InstallShield 2013 Limited Edition + Visual Studio 2012 + Installer Class = Error 1001

Question

I have a VS solution in order to build an installer for a Windows Service. I have the Limited Edition of Installshield, so i can't install windows services. Thus, I use the "Class Installer" Tip in my InstallShield project.

This solution was working until I change of PC.

If I build my Installer on my new PC, with the same solution, same version of Visual Studio 2012 and same version of InstallShield : I have an error message "Error 1001" during installation of my setup.

If I try to install my Installer with InstallUtil.exe, I obtain a BadImageFormatException (both with Framework x86 or x64).

In the new exe of my Installer what doesn't work, the DLLs are the sames than on my older PC, but the MSI is not the same.

Answer 1

You have an architecture bitness mismatch somewhere in your calling sequence.

Heath has a good explanation here that still applies to later VS editions as far as i know.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/heaths/archive/2006/02/01/64-bit-managed-custom-actions-with-visual-studio.aspx

Also, if any of your code is AnyCpu then it will start out as 64-bit and be unable to link to any 32-bit Dlls, but your issue seems to be at the first call in the custom action.

If you can avoid VS installer classes then do so.