WiX Tool for Packaging

1
votes

Can I use WiX tool for only packaging purpose?

I want to create MSI file which have some exe, dll and dependent files. When I run this MSI I just want all the files present inside the MSI should only extract in the C drive. MSI file should not do following 1. Software Entry in registry 2. Entry in control panel 3. GUID entry of components in registry

I just want to create simple MSI file which will use only to extracts the files wherever I want. Can it is possible with WiX?

3
wixpackagepackagingwix3.7
Bob and Tom's advice is generally correct but in certain circumstances what you want is possible using MSI/WiX despite their claims that it's not. Whether this is a desirable choice or not, I'll leave up to you as I don't have enough information to give an opinion. – Christopher Painter

3 Answers

1
votes

The WiX Toolset builds Windows Installer packages. Windows Installer manages per-machine and per-user installation and uninstallation of components by multiple packages. It is not designed to drop files and forget them.

Try NSIS.

1
votes

What you might want to check out is administrative installs. msiexec /a FOO.MSI TARGETDIR=C:\EXTRACT will pretty much do what you want. If you really want to create an MSI that doesn't register itself with the system ( I have reason to do this from time to time ) you can achieve this my suppressing certain standard actions from the installation execute sequence so that MSI doesn't register it's metadata.

As an example, Microsoft uses this pattern in it's "FixIt" packages like the ones found here.

0
votes

No, that's not something that WiX supports. Or MSI for that matter. You want a self-extractor, not an installer.