Is it possible to execute a custom action in WiX that is a managed .EXE file?

Question

I am trying to execute a custom action that was written C# (.NET 3.5) that has a dependency on a single DLL (Also C# 3.5). I have included both the .EXE and .DLL in the installation, and verified that they are being copied to the install location. However, every time I attempt to run the custom action, I get the following error:

Action start 7:21:16: InstallFinalize. Error 1721. There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. A program required for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor. Action: UpgradeTo022, location: C:\Program Files\Test\, command: Upgrade-0.2.2.EXE MSI (s) (CC:38) [07:21:19:061]: Product: Test -- Error 1721. There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. A program required for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor. Action: UpgradeTo022, location: C:\Program Files\Test\, command: Upgrade-0.2.2.EXE

The Custom Action is defined as follows:

<CustomAction Id="UpgradeTo022"
Directory="INSTALLLOCATION"
Impersonate="no"
Execute="deferred"
ExeCommand='Upgrade-0.2.2.EXE'>

Note: The custom action must be run with elevated privileges, thus the deferred execution and Impersonate="no" attributes.

It is scheduled as follows:

<InstallExecuteSequence>
     <Custom Action="UpgradeTo022" Before="InstallFinalize">NOT Installed</Custom>
</InstallExecuteSequence>

The files are installed as follows:

<Component Id="CMP_UpgradeCommon" Guid="8ECF5076-732E-4010-A33B-BE362D818949" Win64="yes">
  <File Id="FILE_UpgradeCommonDLL"
   Source="..\Upgrade\UpgradeCommon\bin\Debug\UpgradeCommon.dll" Vital="yes"/>
</Component>

I've seen some allusions to running managed EXEs as being a problem with Custom Actions and MSis, but no real definitive answers.

I have also tried just running a very simple .EXE with no dependencies as a custom action, and have had no luck there.

Being somewhat new to creating installer packages, it's very likely I'm either trying to do something that isn't supported, or missing something simple.

Thanks in advance for any pointers in figuring this out.

JT.

caveman_dick caveman_dick · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-08T13:27:28

Unfortunately this could be a number of things. Firstly are you sure .net 3.5 is installed on the target box? On from that, can you actually run the exe fine on the target machine?

One other thing to note is that deferred actions run under the context of the system account, so if the exe requires access to a profile for any reason, this will cause it to fail. I had this very issue when trying to generate a certificate as part of my install. I was scratching my head for ages on this and in the end had to spawn PowerShell with the -RunAs switch which then ran a script to call the exe. Might be worth checking to see if the app runs fine under the system account (http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/1288/how-to-run-applications-in-the-local-system-account-lsa/)

Is it possible to execute a custom action in WiX that is a managed .EXE file?

1 Answers