Best Application Packaging and Virtualization Interview Questions

1. What Is Application Packaging?

Ans:

Process of creating an installer for the application is called application packaging. Usually in it binary files provided by a developers are packaged to form the package. The Main difference between packaging and re-packaging is that source files does not come in the form of package in a packaging where as in re-packaging they come in form of the package, which might be a MSI or legacy package .

2. What Is a Application Repackaging?

Ans:

Repackaging is the process of capturing the changes that made by an Installation Program (Package) and it is customized to a support company standards and also distribution methods.

It is not need to do setup capture to call it repackaging, even creating must files or is files can be called an application repackaging.

3.What Are The Steps Of the Repackaging?

Ans:

• Review the packaging of requirements (User Requirement Review).
• Analyse the vendor package (Tech Review).
• Repackage an application (Setup capture).
• Customize a package (Scripting).
• Test package (Testing & UAT).
• Release the package to the end users (Deployment).

4. Why Repackaging Is Required & What Are The Problems In the Legacy Installation?

Ans:

• Customized Installation.
• Reduce Support Costs.
• Self Repair.
• Source Resiliency.
• Unattended Install.

The problems with the Legacy Installations:

• High Support Costs.
• Fragile Installs & uninstalls.
• Difficult & labor Intensive to deploy.

5.Name a Few Msi Packaging Tools?

Ans:

• Wise for Windows Installer.
• Wise Package Studio.
• Install Shield.
• SMS Installer.
• Marimba.
• WIX (It cannot be used for re-packaging).
• Sharpdevelop.
• Visual Studio.

6.Name a Few Msi Re-packaging Tools?

Ans:

• Wise Package Studio
• Install Shield
• SMS Installer
• Marimba

7. Name a Few Deployment Tools?

Ans:

• Radia
• CA DSM
• Altiris Client Management Suite
• Altiris Notification Server Console
• Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)

8.What Is a Windows Installer?

Ans:

Windows Installer is a built-in Operating System service for Installing and Managing an Applications. It provides for standard method for developing, customizing, installing and updating applications. It is an engine for an installation, maintenance, and removal of software on the modern Microsoft Windows systems. The installation information, and often the files themselves, are packaged in the installation packages, loosely relational databases structured as OLE COM Structured Storages and genarally known as “MSI files”, from their default file extension. Windows Installer contains significant changes from its a predecessor, Setup API.

New features include GUI framework and automatic generation of the uninstallation a sequence. It is positioned as alternative to stand-alone executable an installer frameworks such as older versions of InstallShield and Wise Package Studio and NSIS.

9. Benefits Of a Windows Installer?

Ans:

• Advertising
• Installation on Demand
• Repair (Self-healing)
• Rollback (Transactional operations)
• Managed Shared Resources

10.Msi Installation Mechanism (background Mechanism)?

Ans:

Acquisition: The Installer first installs a feature and then progresses through the actions specified in a sequence tables of the installation database. These actions query the installation database and generate the script that gives a step-by-step procedure for performing the installation.

Execution: The installer passes an information to a process with elevated privileges and runs the script.

Rollback: If an installation is unsuccessful, the installer restores a original state of computer. When the installer processes the installation script, it simultaneously generates the rollback script. In addition to a rollback script, the installer saves the copy of every file it deletes during the installation. These files are kept in the hidden,system directory. Once the installation is to be complete,the rollback script and the saved files are deleted.

11. What Is A Msi?

Ans:

MSI is “a Microsoft Windows Installer”. It is an installation, in the form of single file. It is actually a database that contains the several tables (80+). Each of these tables contains an instructions and set-up information.

12. Structure Of a Msi?

Ans:

• Products(Collection of a Features)
• Features (Collection of a Components)
• Components (Collection of a files and Registries)

13. What Is a Product?

Ans:

A single, installed, working program (or set of programs) is the product. A product is identified by the unique GUID (the ProductCode property). A product is not a same as a package: a single MSI package might install multiple various products. For example,an MSI might install the French and English versions of a program, each of which is a various product.

