Silent Installation from a Network Share
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE versus HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Special Administrative Registry Keys
Chained Installation with Microsoft Office
ZipOut installation and enterprise-wide deployment have been designed to be simple and robust while allowing a great deal of flexibility and fine-grained administrative control. The ZipOut Administrative Settings Tool allows every aspect of ZipOut's user interface to be separately controlled and locked down and/or hidden, if so desired. Running a standard installation is very quick and requires little input. A silent install with no user interaction can be launched from a batch file using the command-line syntax of the Windows Installer. ZipOut installation is compatible with a variety of push installation technologies. You can also deploy ZipOut with Microsoft Office by using a chained install process. These deployment methods use the Installer database package file which is available at www.microeye.com/zipout/ZipOutInstaller/ZipOut.msi.
Using the command-line syntax for the Installer executable msiexec.exe, administrators can perform a completely silent installation of ZipOut from a network share point. Installation can be performed per user or per machine.
msiexec /i \\UNC Path\ZipOut.msi /q [PIDKEY="license code"]
· The /i switch denotes the path to the installation database (.MSI file). Replace UNC Path with the fully qualified path to the directory where you copied ZipOut.msi. You must use double quotation marks to bracket the path statement if it includes enclosed spaces.
· The /q switch will cause the installation to run silently. Additional parameters (b|r|n +|-) can be used to modify the user interface level, for example:
/qb (basic) will display a simple dialog with limited information and a progress bar
/qr (restricted) provides the user more information as the installation progresses
/qn+ (no interface with +) is completely silent and then pops up a message when the installation is complete.
· If the license code is supplied it must be enclosed in double quotation marks. Your agreement with Micro Eye regulates the number of seats where you may legally install ZipOut. See HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE versus HKEY_CURRENT_USER for a discussion of the implications of supplying a license code in the command-line argument.
For a full list of the command-line switches and syntax for Msiexec.exe consult the Platform SDK documentation for Windows Installer.
You can create a batch file using the command-line syntax above and fire it by a variety of means. The batch file (or a link to it) can be sent to users as an email attachment. If your network anti-virus software permits it, clicking on the attachment and choosing Run will begin the installation program. ZipOut will be active the next time a user logs on to Outlook on the workstation.
When the license code is supplied as a command line argument (PIDKEY="license code") ZipOut will be installed on a MACHINE rather than USER basis and will be registered under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins. As a result, ZipOut will not appear in the list of COM Add-ins shown in the Outlook COM Add-ins dialog box. A user will be unable to disconnect ZipOut from the list of installed Add-ins. To view the Outlook COM Add-ins dialog box, follow these steps:
Add-ins shown in the COM Add-ins dialog box are user-specific and are registered ONLY under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins.
Consequently, individual users will not be able to disable ZipOut by deselecting it in the list of COM Add-Ins. However, ZipOut's configuration settings continue to be stored under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER key, so users sharing a machine will be able to maintain individual settings and can turn ZipOut On or Off independently.
When installation is done on a machine basis by supplying the license code on the command line, the removal of ZipOut will affect all users of the machine and will also include removal of the license code. With a standard installation this is not the case and the license code remains on the system after an uninstall.
You can control ZipOut's user interface and behavior using special values in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive. This can include hiding the ZipOut Property Page, hiding the ZipOut command bar buttons on the Standard toolbar of an Item's Inspector window, or hiding the command on the ZipOut Toolbar and ZipOut Shortcut menu that enables attachment management. See ZipOut Administrative Settings Tool for additional details on setting these keys.
When Microsoft Office is installed by launching Setup.exe, the process is governed by the values in the Setup.ini file, located in the Files\Setup folder of the install directory. One or more additional Windows Installer packages (MSI files) can be deployed during setup by adding the appropriate [ChainedInstall_n] sections to Setup.ini. Each chained install is run in sequence, following the core Office install.
By default, Setup passes to Windows Installer the command-line options and properties defined for the core Office package to each chained installation. However, you can set unique properties for each chained installation. For more information on the syntax for Setup.ini, consult the Office 2003 Editions Resources Kit Reference under Setup Settings File.
This example sets the ZipOut install to run silently, to set the license code and to configure the administrative settings specified in Admin.reg. If the Display option is not set then the ZipOut install will run using user interface settings of the parent install. Other possible values for Display are basic, reduced, or full.
[ChainedInstall_1]
TaskType=msi
Path=\\server\share\admin_install_point\ZipOut.MSI
Display=none
Cmdline=PIDKEY="your license code" ADMINREG=\\server\fullpath\Admin.reg