Installing MDAC and DCOM with MSI

Since there is no merge module that installs MDAC and DCOM, Microsoft has created a wrapper exe that will first install MDAC and DCOM, and then launch your msi setup. This is documented in Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q257604. If you prefer to integrate the MDAC and DCOM installation to your msi setup, this document describes the required steps.

Overview

The algorithm of the install depends on whether you also want to create data sources during your setup.

If no data sources need to be created:

  1. On Windows 95, install DCOM95 if not present, and reboot the computer (user choice, if no reboot, quit the install for now).
  2. Install MDAC if not present, schedule a reboot after the install completed.
  3. Continue to install the application.

If data sources need to be created:

  1. On Windows 95, install DCOM95 if not present, and reboot the computer (user choice, if no reboot, quit the install for now).
  2. Install MDAC if not present, and reboot the computer. (A reboot is require to complete the MDAC installation, which must be done before you can create DSNs)
  3. Install application and data sources.

DCOM Installation

  1. By using the AppSearch create a property DCOMREGVERSION that holds the version nr of the installed DCOM. If DCOM is not installed, the property is empty. The registry key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{bdc67890-4fc0-11d0-a805-00aa006d2ea4}\InstalledVersion holds the DCOM version number on Windows9X systems.
  2. Use a custom action to fill a property DCOM95 with the path to the DCOM.exe executable on the installation CD-ROM. The action is only executed if we are running on Windows95 and the DCOMREGVERSION property has not been filled (DCOM not installed)
  3. Use a custom action to execute DCOM.exe on the installation CD-ROM, using the DCOM95 property as the path. This action is only executed if the DCOM95 (previous step) has been created.
  4. Use the ForceReboot action if the DCOM95 property is filled.

MDAC Installation

Note: Steps 1 and 2 are identical in both cases.

If no DSNs will be created:

  1. By using AppSearch create a property MDACREGVERSION that holds the version nr of the installed MDAC. If MDAC is not installed, the property is empty. The registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DataAccess\FullInstallVer holds the version number.
  2. Use a custom action to fill a property MDAC with the path to MDAC_TYP.exe on the installation CD-ROM. The action is only executed if the MDACREGVERSION property contains a version lower than 2.5 (the version that is being installed).
  3. Use a custom action to execute MDAC_TYP.exe on the installation CD-ROM, using the MDAC property as the path. This action is only executed if the MDAC property has been created.
  4. Use ScheduleReboot to perform a reboot when the installation is completed.

If DSNs should be created:

  1. By using AppSearch create a property MDACREGVERSION that holds the version nr of the installed MDAC. If MDAC is not installed, the property is empty. The registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DataAccess\FullInstallVer holds the version number.
  2. Use a custom action to fill a property MDAC with the path to MDAC_TYP.exe on the installation CD-ROM. The action is only executed if the MDACREGVERSION property contains a version lower than 2.5 (the version that is being installed).
  3. Use a custom action to execute MDAC_TYP.exe on the installation CD-ROM, using the MDAC property as the path. This action is only executed if the MDAC property has been created and the DCOM95 property is FALSE.
  4. Use the ForceReboot action if the MDAC property is filled.

Detailed steps

a) In the Property manager, create the DCOM95 property and the MDAC property. Leave the value blank. Do NOT create the DCOMREGVERSION or MDACREGVERSION properties.

b) In the Setup Design, create a feature. This feature will ensure that the distribution files will be included in the CD-ROM distribution. Set the following parameters:

Remote Installation: Favor Source
Display: Not Visible

c) In this feature, create a component for DCOM95 and one component for MDAC per language that your install should support. In your source environment, rename all language versions of MDAC to "mdac_typ.exe". (I.e. the Dutch MDAC is called "mdac_typ_nl.exe). Place them all in a different directory. Let each component point to is respective file, and set the appropriate language property.

d) Set the Source Location of the DCOM95 component to DCOM95. Set the source location of each of the MDAC components to MDAC.

e) Create some custom actions:

DCOM95
Type 51
Source DCOM95
Target [SourceDir]program files\[ProductName]\DCOM95\DCOM95.exe
Comments This Action sets the DCOM95 property with the source directory of the exe, assuming you have added DCOM95 as the source folder in the component

MDAC
Type 51
Source MDAC
Target [SourceDir]program files\[ProductName]\MDAC\mdac_typ.exe
Comments This Action sets the MDAC property with the source directory of the exe, assuming you have added MDAC as the source folder in the component, and all language version have the same executable name.