14. What Is a Feature?

Ans:

Features are the buckets for Components. Windows Installer configuration commands operate only on a Features (installing, advertising, Uninstalling). Self-healing, installon- demand and user profile fix-up operate at a Feature level.

15. What Is a Component?

Ans:

Components are collections of the resources that are always installed or removed as a unit from user’s system. A resource can be a file,registry key, shortcut, or anything else that may be an installed. Each component is assigned to a unique component code GUID.

16.What Is a Self-healing?

Ans:

When an MSI-based application is to be launched (by clicking on the advertised shortcut or file type association), Windows Installer checks the existence of a key path items.

If there is mismatch between the current system state and a value specified in the MSI package (e.g., a key file or registry is missing), then the related feature is be reinstalled. This process is also known as a self-healing or self-repair.

17. What Is a Difference Between a Self-healing And Repair?

Ans:

Self Heal and Repair are the two different concepts in Windows Installer which people more times consider to be a same thing however there is difference in a these two.

Self Heal is triggered by an advertised shortcuts, or other advertising information in a package which eventually Repairs the application.

When the application is a launched by advertised shortcut, it checks for all key paths of the Current Feature, if any of key paths is missing it will be launch Repair.

Note that if there are multiple features then it will not to check the missing key paths of the other features, but only a feature of which the advertised shortcut is launched.

Repair of an MSI can triggered by:

• Repair button in an Add/Remove programs.
• Giving a command line msiexec /f{other option} {MSI name}.
• Self Heal by advertised shortcut or the other advertising information.

Active setup:

Once the repair of a package is triggered, even with the Self Heal, thenthe whole of the MSI is reinstalled. Then it does not see that only feature which triggered the self heal should be repaired, but the whole MSI, by which I mean, all its features are be reinstalled.

18. What Is a Registry,Tell The Structure & Types Of Registry?

Ans:

The Registry is a single place for the storing information about a Windows OS (Hardware & Software):

• Root Keys / Subtrees
• Subkeys
• Hives
• Entries

Types of a Registry keys:

• Machine-Specific (HKCR, HKLM, HKCC, HKU)
• User-Specific (HKCU, HKU)

Types of a Registry Root keys:

19.What Are Shortcuts & Types?

Ans:

Shortcuts are the entry points to applications installed on the system which is normally points to be file:

• Advertised (File should be Installed by a Application).
• Non Advertised (File that is not be part of Installation. It is also called a Command Line shortcuts).

20. What Are the Ini File & Its Format?

Ans:

INI files are plain-text files that contain the configuration information. “INI” stands for:

21.What Are the Services & Its Types?

Ans:

A windows service is the background process which is loaded by a Service Control Manager of the OS.

• Win32 Service (Win32 services are services which is running by the executable file installed by a Application).
• System or the Kernel Services (Kernel services are the services which are used by a OS to communicate to the hardware devices)

22. Where Is a Service Information Stored?

Ans:

Most of the Service information are saved under the windows registry hive “HKLM System Current Control Set Name of a Service”.

23. In The Msi, Which Tables Contain an Information About The Service Details?

Ans:

• Service Install (Service Details)
• Service Control (Controlling a service during Installation & Un Installation)

24.What Is the Odbc & Dsn And Its Types?

Ans:

ODBC means Open Database Connectivity. The purpose of a ODBC is to allow the user to access the data from any application. The layer between the application and a DBMS called DSN.

• System DSN (DSN will be available for all the users)
• User DSN (DSN will be available for that a particular user)

25.What Is a File Association?

Ans:

The Windows operating system recognizes a file types and associates them with the programs based on their file extension. A file that carries no extension or no associated with program is called Orphaned.

26.What Is an Environment Variable & Its Types?

Ans:

Environment Variables are variables that are set by the Operating System & Application:

• System Variable (Available for all the users)
• User Variable (Available for that a particular user)

27. What Is the Property & Types Of Properties, Give Some Examples?

Ans:

Properties are the global variables that the Microsoft Windows Installer uses during the installation.

