Session.Property("WixAppFolder") = "WixPerUserFolder"
End If

WiX Snippets :

<Binary Id='Scope.vbs' SourceFile='Debugging Custom Actions\Scope.vbs' />
<CustomAction Id='Scope.vbs' VBScriptCall='' BinaryKey='Scope.vbs' Execute='immediate' Return='ignore'/>

<..>

<InstallUISequence>
  <Custom Action='Scope.vbs' Before='CostInitialize' />      
</InstallUISequence>

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I was going to look at this, but ran out of time. Essentially WIX_UPGRADE_DETECTED will be set in the new setup being installed. See this answer for more . You could use that property to determine whether to hide or show a button. I tested that briefly and it worked, but implementing it in WiX is harder. You need to override the whole dialog I think.

In MSI tables, it would be something like this (Orca screenshot - MSI viewer tools ):

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• Here is an answer on MSI and Burn GUI issues (please check section 2: Change Default Dialogs - Advanced Dialogs ).

Throwing in some more links:

• Removing Default dialogs from MSI
• Wix, custom dialog when previous version exists
• Back/Next Button in UI using Wix toolset
• http://neilsleightholm.blogspot.com/2008/08/customised-uis-for-wix.html

Answer 2

I ended up checking for an entry with the DisplayName matching our app name in the registry in (inspired by this answer ):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall

Then I grabbed the content of InstallLocation to determine the install scope:

if (installLocation == string.Empty)
{
    // Installed before we introduced scope => never set install location
    return ExistingInstallation.MachineWide;
}
else if (installLocation.Contains(_programFilesPath))
{
    return ExistingInstallation.MachineWide;
}
else
{
    return ExistingInstallation.UserSpecific;
}