RUN_DCOM
Type 114
Source DCOM95
Target /R:N /Q:U
Comments Run the dcom95.exe using the source specified in the DCOM95 property /R:N = no reboot /Q:U = no questions asked

RUN_MDAC
Type 114
Source MDAC
Target /q /C:"setup /QNT"
Comments Run the MDAC.exe, location is in the MDAC property. /q = no questions asked, /C:"setup /QNT" is no reboot

f) Use the AppSearch action to find the release levels.

Use the Power Editor resp. Direct Editor (under Tools or Advanced Views) and fill the AppSearch table:

Property Signature_
DCOMREGVERSION DCOMSIG
MDACREGVERSION MDACSIG

Fill the RegLocator table

Signature_ Root Key Name Type
DCOMSIG 0 CLSID\{bdc67890-4fc0-11d0-a805-00aa006d2ea4}\InstalledVersion   2
MDACSIG 2 SOFTWARE\Microsoft\DataAccess FullInstallVer 2

g) Use the IDE Sequences to include the actions.

If no DSNs need to be created:

  • If there is an APPS_TEST condition on the AppSearch action, remove the condition. Do this both on the User Interface sequence and the Execute sequence.
  • Insert the ResolveSource action, just after the InstalInitialize action in the Execute Sequence. You need this to get the path to the source where DCOM.EXE and MDAC_TYP.EXE are located. Give it a condition of Not Installed to avoid request for the installation CD during uninstall.
  • After the ResolveSource action, insert the following actions: DCOM95, MDAC, Run_DCOM95, ForceReboot, Run_MDAC, ScheduleReboot
  • The ForceReboot is to ensure a reboot after DCOM installation, the ScheduleReboot, is to make sure we reboot at the end after installing MDAC

DCOM95
Condition = NOT Installed AND Version9X=400 AND NOT DCOMREGVERSION

MDAC
Condition = NOT Installed AND MDACREGVERSION < "2.5"

Run_DCOM
Condition = DCOM95

ForceReboot
Condition = DCOM95

Run_MDAC
Condition = MDAC

ScheduleReboot
Condition = MDAC

If you want to create DSNs:

  • If there is an APPS_TEST condition on the AppSearch action, remove the condition. Do this both on the User Interface sequence and the Execute sequence.
  • Insert the ResolveSource action, just after the InstalInitialize action in the Execute Sequence. You need this to get the path to the source where DCOM.EXE and MDAC_TYP.EXE are located. Give it a condition of Not Installed to avoid request for the installation CD during uninstall.
  • After the ResolveSource action, insert the following actions: DCOM95, MDAC, Run_DCOM95, Run_MDAC, ForceReboot
  • The ForceReboot is to ensure a reboot after DCOM and MDAC installation
  • The conditions on Run_MDAC make sure that in the first pass only the DCOM installer is invoked, but the MDAC step is skipped. During the second pass DCOM is installed and therefore the MDAC installer can run. We have to do it this way because you can't have two ForceReboot actions in the same sequence.

DCOM95
Condition = NOT Installed AND Version9X=400 AND NOT DCOMREGVERSION

MDAC
Condition = NOT Installed AND MDACREGVERSION < "2.5"

Run_DCOM
Condition = DCOM95

Run_MDAC
Condition = MDAC AND NOT DCOM95

ForceReboot
Condition = DCOM95 OR MDAC

Remarks

Do not create the properties DCOM95, MDAC, DCOMREGVERSION, and MDACREGVERSION in the Property manager. The installer engine will automatically create them if required.

In particular the ForceReboot is still not 100% the best solution. According to Microsoft, the ForceReboot should be placed near the end of the install. As it is now, the user has to do the option selection again. Fortunately, the chance of having to install DCOM is very small, it seems to be present whenever a user has installed IE 4.0. But it would be better if after reboot the selections are no longer needed. However, if I place the ForceReboot at the end, Installed is true, so all conditions get messed up.

You may want to modify the condition on the InstallWelcome dialog in the InstallUISequence (Installation - User Interface) to be:
Not Installed And Not PATCH And Not DCOM95 And Not MDAC
This will skip the wizard dialogs until DCOM and MDAC are installed properly. This way users don't have to go through the wizard sequence repeatedly.

Is there a minimum level for DCOM needed? I now install MDAC 2.5, and as it is described here, any DCOM is accepted. The lowest level of DCOM is 4,71,0,1120, which is DCOM 1.x. With Windows 98, DCOM 1.2 was shipped, which is version 4,71,0,2612 (Microsoft Q23200)

Witten by Pieter van Kampen, updated by Astrid Broecker and Stefan Krueger

 

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