Private: The installer can be used only internally (values can’t be changed during a run time). Manufacture,ProductCode, ProductID, ProductName, ProductVersion

Public: The installer can be used both the internally & externally (values can be changed during a run time also).INSTALLLEVEL.

Restricted Public:The user can’t change the value of both internally & externally due to the security purposes. ALLUSERS, REBOOT, REINSTALLMODE.

28. What Is Merge Module?

Ans:

Merge modules are a mechanism in the Windows Installer that allows companies to prepackage and share A standard component definitions.Merge modules are used to delivered a shared code, files,resources, registry entries and setup logic to the applications as a single compound file.

29.Name Few Merge Module Tables?

Ans:

• ModuleSignature,
• ModuleComponents,
• ModuleDependency,
• ModuleExclusion,
• ModuleIgnore,
• ModuleSubstitution
• ModuleAdminUISequence,
• ModuleAdminExecuteSequence,
• ModuleConfiguration,
• ModuleAdvtUISequence,
• ModuleAdvtExecuteSequence,
• ModuleInstallUISequence,
• ModuleInstallExecuteSequence.

30.Detail The Background Mechanism Of a Merge Module?

Ans:

If there are a number of applications that required a specifically configured component, it would be a possible to create a merge module that installs and configures that the component. That merge module could then be added to an installation packages of each product that required that specific component.

This saves the effort of having to individually add the important files,registry entries, and the other components to every installation. It also saves time if updates are to be needed, as instead of updating the installations for all the five applications, only the merge module is updated, and the installations only need to be a rebuilt.

31.How To Give a Permission For Files, Folders & Registry Keys In a Msi?

Ans:

In the MSI, can give a permissions through Lock Permission table. But using subinacl.exe custom action is a best way to set permissions.

32. How To Give a Permission For Files, Folders & Registry Keys Through Vb Script & What Is The Syntax?

Ans:

CACLs should only run on a NTFS partitionsCACLS – Changes the Access Control List:

• “Cacls [/T] [/E] [/C] [/G user: perm] [/R user […]] [/P user: perm […]][/D user […]] “
• /T Changes ACLs of the specified files in the current directory and subdirectories
• /E Edit ACL instead of a replacing it
• /C Continue (ignore) access the denied errors
• /G user: perm where access the rights granted can be: R C F (read, change, full control)
• /R user Revoke specified user’s access the rights (only valid with /E)
• /P user: perm Replace specified user’s to access rights. Permission can be: N R C F (none, read, change, full control)
• /D user Deny the specified user access

E.g. “cacls c:myfile.txt /E /G : F”

33.How To Install Only One Particular Feature During The Installation Through the Command Line?

Ans:

34.How To Disable a Arp(add/remove Programs) Details During The Insallation Through Command Line, Tell Some Arp Properties?

Ans:

Following entries are different ARP properties:

• ARPAUTHORIZEDCDFPREFIX
• ARPCOMMENTS
• ARPCONTACT
• ARPINSTALLLOCATION
• ARPNOMODIFY
• ARPNOREMOVE
• ARPNOREPAIR
• ARPPRODUCTICON
• ARPREADME
• ARPSIZE
• ARPSYSTEMCOMPONENT
• ARPURLINFOABOUT
• ARPURLUPDATEINFO

35.What Is the Advertisement?

Ans:

It means that, the Availability of the application to users or others with out actually a full Installation. There are two types of Advertising

Assigning : An Application appears to a user or the others, when an Application is “assigned”. When a user tries to open, it is installed upon a demand.

Publishing:No Entry points appear to the user or others, when an Application “published” to the group. It is activated only if a group Application activates a published Application i.e. Installation on Demand.

36.What Is the Advertised Feature & Component?

Ans:

If a Feature or Component is to be advertised, only the interfaces required for loading and launching a application are installed to the user or others. If a user activates an advertised interface a installer then proceeds to install the important Components & Features.

37.What Is the Installation On Demand?

Ans:

When a user or application activates the advertised feature or product,the installer proceeds with an installation of the needed components.

38.What Is a Transform?

Ans:

Atransform is windows installer file with the extension (.MST). It should be used along with the MSI to customize or change the installation package without modifying a MSI. The installer can only apply the transforms during the installation.

39.What Are The Types Of a Transform?

Ans:

Embedded transform:Embedded transforms are saved inside a .msi file of the package.

Secured transform:Secured transforms are stored locally on a user’s computer in a location where, on the secure file system, the user does not have a writeaccess. Such transforms are cached in location during the installation or advertisement of package. During subsequent installation-on-demand or maintenance installations of a package, the installer used the cached transforms.

Unsecured transform:Transformsthat have not been secured are called the unsecured transforms.To apply an unsecured transform, pass a transform file names in the TRANSFORMS property or command line string during installation.

40. How Many Transform Can Be Created For the One Vendor Msi?

Ans:

There is no restriction on a numbers of transforms which can be created for the one Vendor MSI.

41.How Many Transforms Can Be Supplied In aCommand Line?

Ans:

There is no restriction on the numbers of a transforms which can be supplied in a command line.

42.What Is a Custom Action?

Ans:

The Microsoft Windows Installer provides a many built-in actions for performing an installation process. For some cases the developer writes the action to execute his own installation is called custom action.

43.What Are Types Of a Custom Actions?

Ans:

• DLL file saved in a Binary table stream.
• DLL file that is installed with the product.
• EXE file stored in the Binary table stream.
• EXE file that is installed with the product.
• Displays a specified error message and the returns failure, terminating a installation.
• EXE file having a path specified by property value.
• EXE file having a path referencing the directory.
• JScript file saved in a Binary table stream.
• JScript file included with the product.
• JScript text specified by the property value.
• JScript text saved in this sequence table.
• VBScript file saved in Binary table stream.
• VBScript file that is installed with the product.
• VBScript text specified by the property value.
• VBScript text saved in this sequence table.
• Property set with the formatted text.
• Directory set with the formatted text.
• Installation of a package nested inside of a first package. See Nested Installation Actions.
• Installation of a package that resides in a first application’s source tree. See Nested Installation Action.
• Installation of application that is advertised or already installed. See Nested Installation Actions.

44.What Are The Types Of a Sequences In The Custom Actions?

Ans:

• Normal User an Interface.
• Normal Execute the Immediate / Deferred.
• Administrative an User Interface.
• Administrative Execute Immediate / Deferred.

45. What Are Types Of a In Script Options In The Custom Actions?

Ans:

a)Immediate Execution:

Immediate custom actions, can be sequenced in anywhere within any of the sequence tables. It has access to an installation database (read & set installation properties, modify feature & component states, add temporary columns, rows, and tables).

b)Deferred an Execution – User Context:

Deferred custom actions can only be sequenced between the Install Initialize and Install Finalize actions in an execute sequence tables. It doesn’t have access to a installation database. Deferred custom actions are not be an executed immediately. Instead they are scheduled to run later during a execution script. The execution script isn’t processed until an Install Execute, Install Execute Again, or Install Finalize action is run. If Current User doesn’t have a elevated privileges (Custom actions make changes in the system directly), the custom actions should run in the Deferred Execution in User Context only.

c)Rollback only:

This Action should be executed during an Installation of the Rollback script or if Installation is to be Unsuccessful.

d)Commit only

This Action should be executed during Installation of a Commit script.

e)Deferred Execution – System Context

Deferred custom actions can only be sequenced between a Install Initialize and Install Finalize actions in execute sequence tables. It doesn’t have access to an installation database. Deferred custom actions are not be executed immediately. Instead they are scheduled to run later the during execution script.The execution script isn’t processed until Install Execute,Install Execute Again, or Install Finalize action is run. If the Current User have elevated privileges (Custom actions make changes in the system directly), then it should run in the Deferred Execution in System Context only.

46.What are Difference Between a“immediate Execute / a Deferred Execute”?

Ans:

Immediate Execute	Deferred Execute
Immediate custom actions, can be sequenced in an anywhere within any of the sequence tables.	Deferred custom actions can only be a sequenced between the Install Initialize and Install Finalize the actions in execute sequence tables
Immediate custom actions have access to a Installation database.	Deferred custom actions doesn’t have the access to the Installation database
Immediate custom actions can only run in a User Context.	Deferred custom actions can be run both in the context of the user and elevated using a system context.

47. What Is Difference Between the “deferred In a System Context / Deferred In the User Context”?

Ans:

If the Custom action which installs or modify the file under the INSTALLDIR or Installation should be run in a “Deferred in User Context”.

If the Custom action which installs or modify a system file directly should be run in a “DeferredExecution in System Context”.

48. What Are The Types Of the Processing Options In The Custom Actions And What Is Use?

Ans:

A) Synchronous: Windows Installer runs a custom action synchronously to the major installation. It waits for the custom action to complete successfully before a continuing the main installation.

b) Synchronous,ignore exit code: Windows Installer runs the custom action by synchronously to the main installation. It waits for the custom action to finish before continuing the major installation; the action can be either success or be fail.

c) A synch, wait at end of sequence: Windows Installer runs the custom action simultaneously with the major installation. At the end it waits for exit code from the custom action before continuing.

d) A synch, no wait: Windows Installer runs a custom action simultaneously with the major installation. It doesn’t wait for completion of the custom action and doesn’t check exit code also.

49.What Are The Types Of the Scheduling Options In The Custom Actions And What Is The Use?

Ans:

Always Execute: This action execute in all the sequences.

Run first time: This action execute only a first time Windows Installer encounters it.

Run once per process:This action execute only one time either Execute sequence that should not run if installation is running in the silent mode.

Run only if UI sequence was run: This action execute only if either Execute sequence is run following the User Interface sequence.

50.What Is a Launch Condition?

Ans:

Launch Condition is used to check the system requirements on the destination computer.

51.What Is an App Search?

Ans:

App Search action is used to search for an existing versions of the products (Files, Registry, INI, Directory & Component)

52.What Is the Isolated Component, Why Are Using And Its Types?

Ans:

It means that to prevent the overwriting of previous versions of shared components, and ensures that the other applications do not overwrite a version of shared components.

• a)Manifest file concept.
• b)Local file concept.

53.What Is The Use Of a Msi Assembly Tables?

Ans:

It is used for a registration of .Net Assembly files

54.What Is The Latest Version Of a Windows Installer?

Ans:

The latest version of a Windows Installer is 4.5

55.What Is The Latest Version Of a Wise Package Studio & Install Shield Admin Studio?

Ans:

Will change with the time.

56. What Is a Conflict Management?

Ans:

When two or more applications install a same system files (DLLs, .VBXs, and .OCXs), Windows registry, and other items. To detect, Conflict Management should used and for resolved the software conflicts, Application Isolation concept should be used.

57.What Are The Types Of Deployment (software Distribution)?

Ans:

• Group policy (Active Directory).
• Software Update Services (SUS).
• Windows Update Web site.
• Systems Management service (SMS).

58. What Is a Software Distribution?

Ans:

One of the more crucial aspects to the managing a Windows environment is the ability to deploying the new applications, updates, upgrades & patches. Distributing new or updated software is a Software Distribution.

59.What Is a Group Policy (gpo) & How To Set It?

Ans:

Administrators used a Group Policy to explain options for the managing, configuration of servers, desktops, and groups of users. It is used to set a policies across a given site, domain, or range of organizational units.Use “gpedit.msc” in a run command to set the policy.

60.What Is the Elevated User & How To Create It?

Ans:

If the user having a privileges of MSI features (Windows Installer) is called as Elevated User that can create through the “gpedit.msc” in the run Command or registry keys.

61.What Is a Wrapper Msi?

Ans:

When an Executable is wrapped within the MSI then that msi is called a wrapper msi.

62.What Is a Lock Down Environment?

Ans:

Software restriction policies are provide an administrators with a Policy-driven mechanism to identify a software running on computers in a domain, and control its ability to the execute. This policy can be used to block a malicious scripts, help lockdown a computer, or prevent unwanted the applications from running.

63.What Is an Intellimirror?

Ans:

Intelli Mirror management technologies are a set of a powerful features for change and configuration the management. It ensures that users’ data, software, and personal settings are available when they moved from one computer to the another, and persist when their computers are connected to a network.

64. What Is an Active Directory?

Ans:

Deploying applications through an Active Directory is done through the use of the group policies, and therefore applications are deployed either on a per user basis or on the per computer basis.

65.What Are The Other Tools Which Are Used During Testing & Finding Solving The problems In The Application Packaging?

Ans:

• Picture Taker
• Windows Install Master
• InstallRite
• RegMon
• FileMon
• Procmon
• Process Explorer
• CsDiff
• Icon Extractor & Icon Builder
• RegExtractor
• WiLogUtl
• WiseComReg

66.What Is an Orca Tool & What Is aPurpose And Advantages?

Ans:

Microsoft utility to the view, update, validate a MSI & MST files.

67.What Is the PackageCode?

Ans:

The Package Code is the GUID identifying a specific Microsoft Windows Installer package. It associates the .MSI file.

68.What Is a Product Code?

Ans:

The Product Code is the GUID identifying a specific Application or product.

69.What Are The Disadvantage/drawbacks Of the Msi?

Ans:

Resiliency: Resiliency can be inconsistent with the repackaged applications because repackager utility may not fully understand the component dependencies or what the key paths of an application should be. Therefore, an application may be packaged into a one large feature that gets entirely reinstalled if component keypath is missing. If it were broken up into a multiple smaller features it would enable a high manageable resiliency. COM/ActiveX

Registration: Component Object Model (COM) and ActiveX controls may not be a properly registered. Prior to aWindows Installer, COM and ActiveX registration was black box. Except for an exported functions DLLRegisterServer and DLLUnregister server, COM and ActiveX controls offered few hints of their registration process. RegSvr32.exe was responsible for calling the previously mentioned functions and then a DLL was responsible for registering itself. There is no utility that can view the DLL, an OCX, or an EXE and figure out what goes on the inside DllRegisterServer and DllUnregisterServer for that the file. There are standard registry entries are most COM and ActiveX controls register, like HKCRCLSID, HKCRProgID, and HKCRTypeLib. Information on COM registration may or may not get entered into an appropriate MSI tables by a repackager.

Shortcuts: Shortcuts may not be created as a WindowsInstaller descriptor shortcuts, which enable resiliency. Legacy setup shortcuts were .lnk files that pointed to the executable in most cases. Sometimes when repackager runs, all it knows is that an .lnk file was copied to the directory. For example, a legacy Setup.exe installed a shortcut to a C:WindowsProfilesUser1Desktop. The repackager would copy .lnk file directly to a directory listed previously. Therefore, the repackager is not actually copying a Windows Installer shortcut, but rather it is a copying a file without any resiliency capabilities are included.

Isolated Components: The only way to take an advantage of isolated components is to the author a new MSI package. Repackagers currently do not support this feature. Application Removal:When uninstalling the repackaged application, it is possible that the AllUsers profile.

70.What Is Advertisement And Command For the Advertisement?

Ans:

It means that, the Availability of the application to users or others with out actually a full Installation.

There are two types of Advertising:

Assigning: An Application are appears (shortcuts, files & registries) to a user or others, when Application is “assigned”. When the user tried to open, it is installed upon demand.

Publishing: No Entry points are appear to a user or others, when an Application “published” to a group. It is activated only if the group Application activates a published Application i.e. Installation on Demand.

Syntax:

Parameters:

71. What Is an Admin Install And Command For It?

Ans:

The Windows Installer can performed an administrative installation of an application or product to the network for used by a workgroup. An administrative installation installs the source image of the application onto a network that is similar to the source image on a CD-ROM. Users in workgroup who have access to this administrative image can then install a product from this source. A user must first install a product from the network to run the application. The user can choosen to run-from-source when installs and the installer uses most of the product’s file are directly from the network. Administrators can run an administrative installation from a command line by using the /a command line option. The ADMIN action is a top-level action used to initiate the administrative installation. When this action is an executed the installer calls the actions in a AdminExecuteSequence and AdminUISequence tables to perform the administrative installation.

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72.For Which Type Of the Packages Admin Install Fail?

Ans:

Any MSI which installs files based on the selection, be it from command line, System Search or selected options are while installing.

73.What Is a Transaction Processing?

Ans:

One or more operations are processed together as a single indivisible whole called transaction. All the constituent operations must succeed for a transaction to succeed, otherwise all the operations are rolled back to a original state.

Windows Installer 4.5 includes the support for installing multiple packages using transaction processing. The packages are chained together and processed as single transaction. If one or more of the packages in a transaction cannot be installed successfully or if the end user cancels are the installation, the Windows Installer initiates rollback for all of packages to restore the system to earlier state.

74.What Is a Dll Cache Folder?

Ans:

It is the folder in which the Microsoft Windows are stores protected system files.

75. What Are Addlocal And Addsource Properties?

Ans:

ADDLOCAL: It will install components (file resources) associated with feature locally on the client the package is to be installed on.

ADDSOURCE: The files will be “installed” on a source meaning where the MSI is to be originally located. There will be an actually not be any installation of files into a folder but they must exists as “external uncompressed”.

76.Explain The Difference Between a Property And Property?

Ans:

Property: Private Properties in the MSI (Properties that cannot be changed during the runtime).

Property: Public Properties (Properties that can be changed during the runtime).

77.Use Of an Installevel Property?

Ans:

The INSTALLLEVEL property is an initial level at which features are selected “ON” for installation by the default. A feature is installed only if a value in the Level field of a Feature table is less than or equal to a current INSTALLLEVEL value. The installation level for any installation is specified by a INSTALLLEVEL property, and can be an integral from the 1 to 32,767.

78. Difference Between the Run, Run Once, Active Setup?

Ans:

Active Setup:

It is used when the application required an installation of components like files or registry keys on the per-user basis, but application has no advertised entry points or the other triggers to initiate an installation process

Run:

The Run key is processed are after an every logon, either by the Explorer shell, if it is present, or by the First Boot Agent (FBA), if a custom shell, Command shell, or Task Manager Shell is to be used. If FBA processes this key, it does so after each log on, not during first boot as it normally be would. Typically, this flag is used to load the Systray applications, launch services in the executables, hide autostart applications, or hide background processes

Run Once:

The RunOnce key is to be processed only once, by FBA, after Plug and Play device an enumeration and DLL registration processing have finished . The values of this registry key are deleted from a registry after it is processed, so that it will not run again. Typically, this flag is used to when a reboot is required, such as for a DLL or OCX registration, or for cleaning up the setup or an uninstall.

79.What Is a Logical Structure Of Package?

Ans:

A package explains the installation of a full product (Windows Installer does not handle the dependencies between products) and is universally identified by the GUID. A product is made up of the components, grouped into features.

Components:A component is a minimal part of the product—every component is treated by Windows Installer as the unit: the install developer cannot, for example, use a condition to specify to a install just part of a component. Components can contain the files,groups of files, directories, COM components, registry keys, shortcuts, and other data. The end user does not be directly an interact with the components.

Key paths:A key path is a specific file, registry key, or ODBC data source that the package author specified as a critical for a given component. Because a file is the most general type of a key path, the term key file is commonly used. A component can contain at most of one key path; if a component has no explicit key path, the component’s destination directory is taken to be the key path.

Features:A feature is the hierarchical group of components—a feature can contain any number of be components and other features (a feature contained in another feature is called “subfeature”). Most installation programs display the “custom setup” dialog box at run time, from which end user can select which features to install or remove.

80. Advantages Of the Packaging (creating Msi Packages)?

Ans:

• Customize the Applications to suit the user needs.
• Simplify the Installation and an Un-installation Procedures.
• Saves Time in both the Installation and Un-installation.
• Once packaged, applications can be fastly installed on a range of desktops in the multiple locations, saving administrative costs, simplifying the manage of a licensing fees and minimizing support and repair expenditures.

Saves Space of a product by doing apt modifications to applications.Has a great flexibility of obtaining a lost files through a phenomenon called Self Heal, this reduced down time of application. If a critical file (a .DLL or .EXE file, for example) that is part of a distribution is corrupt or is deleted, the user can be prompted to the repair installation by presenting a original .MSI distribution. Additionally, if installation media is available (for example, on a network share), the repair simply happened automatically.Can be advertised.The programme may be easily upgraded. Clean installation and Un-Installation is achieved by a process called Roll- Back.

81.What can do with an application packaging and the virtualisation degree?

Ans:

Application packaging and virtualisation professionals are find employment as engineers across different companies in the tech industry. They can encounter an interview questions that test their ability to help businesses manage the digital workplaces and ensure that applications function optimally.

82.How to install the .Exe file through silent mode?

Ans:

Its mostly, but will depend up on the which tool has been used to create it.

83.What is the Installation on Demand?

Ans:

When a user or application activates can advertised feature or product, the installer proceed with installation of needed components.

84.What is the Launch Condition?

Ans:

Launch Condition is used to check system needs on the destination computer.

85. What is the App Search?

Ans:

• High Support Costs.
• Fragile Installs & uninstalls.
• Difficult & labor an Intensive to deploy.

86.what is use of MSI Assembly tables?

Ans:

It is used for a registration of .Net Assembly files.

87.What is the Orca tool & what is the purpose and Advantages?

Ans:

Microsoft utility was view, update, validate MSI & MST files.

88.What is the Patch?

Ans:

Patching is a streamlined process for the updating earlier versions of a Windows Installer setup package i.e. when update only files that already exist in the installation package. Only the package code is to be changed.

89. What is an Upgrade?

Ans:

Upgrade is the process of updating the earlier versions of a Windows Installer setup package .But product code, product version & package code should changed.

90.What is the ICE?

Ans:

It means “Internal Consistency Evaluation”. ICEs are used to validate the installation packages against various generic problems.

91.How to install .Exe file through the silent mode?

Ans:

Its mostly, but will depend up on the which tool has been used to create it.

92.What is the COM Component?

Ans:

Component which is having a COM information.

93.Which type of packages are admin install fail?

Ans:

Any MSI which installs files based on the selection, be it from command line, System Search or selected options while an installing.

94.Can create an MSI without any commercial utility?

Ans:

Using VBScript, Python or any other language which support a MSISDK.

95.How do troubleshoot an MSI installation?

Ans:

Will Trace the Error Cause First, After…Using Filemon And Regmon.

96.how can find the whether source files contain MSI or not?

Ans:

• If Msiexec engine process a runs more than a 2 times in taskmanager.
• If package maintain entry of MSI in temp folder.

97.How to delete HKCU keys for all the users at un-installation of an MSI application?

Ans:

Create a custom action which will traverse the entire HKEY_USERS and then removed all required keys for all the users.

98.I am trying to remove the service using MSI and that service is now reporting as “Marked for deletion” instead of getting removed. Can guess the reason?

Ans:

The service might be a running or services.msc console might be an open.

99.What are the types of the Setup Captures Methods in Wise / Install shield?

Ans:

Virtual Capture : Creates clean virtual OS on the computer, and the installation is redirected in a clean virtual OS.

SmartMonitor : Watches an installation and records are changes the installation performs.

Snapshot : Scan the computer before and after an installation and record the differences between a first scan and the second.In Install Shield there are two types :

• Installation Monitor:Repackager watches a lower-level system activities and records related changes made to a system by the setup(s) programs.
• Snapshot :Scan the computer before and after an installation and record the differences between a first scan and the second.